He Tore Out My Walk-In Closet for Another Woman, So I Sold the Home and Canceled the Wedding Chapter 02

He Tore Out My Walk-In Closet for Another Woman, So I Sold the Home and Canceled the Wedding Chapter 02

Ethan smiled at me like I was getting upset over nothing again.

“She’s your best friend. You’re seriously jealous over this too? I think of her as family, so I look out for her a little more.”

Then he reached over and ruffled my hair.

Like he had countless times before, he said, “Erin, don’t get upset over something this small.”

Years ago, when Sophia’s parents were pressuring her to find a boyfriend, she wanted Ethan to pretend to be her boyfriend over Thanksgiving and spend a week with her in Portland.

I said no.

Ethan pulled my hand off him and said, “I’m just helping her this once. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Later, Sophia got lost while hiking in the Cascade Mountains.

The moment Ethan got her call, he left me at a rest area on Interstate 5 and drove off to find her.

I gripped the car door and tried to stop him from leaving.

He gave me one cold look.

“Sophia could be in danger right now. I have to go. Stop trying to hold me back.”

I looked back at the dinner table.

Ethan put another shrimp on my plate.

My appetite vanished.

I shoved the whole plate away, food and all.

“I’m not eating.”

“Erin, what is it now?”

His tone had been almost gentle a second earlier.

Now it sharpened with irritation.

Sophia tugged lightly at his sleeve.

“Ethan, Erin’s allergic to shrimp.”

That was when he froze.

“Sorry. I forgot. I’ll make you something else.”

“Don’t bother.”

I stood up and went back to the bedroom without looking at either of them again.

Before the door closed, I heard Sophia deliberately lower her voice.

“Is Erin mad? God, did I do something wrong again? Maybe I should talk to her. Seeing her like this makes me feel awful.”

“Leave her alone.”

Ethan’s voice was calm.

“She’s always like this when she’s angry. Let’s eat.”

Soon, their laughter drifted in from the living room.

A silly reality show played on TV while the two of them laughed together.

Yet whenever I tried to watch something like that when Ethan and I were alone, he took the remote away.

“Don’t watch this mindless stuff. I’m worried it’ll rot your brain.”

I sat quietly on the bedroom carpet for a while.

Then I unlocked my phone, canceled my wedding dress order and the venue booking, and started notifying everyone that the wedding was off.

“Erin, I’m taking Sophia home.”

Ethan’s flat voice came through the door.

Before I could answer, I heard the front door shut.

It was pouring outside.

Ethan hated weather like that.

Once, I’d been stranded at a downtown mall during a heavy storm and called him to pick me up.

He refused immediately.

“The weather app says it’ll let up soon. It’s my one day off. Do you really need me to drive out right now?”

But whenever Sophia came over for dinner, Ethan drove her home himself, no matter how hard it was raining or how bad the storm got.

Once, they’d even run through the rain like a pair of teenagers, racing all the way to an awning on the corner.

Then they’d stood there, looking at each other and laughing.

Sometimes I still thought about a rainy day back in college.

Back then, Ethan had pulled me into his arms and used his coat to shield me from the rain.

He’d told me that no matter what happened, he would always stand by my side.

Later, he gave that same patience and protection to another woman.

Ethan didn’t come home until after midnight.

He slipped into bed quietly, as if he were afraid of waking me.

His back was turned to me, but his phone screen kept lighting up.

It was impossible to ignore.

Eventually, I glanced over.

Sophia had sent him a message.

“Ethan, my company gave me two tickets to the premiere of a racing movie. Can you go with me tomorrow?”

Then another message appeared.

“Erin doesn’t like that kind of movie.”

Ethan’s thumb hovered over the screen.

He seemed to hesitate.

“But tomorrow is Erin’s birthday. I promised I’d spend it with her…”

Before he could send it, another message from Sophia popped up.

“No, no, forget I asked! God, I can’t believe I was so thoughtless. If you already have plans, spend the day with her. I can go by myself. Really!”

Ethan stared at the screen for two seconds, then deleted what he’d typed.

“It’s fine. I’ll go with you.”

Whenever Sophia deliberately said she could go alone, Ethan changed his mind immediately.

Out of the three of us, I was always the easiest one to abandon.