The Eve of Our Forever, He Chose Her Chapter 02

The Eve of Our Forever, He Chose Her Chapter 2 His Choice Was Never Me
“She’s seriously got issues. It’s just a trip, and she’s already acting jealous.”
Ethan stared at the breakup text on his phone, irritation written all over his face.
Maya leaned against his shoulder, reading the message clearly. She let out a short laugh.
“Girls are always like this,” she said casually. “That’s why I’ve never really gotten along with them.”
Ethan didn’t reply.
He simply dialed my number.
On the other end of the line, I foolishly thought he might be calling because he regretted what happened.
Instead, the first thing I heard was his accusation.
“Daphne Moore, are you done throwing a tantrum yet?” Ethan snapped. “It’s just a trip. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it?”
“Maya’s just straightforward. She didn’t think about the fact that you might want to come along. Instead of being so dramatic, why can’t you learn to be as easygoing as she is?”
Behind him, Maya’s voice suddenly joined the conversation, soft and apologetic.
“Ethan, this is actually my fault. If I’d known Daphne wanted to come that badly, I would’ve given her my seat…”
Her words immediately triggered complaints from the others around them.
“What are you apologizing for? You organized this trip. ”
“Yeah. Why should some outsider tag along? ”
“Ethan, no offense, but your girlfriend has a pretty bad attitude. ”
“Maya’s way better. She never makes things awkward for the group. ”
While his friends openly criticized his girlfriend, Ethan said nothing to defend me.
Instead, he sounded even more annoyed.
“See? Everyone thinks you’re overreacting.
“I don’t want to argue with you right now. Don’t contact me for the next few days. Stay home and think about what you did.
“When you finally come to your senses, you can apologize to me.”
The call ended abruptly.
Ethan’s accusations and his friends’ voices echoed endlessly in my mind, each word like a thin needle piercing my chest.
……
From the very first day Ethan introduced me to his circle of friends, I had sensed that they didn’t like me.
But because I wanted our relationship to last, I tried my best to win their approval.
Like a week ago, when Maya invited Ethan to test some new outdoor gear.
I had hoped he would bring me along so I could finally fit in with them.
By the rushing river, Ethan was about to take my hand and help me onto the raft.
But Maya suddenly stepped in front of him and grabbed my arm instead, looking at Ethan with obvious disdain.
“You’re way too rough,” she said. “What if you hurt her?”
“I’ll take her. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
Ethan laughed.
“Hey, that’s rich. I was the one who protected you the first time you went rafting.”
Watching the two of them tease each other back and forth made something twist uncomfortably in my chest.
At first, sharing a raft with Maya didn’t seem like a problem.
But when we reached the sharpest turn in the river, a sudden shove hit my back.
Before I could react, I was thrown straight into the violent current.
My knees and arms slammed against rocks beneath the water.
Pain exploded instantly.
River water rushed into my nose and mouth as I struggled to breathe.
“Daphne!”
Ethan rushed forward in panic and pulled me back onto the shore.
When he saw my injuries, he frowned slightly.
“Maya, how could you be so careless?”
Maya’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
“I didn’t mean to,” she said softly. “I always joke around like that with the guys…”
Ethan’s irritation disappeared instantly.
He turned toward me instead.
“You’re fine, right? Then let’s just drop it. Daphne, don’t take it personally. Maya’s just a little clumsy.”
“Yeah,” Maya added sweetly. “Please forgive me.”
Her hand happened to press directly against my injured arm.
I gasped from the sudden pain.
Someone nearby finally lost patience.
“Seriously? This is why trips get ruined.”
“Exactly. If you can’t handle something like this, maybe you shouldn’t come.”
“Ethan, control your girlfriend. Don’t let her ruin the mood.”
In the end, Ethan said nothing.
But I could tell.
He was embarrassed by me.
After that fall into the river, I began running a low-grade fever that refused to go away.
Even now, remembering it made a wave of nausea rise in my stomach.
Because I finally understood something.
From the very beginning, Ethan’s indulgence—and his favoritism toward Maya—had already been carved deep into his bones.