Chapter 5

After making my decision, I put my phone on airplane mode.

I blocked Ethan's number, Snapchat, and every other social media platform we shared.

But before my mind could process the grief of this betrayal, my body gave out first.

That night, I came down with a high fever.

Dazed and shivering, I sent Chloe a quick message saying I was sick and couldn't make it for a couple of days, then buried myself under the blankets.

The world was spinning.

I don't know how long I slept, but I was eventually woken up by the smell of hot food.

On my nightstand was a glass of warm water and some Advil.

I dragged myself out of bed, holding onto the wall, and saw a familiar figure working in the kitchen.

Ethan was wearing the apron I bought him, carefully stirring a pot of chicken soup.

The steam blurred his face.

For a second, I was dazed. I thought the last forty-eight hours had just been a terrible nightmare brought on by my fever.

Hearing me, he turned around. His face immediately filled with panic, and he rushed over to me.

"You're awake! Is your head still spinning? Let me feel..."

He reached out to touch my forehead.

But all I could see was Chloe's hand wearing that diamond ring.

"Don't touch me!"

I pushed him away violently, as if his touch burned.

Ethan stumbled back, his face filled with shock and hurt.

He stood two steps away, looking at me cautiously, his voice soft as if afraid to startle me.

"Luna, what is going on? What did I do wrong? Why did you suddenly dump me?"

I had seen this helpless, pitiful look so many times.

In the past, whenever we fought, he would make this exact face, and my heart would immediately soften. I would end up apologizing, thinking I was the one being unreasonable.

But now, fighting the dizziness, I glared at him and finally asked the question: "Ethan, where exactly did you go for the Labor Day weekend?"

He answered immediately, his voice carrying a soft, patronizing sigh.

"I told you, I went home to see my parents."

Thinking I was just mad because he hadn't introduced me to his family after three years, he softened his voice to explain: "I know, Luna. We've been together for three years and I haven't brought you home yet. You have every right to be mad. But my parents... they fight constantly. I didn't want you to walk into a circus on your first visit. I wanted to fix things first so I could bring you home properly."

He sounded so sincere. So sincere that for a split second, I wondered if the man marrying Chloe was just an identical twin.

I took a deep breath, about to speak.

Then, the doorbell rang.

Ethan looked relieved and quickly ran to answer it.

Looking at the corner of the room, I thought about Chloe’s sweet messages on Snapchat, bragging about how Ethan not only picked out a cat for her but even bathed the other two.

He was capable. He just didn't want to do it for me.

All my resentment, anger, and heartbreak suddenly vanished in that moment.

Only a cold, dead silence remained.

Ethan walked back in, holding a package. He opened it, revealing the plush cat toy he had mentioned.

He looked at me with a bright smile, clearly waiting for me to be touched and thank him. I slowly curled my lips into a cold smile.

My reaction left him completely bewildered.

I looked past the toy in his hands and spoke in a flat voice.

"Ethan."

"They say liars have to swallow ten thousand needles. When is it your turn?"