On His IPO Day, He Chose My Sister Chapter 09

On His IPO Day, He Chose My Sister Chapter 09

Maya’s POV

Arizona’s sun blazed hot during the day, hot enough to melt anything in sight. Seven laid flat by the AC vent and wouldn’t budge no matter how I called him.

Julian chuckled watching him.

“Half an hour ago you were tearing off through the sand to go crazy, and now you won’t even lift your head off the cold air vent?”

Seven barked sharply at him, and I laughed softly.

Over the past two weeks, Seven and Julian bickered nonstop every dusk out in the desert. But I could tell he loved it here. Julian would take him running as the sun went down, set out cold water for him, and look after the dog while I pulled all-nighters in the kitchen.

The doorbell rang, and Seven bolted straight for the entryway.

I glanced up and froze.

Ethan stood outside.

He’d wasted away a ton—dark purple bags hung under his eyes, his lips cracked dry, and his suit was crumpled all over. He looked nothing like the sharp, confident man I’d seen ringing the Nasdaq bell.

“Maya.” His voice came out rough and worn. “I came to take you home.”

I stared flat at him. “I don’t have a home where you live.”

Julian stood up and grabbed Seven’s leash. “I’ll take him out for a walk. Shout if you need anything.”

I nodded. “Don’t go too far.”

Once the door clicked shut, Ethan’s first question was sharp and sour. “Who’s he?”

“My business partner.”

His face paled instantly. “Just a partner?”

“What’s it to you?”

He stepped closer, desperation leaking into his tone. “Maya, I’m your fiancé.”

I shook my head. “We’re done.”

“I never agreed to split up.”

He pulled the yellow diamond ring box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee.

Under the sunlight, it remained beautiful.

It still didn’t belong to me.

“Maya, I know I messed up bad.”

“I brought Chloe onto the Nasdaq stage only because her dad pumped funding into the company. The ring was a trap she set for me—she picked it out herself. I never planned to marry her, not even for a second.”

I watched him calmly, no flicker of emotion in my chest.

“So what’s your point?”

He blanked for a beat.

“What?”

“None of that matters to me anymore.” I tilted my chin toward the front door. “If you’ve said everything you needed to, you can leave now.”

Ethan’s eyes welled up. “Don’t you care about ten years we spent together?”

I let out a hollow laugh. “The one who threw our decade away wasn’t me—it was you.”

“It’s all Chloe’s scheming,” he rushed to argue.

“Even without Chloe, there’d be someone else sooner or later.”

I locked my gaze with his, every word slow and clear.

“You just got bored of me.”

“You saw someone younger, someone who worships every little thing you do, someone who can pad out your business deals—and you couldn’t help comparing her to me.”

“It wasn’t trickery that split us apart. You chose her. Plain and simple.”

Tears spilled down Ethan’s cheeks.

“Maya, I love you.”

The words sounded ridiculous to my ears. “Love?”

“Seven loves me more than you ever could.”

His face turned ghost white in an instant.

I kept going, my voice steady and calm. “When I was burning up with fever, you were in Boston with Chloe.”

“When suppliers cornered me in an alley to demand payment, you were out dining with her.” “After I lost our baby, I laid awake every single night, and only Seven curled up beside my bed to keep me company.”

“Do you even remember I’m deathly allergic to seafood? You forgot.”

“Do you know what scares me most? You never bothered to find out.”

“The only decent thing you ever did for me was bringing Seven into my life. That’s the one good memory you get.”

Ethan stumbled backward, unsteady on his feet.

I grabbed a cold water bottle and pressed it into his palm, then pulled the door wide open. Thick desert heat rushed inside.

“Go home. It’s over between us.”

He stared at me for a long moment, then swiped his tears away. “You once loved me—that’s the greatest luck I’ve ever had.”

The door shut behind him.

I stood there quiet, no sharp ache stabbing my heart like I thought there’d be.

Just a quiet, long-overdue peace settling over me.