He Tore Out My Walk-In Closet for Another Woman, So I Sold the Home and Canceled the Wedding Chapter 01

He Tore Out My Walk-In Closet for Another Woman, So I Sold the Home and Canceled the Wedding Chapter 01

Two months before our wedding, I went for the final walkthrough of the new condo we’d bought in Seattle and discovered that someone had changed the floor plan.

Our two-bedroom condo suddenly had an extra guest room.

To make space for it, the construction crew had even torn out my walk-in closet.

That night, when Ethan Carter came home, I put the construction plans down in front of him.

“Why is there suddenly another room? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Ethan smiled like the whole thing barely deserved an explanation.

“Sophia’s all alone in Seattle. She has no family here and no one to call if she needs help. That tiny, run-down rental she’s living in isn’t safe. There’s nothing wrong with me helping her.”

There it was again.

The same tired excuse.

Not long after I bought a car, Ethan bought Sophia a more expensive SUV.

“She works late every night. It’s not safe for her to keep getting rides from coworkers. There’s nothing wrong with me helping her.”

Even the limited-edition engagement ring I’d spent months tracking down through a jeweler in New York appeared on Sophia’s social media the very next day.

She’d placed her hand beside a champagne glass and carefully angled the camera so the ring was impossible to miss.

It was exactly the same as mine.

When I asked Ethan why he’d done it, he only smiled.

“We’re getting married soon, and she’s still alone. She just wanted to know what it feels like to be spoiled by a man for once. There’s nothing wrong with me helping her.”

This time, hearing the same excuse again, I didn’t argue.

I took out my phone and texted the real estate agent handling the condo.

I was selling it.

Since Ethan cared so much about Sophia, I could call off the wedding too.

And there was nothing wrong with helping Ethan and Sophia get together, either.

…

“Ms. Walker, are you sure you want to list the condo? You’re asking half what similar units on this floor are worth.”

Her shock made sense.

The condo was close to Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront, and places in the area usually sold fast.

It was already fully renovated and furnished, with every appliance installed.

A buyer could practically move in tomorrow.

“I’m sure.”

I texted her back.

I’d chosen almost everything myself, from the original layout to the wall colors to every piece of furniture.

Ethan had barely been involved.

All he’d ever said was, “You decide.”

That was when I realized he’d secretly given another woman half of the home I’d spent months preparing.

To make Sophia comfortable, he’d even shrunk my bedroom and taken space that belonged to me to give to her.

Since he’d already arranged everything around her, I didn’t need this home anymore.

“Who are you texting?”

Ethan stepped closer and tried to look at my screen.

I locked my phone immediately.

“The renovation company.”

“Oh.”

He nodded, clearly believing me.

“Then remember to tell them to paint Sophia’s room a warm white. And get her a dehumidifier. Seattle’s going to be rainy for the next few weeks, and humidity really bothers her.”

He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

No one ever had to remind him what Sophia needed.

But when it came to me, he’d never cared that much.

I remembered what he’d said when I’d once asked for a dehumidifier.

“Those things are useless gadgets companies sell to rip people off. We don’t need one. They’re too expensive. I’m not buying one.”

“Fine.”

I looked at Ethan as he stood there thinking about what else Sophia might need and smiled bitterly.

At dinner, the keypad beeped as someone entered the code.

Sophia let herself in again.

Her carefully styled blonde hair fell over her shoulders, and she was wearing a new cream-colored coat.

She sat down at the table like she lived there and reached for the plate Ethan had already set out for her.

“Why are you just sitting there?”

Ethan nudged me with his elbow.

“Fix Sophia a plate first.”

I didn’t know when it had happened, but somehow I’d become a server in my own home.

I had to fix Sophia’s plate before my own and make sure there wasn’t a single water spot on it.

Otherwise, her perfectly shaped brows would pull together and she’d cover her nose.

“Oh my God, Erin. You know I’m a germaphobe. These water spots are disgusting. I can’t even look at this.”

Then Ethan would turn on me.

“If you can’t even dry a plate properly, what can I count on you for?”

Because Sophia was my best friend, I’d always swallowed my anger.

I stayed quiet even when Ethan cooked an entire dinner of Sophia’s favorite seafood dishes and forgot that I had a severe allergy.

I stayed quiet even when he’d been drinking and casually put an arm around Sophia’s shoulders while she smiled, leaned into him, and made no move to pull away.

I kept telling myself their flirting wasn’t betrayal.

But that night, I was done.

I fixed only my own plate, sat down, and started eating.

Sophia froze, still holding her empty plate.

Ethan frowned at once.

“Erin, what’s wrong with you today? Sophia hasn’t even gotten her food yet, and you’re already eating?”

I tightened my grip on my fork and looked at him.

“Is she my mother or my boss? Why do I have to fix her dinner and clean up after her every single time? Ethan, don’t you think you do way too much for her?”