Five Years Outside Their Photos, So I Finally Walked Out Forever Chapter 06

Five Years Outside Their Photos, So I Finally Walked Out Forever Chapter 06

Ethan stood up almost immediately.

“I’m going home for a bit.

Brooke stopped him first.

“Ethan, if you go back now, won’t Claire think all she has to do is throw a fit and you’ll ditch

us?”

Jake and Ryan agreed.

“Exactly. She’s obviously trying to make you choose this time.”

“Go back now, and she’ll just keep pushing it.”

Ethan stopped.

He hated being manipulated more than anything.

Besides, in the past five years, Claire was always the first to give in after every fight.

Surely this time would be the same.

He sat back down.

“Let her.”

“She’ll come back when she’s done.”

Brooke lowered her head.

“It’s all my fault. If it wasn’t for me, she wouldn’t have left the group or broken up with you.”

Jake immediately nudged her toward Ethan.

“What’s any of this got to do with you?”

“Ethan’s single again. Perfect. You two don’t have to worry about how it looks anymore.”

The push sent Brooke bumping into Ethan’s shoulder.

It happened all the time before. She would settle against him, and Ethan never thought

anything of it.

This time, though, he almost instinctively took a step to the side.

Brooke froze.

He was startled, too.

Jake whistled.

“What, you break up and suddenly start acting like a faithful boyfriend?”

Brooke gave a soft laugh.

“Claire just cares way too much about that stuff.”

“Men and women don’t need all these boundaries. We’ve known each other for years.”

Before, Ethan would have agreed with her.

This time, he said nothing.

No boundaries between men and women? Then why couldn’t Claire accept it?

What if Claire was the one with a male friend she grew up with?

What if he could walk into their home whenever he wanted and keep his clothes in their

bedroom?

What if she kept leaving Ethan behind for that man?

And if Ethan so much as objected, her answer would be,

“Don’t be so petty.”

Ethan’s expression changed. He couldn’t even bear to imagine it.

Jake kept talking,

“Seriously, your girl just wants you all to herself.”

All to herself, Ethan always hated that about Claire.

But at that moment, for the first time, the phrase grated on him.

A girlfriend wanted her boyfriend to spend time with her.

Did that mean she wanted him all to herself?

And all those times he left her behind to go to Brooke?

What was that supposed to be?

Ethan shot to his feet. This time, nobody could stop him.

He changed his flight and headed home that night.

Before he opened the door, he still thought

Claire was probably shut in the bedroom, waiting for him to sweet-talk her, like always.

But he froze as soon as he opened the door.

Claire’s shoes were gone from the entryway. The blanket she always used was gone from the couch. Half the bedroom closet was empty.

Brooke’s things were still there.

An unfamiliar tightness filled Ethan’s chest.

He pulled out his phone and called Claire again and again.

Her phone was off. Always off.

He couldn’t believe it.

She only moved some things out to scare him.

Five years, How could she just walk away?

Suddenly, he thought of Claire’s mom.

The phone rang a few times before she answered.

“Mrs. Bennett, is Claire with you?”

There were two seconds of-silence. Her mother sounded confused.

“Didn’t you two break up?”

The words hit Ethan hard.”

“Mrs. Bennett, what did you say?”

“Claire told me yesterday. She asked me not to contact you anymore, or bother you about anything to do with the two of you.”

“She said she took everything she needed from the things she left at your place.”

“There’s nothing between you anymore.”

Ethan’s grip on the phone slowly tightened.

“She… really said that?”

“Yes.”

Claire’s mom sighed.

“She seemed pretty calm.”

“I thought this was something you two agreed on.”

After the call ended, Ethan stood in the half-empty bedroom.

For the first time, he considered something he could barely admit to himself.

Maybe this time, Claire really didn’t want him anymore.