My Boyfriend Gave Our Home Access Card To My Best Friend Chapter 03

My Boyfriend Gave Our Home Access Card To My Best Friend Chapter 03

My phone lit up.

The results were ready.

The news confirmed something that would change my life forever.

I lowered my gaze, resting a hand over my stomach.

“No.”

“My future doesn’t need him in it.”

Nearby, I heard someone call Ethan.

“Mr. Cole, please bring your wife through for her next appointment.”

Ethan didn’t correct her.

He simply stayed by Vanessa’s side, as though that was exactly where he belonged.

I watched them through the glass.

The answer was painfully clear.

On the third day, I went to work.

The noisy office fell silent as I walked in, and my coworkers watched me with uneasy expressions, whispering among themselves.

I caught the colleague I was closest to.

“What happened?”

After a moment’s hesitation, she handed me her phone.

The project proposal I’d spent three months working on had been posted in the company chat under Vanessa’s name.

I was accused of taking someone else’s work.

The company had issued a formal reprimand and suspended me pending investigation.

I went cold.

The original was on my laptop.

Apart from me, only Ethan knew the password.

When I looked up, he and Vanessa were coming out of the general manager’s office.

I rushed over and confronted him.

“Why is her name on my proposal?”

Everyone turned toward us.

Vanessa started crying.

“Claire, I know you want the promotion. But being friends for twelve years doesn’t mean I can cover for something that isn’t right.”

The whispers rose around us.

“She took someone’s work and now she’s confronting Vanessa?”

“And Vanessa thought she was her friend.”

I shook with anger.

“I spent three months on that proposal! I revised every figure and every chart myself!”

I stared at Ethan.

“You saw me in the study every night, working late. Tell them, Ethan. Tell them who’s lying.”

For an instant, he looked away.

Then he stepped in front of Vanessa.

“Enough. The evidence is right here. Stop blaming Nessa.”

I understood everything.

He’d taken my proposal and altered the file dates.

Only he could get into my laptop.

Only he knew exactly how far along my work was.

I went straight into the general manager’s office and explained the whole thing.

He only pushed a document across the desk.

“Vanessa submitted her proposal before you did, and she has the original files. Based on what we have, the evidence supports her submission.”

When I came out, I felt completely drained.

Ethan pulled me into the break room.

“Stop making a scene. I’ll support you.”

He lowered his voice, making it sound like a favor.

“Nessa’s family is going through a difficult time. This promotion matters to her. You’re good at your job. Missing one opportunity won’t ruin your career.”

I stared at him.

“So you gave her my work and let everyone think I stole it?”

“You’ll only be out of work for a little while!”

He frowned impatiently.

“Once this blows over, I’ll call in a favor and find you another job.”

My hands went cold.

When we’d first started dating, he’d held me and promised,

“Claire, I’ll never let anyone hurt you.”

Now he was the one turning my life upside down.

I pulled away and went back to the apartment to collect the rest of my things.

Management gave me temporary access.

A strange, sweet perfume greeted me at the door.

The sheets in the main bedroom were Vanessa’s favorite shade of pink.

Strands of her long hair lay on the pillow.

At the bottom of the trash were two opened packages.

Our prewedding portrait had been thrown on the floor, its glass marked with handprints that left little to the imagination.

I stared at the picture until I felt completely numb.

While I’d been left alone at a hotel until dawn, they had clearly made themselves at home in the bedroom that was supposed to be ours.

The love and friendship I’d trusted felt completely broken.

Ethan was still texting.

Ethan: [Stop being stubborn. Come home tonight. I’ll bring you something to eat.]

I wiped my face and made my decision.

He’d handed my life to Vanessa.

I didn’t have to let him decide the rest of my future, too.