My Boyfriend Gave My House to His Three Childhood Friends Chapter 09

My Boyfriend Gave My House to His Three Childhood Friends Chapter 09

Before the final handover, I went back to the house one last time.

All four of them had moved their belongings out.

The huge group photo was gone, leaving an obvious patch of discolouration on the wall.

The four pairs of matching slippers had disappeared from the entryway, and the livestream backdrop in the study had been dismantled.

The whole house was so empty that it barely felt familiar anymore.

Ethan stood in the middle of the living room, holding the original design plans.

“I found these.”

He unfolded the drawings.

In the first version of the design, there had been a study that was actually meant for me.

The terrace had included a display cabinet for my father’s models, and the main bedroom had a section of wall reserved for photos of Ethan and me.

But with every revision that followed, all of it had been removed.

“I can put everything back exactly how it was in the first plan.” He looked at me. “Erin, just give me one more chance.”

I didn’t take the drawings.

—

“Why did you change the original plan?”

He lowered his head.

“Sophia needed a room for her streams. Claire wanted to barbecue on the terrace. Megan said the display cabinet would block the light.”

“And me?”

Tears slipped down his face.

“I thought you wouldn’t mind.”

There it was again.

Because I supposedly wouldn’t mind, my study could be given away, my father’s belongings could be shoved into storage, my fingerprint could be left off my own front door, and even my birthday could wait until they had finished enjoying themselves.

“Ethan, a home isn’t you adding my fingerprint later or sticking an extra pair of slippers by the door.” I looked at him. “If I have to pull out the title deeds just to prove I’m allowed through my own front door, then it was never our home in the first place.”

He covered his mouth as the tears kept falling.

“I know I was wrong. I’ve cut them off. From now on, it’s you first.”

Maybe the old me had once waited to hear those words.

Now, they only made me tired.

“You only decided they weren’t worth it once you lost this place.” I walked past him. “We’re done.”

—

This time, he didn’t follow me.

The new owner arrived soon afterwards.

Once the inspection was finished, he reset the smart lock to factory settings right in front of me.

The screen lit up.

[Clearing previous users.]

[Ethan Walker: Deleted.]

[Sophia Bennett: Deleted.]

[Claire Brooks: Deleted.]

[Megan Reed: Deleted.]

The four so-called permanent users disappeared in less than ten seconds.

Ethan stood at the far end of the hallway and watched as the door closed again.

This time, he couldn’t get in either.

After selling the house, I didn’t rush to buy another one.

My lawyer recovered most of the money I had been overcharged.

Sophia paid for the damage to my father’s model set and took down every video she had filmed inside the house.

Ethan’s design studio lost several projects because of the accounting problems.

—

As for the four of them, they were never together again.

I heard that Sophia blamed Ethan for every loss she suffered while her livestreaming was suspended.

Claire and Megan insisted they had only ever been temporary guests and refused to take responsibility for any of the costs.

The friendship they had carried from childhood into adulthood ended with arguments over who owed what and everyone scrambling to push the blame elsewhere.