IGNORED! HE ALWAYS SAVED HIS RIGHT EAR FOR HER Chapter 02

IGNORED! HE ALWAYS SAVED HIS RIGHT EAR FOR HER Chapter 02

The two people on the stage spotted me.

Madison waved at me excitedly.

Then she hurried over, smiling brightly, and placed the stuffed toy she had won into my hands.

“Claire, this is your birthday gift!”

“Don’t be jealous, okay? I only pretended to be Ethan’s girlfriend so we could win this prize for you!”

Again, it was for me?

I stared at the stuffed toy in my hands.

Its smiling face seemed to be mocking my stupidity.

They kept walking side by side, just like always.

And, just like always, they left the left side for me.

I stepped forward and grabbed Ethan’s sleeve.

“Ethan…”

I lowered my voice.

“Let’s break up.”

“What?”

He didn’t catch what I said.

He leaned closer, bringing his left ear toward me.

“I said, let’s break up!”

I raised my voice.

But he still looked confused.

Before I could say it again, Madison spoke softly.

“Ethan, the fireworks are about to start. If we don’t hurry, we won’t get a good spot.”

Ethan immediately stood up.

Then he grabbed Madison’s hand and ran toward the fireworks with her.

Leaving me standing there alone.

The words I wanted to say caught in my throat.

No one cared.

On the platform in the distance, I watched as Ethan carried Madison on his back.

Brilliant fireworks exploded across the night sky, lighting up the entire amusement park.

And because of that, I saw everything clearly.

Madison leaned toward Ethan’s right ear…

And kissed him.

At that moment, the world around me was still filled with laughter and voices.

But I couldn’t hear a thing.

My hand slowly moved to my chest.

There was no wound there.

Yet it felt like something had torn a hole straight through me.

The cold wind rushed through me.

So cold.

I quietly turned around.

Walking against the crowd, I headed toward the exit.

My phone vibrated.

It was Mom.

[Claire, happy birthday! How was your day? Did Ethan plan anything special for you?]

The year we started dating, when Ethan was twenty, he promised Mom that he would propose to me before I turned twenty-five.

Today was my twenty-fifth birthday.

But there were no flowers.

No ring.

Only a devastating betrayal.

My finger lingered over the screen for a long time.

I typed.

Deleted.

Typed again.

Deleted again.

In the end, I only sent a few words.

[Mom, I don’t want to get married anymore. I want to come home.]

On the taxi ride back from the amusement park, I stared out the window at the passing city lights.

I kept wondering how I would explain everything if Mom asked.

Was it because of his left ear that could never hear me?

Or because of the way he held Madison’s hand so tightly?

Was it the perfect score they got during the couples challenge?

Or the kiss they shared beneath the fireworks?

Finally, Mom replied.

Only two simple messages.

[Claire, whatever decision you make, Mom supports you.]

[Your room is cleaned every day. Come home whenever you want, my baby girl.]

The emotions I had been holding back for so long finally collapsed.

I covered my face with both hands and cried.

When I returned to the house Ethan and I had shared for a year, everything felt strangely unfamiliar.

Technically, it was supposed to be our future home.

But the curtains were the deep black color I hated most.

The floor was covered with gray tiles instead of the wooden flooring I loved.

Even the artwork on the walls had a dark, gloomy style that made my chest tighten every time I looked at it.

I had mentioned several times that the atmosphere felt too depressing.

I asked if we could change the colors.

Even adding a few decorations would have been enough.

But Ethan never answered.

He didn’t even look at me.

Maybe he didn’t hear me.

Or maybe he heard me…

And simply didn’t care.

I didn’t turn on the lights.

In the darkness, I wrote a brief resignation letter.

Then I bought a one-way ticket home.

After that, I turned off my phone and went to sleep.

At four in the morning, the front door slammed open.

Ethan came into the bedroom and immediately turned on the light.

The bright white light stabbed my eyes.

“Claire, why did you just disappear without telling me?”

“Do you have any idea how worried Madison and I were?”

I instinctively narrowed my eyes.

My voice was hoarse.

“Worried?”

I looked at him.

“So worried that you only came back when it was almost morning?”

Ethan froze.

His confidence disappeared slightly.

“That’s… that’s because we were looking for you all night.”

“Madison was crying, and I had to calm her down before I could come back.”

I let out a bitter laugh.

Then I raised my phone.

“Is this how you calmed her down?”

The screen showed Madison lying on Ethan’s back.

Her face was pressed close to his ear.

The room fell silent.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Ethan cleared his throat.

A trace of guilt flashed through his eyes.

“Madison is small. She couldn’t see the fireworks because people were blocking her view.”

“I just carried her for a moment.”

“You’re actually jealous of your own best friend?”

Just for a moment?

I wanted to ask him…

Was putting his jacket on her just for a moment?

Was holding her hand just for a moment?

Was that kiss just for a moment too?

How many intimate things had they done while pretending they were “just friends”?

But in the end, I only turned over.

I closed my eyes.

“Do whatever you want from now on.”