Chapter 4

Helen’s face turned bright red. She pointed a trembling finger at me.

"How dare you be so disrespectful? I am your elder! How dare you talk to me like that?"

Ethan could no longer pretend to be a bystander.

He rushed over, putting himself between his mother and me, his brow furrowed deeply.

"Chloe, you've gone too far! How can you talk to my mother like that?"

"She drove all the way here in the morning just to make you soup, and this is how you treat her?"

He turned to soothe his mother. "Mom, don't be angry. She has a high fever, she’s not in her right mind."

I stood up. Though my head was still a bit dizzy, I had never been more clear-headed in my life.

"Ethan, you're universally known as a 'good guy,' but that’s only to outsiders."

"To me, you're just a parasite constantly draining my energy."

I looked at both of them.

"You don't know how to cook, you don't know how to clean, and you don't know how to manage relationships. Your only contribution is a cheap 'Thanks, babe, you're the best,' and then you sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor."

"Your 'good guy' persona is entirely built on other people’s blood and sweat."

Helen slapped Ethan’s hand away and glared at me.

"Who do you think you are? My Ethan has a stable corporate job and a wonderful temper!"

"A woman like you? If you leave him, let's see who would ever want you! Ethan, our family does not need a wife like her!"

Ethan tugged at his mother's sleeve. "Mom, stop."

He turned back to me, still wearing that patronizing look of "tolerance."

"Chloe, you're clearly emotional today, so I won't press you. Go back to your room and rest. But once you calm down, you owe my mother a major apology."

Looking at his self-righteous face, I felt physically sick.

I walked into the bedroom, pulled my suitcase out from under the bed, opened the closet, and started throwing my clothes inside.

Then I went to the bathroom and swept all my skincare products into my makeup bag.

Ethan followed me to the bedroom door. Seeing what I was doing, his composure finally cracked.

"What are you doing? Are you packing? Chloe, how old are you? Can you stop being so childish?"

I zipped up the suitcase. "I'm not throwing a tantrum. I'm moving out."

I rolled the suitcase past him. He tried to block my path, but I looked at him with icy eyes.

"Move."

Ethan instinctively stepped aside.

I dragged my suitcase to the entryway and put on my shoes. Helen stood by the kitchen door, scoffing loudly.

"Let her leave! She’s spoiled rotten. If you walk out that door today, don't you dare come crawling back!"

I opened the front door. "Don't worry. This apartment is in my name, and the lease is up at the end of the month. I’ve already notified the landlord that I’m not renewing."

"You two can enjoy your quality mother-son time here. Just make sure to clean that kitchen before you leave, or the landlord will dock the security deposit."

Without giving them another glance, I walked out and headed straight for the elevator.

The moment the elevator doors slid shut, I let out a massive sigh of relief.

It was drizzling outside, and the cold wind made me shiver.

The late March air was still freezing. I wrapped my coat tighter around myself and stood by the gate of the apartment complex.

My phone kept buzzing with notifications, but I didn't look.

I hailed a Uber and gave the driver the address of the best hotel in the city.

Sitting in the backseat, I pulled out my phone and texted Harper on Snapchat.

"Ethan and I are done. I just booked a room at the Shangri-La. Come over."

Harper replied instantly. "Holy shit! You finally dumped that man-child?! On my way. I’m bringing champagne!"

I leaned my head against the window, watching the city lights blur in the rain.

My phone started vibrating frantically. It was Ethan.

I thought he might ask where I was, or if I was safe in the storm.

Instead, when I opened Snapchat, there were three consecutive messages from him:

"Chloe, where did you put the spare key? My mom needs to go buy basil."

"Why is the washing machine making a weird beeping noise? I put all our clothes in."

"Can you stop acting up and just come back to handle this?"

Looking at the screen, I found it incredibly laughable. This was the "perfect boyfriend" everyone kept praising.