Forty-Eight Hours Until I Disappear From His Life Chapter 01

Forty-Eight Hours Until I Disappear From His Life Chapter 01

I didn’t come from money, so everyone in Ethan Whitmore’s circle assumed I was a gold digger.

Especially Sloane Mercer, his longtime best friend, the woman everyone treated like one of the guys.

Sloane liked to say she’d played the gold-digger game herself once, so she knew exactly how women like me operated.

To prove I wasn’t one of them, I dated Ethan for three years without accepting a single expensive gift from him.

But Sloane had an explanation for that too.

“She says she doesn’t want anything, but really she’s waiting for the guy to offer something better. That’s how you play hard to get.”

That held until Ethan’s birthday. I’d spent six months saving up to buy him an $8,000 watch.

As I reached the private room at the club, I heard Sloane laughing inside.

“I told you she’d buy something expensive.”

“Gold diggers love this move. Pretend you don’t care about money, spend a little first, then cash in big later.”

Ethan sat beside her and didn’t disagree.

Someone chimed in.

“Whitmore, your girlfriend really knows how to invest.”

When someone noticed me, he raised a finger to his lips.

“Shh. She’s here.”

Sloane gave a little scoff.

“Some women should try just being honest, like me. Men actually like that. Right, guys?”

Ethan was quiet for a long moment before he finally looked up at me.

“You’ve kept this act up with me for three years. Were you really just waiting for a bigger payoff?”

I stood in the doorway, and suddenly the watch in my hand felt impossibly heavy, as if it were pressing the air from my lungs.

I didn’t answer. I just turned and walked away.

I’d spent three years having my sincerity questioned. Starting now, I was taking it back for good.

……

After I left the private club, I went straight back to the Fifth Avenue store where I’d bought the watch.

The sales associate recognized me.

Only half an hour earlier, I’d taken that gift box from her, barely able to contain my excitement.

Now the ribbon was still untouched, and I was asking her to take it back.

“Ma’am, the case back has been engraved. We can only buy it back at a reduced price.”

“How much?”

“Five thousand five hundred dollars.”

I’d saved for six months to buy that $8,000 watch.

Selling it back now would cost me almost $2,500.

I nodded.

“Do it.”

The sales associate had barely taken the box when I heard Sloane laugh behind me.

“See? I told you she’d return it.”

Ethan and the rest of the group from the club had followed me there.

They crowded around the counter like they’d come to watch a show.

Someone pulled out his phone and took a picture of the buyback receipt.

“Eight grand on a watch. Bet she figured she’d trade that for a sports car from Ethan.”

“That ROI would make Wall Street jealous.”

“A girl from some tiny Pennsylvania town lands Ethan Whitmore? She must know exactly what she’s doing.”

Every word landed, sharp enough to make my fingers go numb.

Sloane came over and glanced at the receipt.

“You guys are amateurs.”

“A basic gold digger just asks for money.”

“The smart ones spend a little first, find a reason to act hurt, return the gift, and make the guy feel guilty. Then come the car and the condo.”

The others laughed even harder.

“So that’s what playing the long game looks like.”

“No wonder she never took Ethan’s gifts. She wasn’t holding out for a handbag. She was holding out for the Whitmore name.”

I took my card back and turned to leave.

Ethan caught my wrist.

“Are you done with this yet?”

He pulled a black card from his wallet and pressed it into my hand.

“I went too far today. Go buy yourself something you like and quit sulking.”

I stared at the card, my chest tightening.

In three years together, I had never spent a cent of his money.

Even now, he still thought every hurt he’d caused me could be fixed with money.

I set the card back on the counter.

“Ethan Whitmore, we’re done.”

His expression changed.

Sloane clapped once.

“What did I tell you?”

“Returning the gift was just the warm-up. The breakup is the real move.”

She turned to Ethan, looking completely certain of herself.

“She’s put in three years and she’s this close to marrying into the Whitmore family. You really think she’d walk away now?”

“She’s trying to force you into proposing in front of everyone.”

The others jumped in immediately.

“Come on, Ethan. Get down on one knee.”

“Better do it now. Next time she won’t return a watch. She’ll threaten to hurt herself.”

The crease between Ethan’s brows slowly eased.

He looked down at me, sounding as if he’d finally figured me out.

“If you want to get married, just say that.”

“Don’t threaten me with a breakup. It’s getting old.”

I pulled my hand free.

“I’m not threatening you.”

“I don’t want you anymore.”

Ethan stared at me for a few seconds, the last of his patience draining away.

“Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

I didn’t answer. I left the store alone.

I’d barely gotten into a cab when my director, Daniel Reed, called.

“We lost someone on the Saudi project at the last minute. It’s a three-year site assignment, and you’d have to leave the day after tomorrow.”

“The conditions are rough. Are you willing to go?”

I’d already turned down two overseas assignments because of Ethan.

This time, I didn’t hesitate.

“I am.”

I booked a nine a.m. flight for the day after tomorrow.

Forty-eight hours. That was all I had left before I left New York and Ethan Whitmore behind.