My Wedding Dress And Ring Were For My Best Friend Chapter 08

My Wedding Dress And Ring Were For My Best Friend Chapter 08

After the honeymoon, the next news I heard about Ethan was that both he and Paige had been fired.

A former coworker filled me in on all the fallout.

The CEO had taken the flagship project team to a high-profile press presentation, where reporters began asking difficult questions. Paige could not answer a single one.

The entire presentation was a disaster, and the company’s reputation took a nosedive.

Furious, the CEO ordered a full investigation into the design work for the flagship project and every other design I had handled.

Two days later, I received an apology email from my former company.

They apologized for firing me, offered to rehire me with a promotion, and asked me to return and take charge of the product design department.

I stared at the email for a long time before sending back a brief reply.

[No, thank you.]

Not long afterward, our house manager told me someone was asking for me.

When I stepped outside, Ethan was standing at the door.

He had lost a great deal of weight, and his eyes were heavy with regret.

“Nora, you still had some things at my place. I came all this way to bring them back to you.”

I raised an eyebrow and smiled.

“You could’ve thrown them away. I don’t want any of it.”

The color drained from his face, and his lips began to tremble.

“Nora, are you really going to be this heartless? Do you want to cut me out of your life completely?”

“What else did you expect? I’m married now, Ethan,” I added softly.

He went rigid. A rare sheen of tears appeared in his eyes.

In the past, seeing him look heartbroken enough to cry would have made me give in immediately.

Now, even looking at him for another second irritated me.

I met his gaze without a trace of sympathy.

“Ethan, if you only came to return my things, you’ve done that. You can leave now.”

His eyes reddened, and he grabbed me in desperation.

“Nora, I admit I failed to keep proper boundaries with Paige. I was wrong.”

“But the things she said to provoke you and the photos she sent were all fake. Paige and I never crossed that line. Please believe me.”

“I never wanted us to break up. Give me one more chance, and I swear I’ll change.”

I let out a quiet laugh as though I had heard something absurd.

“Ethan, don’t be ridiculous. Sleeping with someone isn’t the only way to cross a line.”

“Every small thing you did while we were together told me that she mattered more to you.”

“I’m married now. I stepped aside and gave you what you wanted. You two deserve each other, and I hope you stay together forever.”

“Let’s end this cleanly and go our separate ways.”

I turned to leave, but Ethan refused to give up and followed close behind me.

“Nora, Paige and I aren’t together. The company took action against her, and she ended up in police custody. I was fired too.”

“I’ve been punished. Please give me a chance to make things right.”

“Besides, how long have you even known that man? You rushed into marrying him. Aren’t you afraid—”

I stopped but did not turn around.

“No, I’m not.”

“I was with you for years. I had years to get to know you, and what did that get me? You still chose Paige over me every single time.”

“Paige was right about one thing. Being together longer doesn’t guarantee that you’ll win. She came later, and she still managed to come out on top.”