Chapter 6

When I was eight years old, I saw my mom kissing one of her coworkers, Mr. Davis, in the parking lot downstairs.

That scene shattered my world.

Since then, I couldn't look at my mom the same way.

I only knew I had to be extra good to my dad because I felt so sorry for him.

But at the same time, I didn't dare tell him the truth. I was terrified he wouldn't be able to take the blow.

And selfishly, I didn't want to see them get divorced.

I don't know if my dad ever found out, but they are still together to this day.

Since that moment, I grew to despise betrayal in any form, whether in friendship or love.

I also developed a deep fear of intimacy, especially with men.

Even with Ethan, whom I had dated for so long, I would start shaking and breaking out in a cold sweat whenever we did anything beyond basic kissing.

So, no matter how hard we tried, we could never take the final step.

For a long time, I felt incredibly guilty about this.

I always thought that his reluctance to bring up marriage was because of my issues.

That was why I was willing to wait for him.

I wanted to show him through my actions that I really trusted and loved him.

Of course, Ethan had once promised me that he was willing to wait, and that he would never betray me.

But as the years went by, he seemed to have thrown those promises out the window.

He crossed my boundaries again and again, meeting different girls, playing games with them, and staying on voice calls late into the night.

It felt as though he was trying to punish me, provoking me over and over.

Maybe he wanted me to know that he could love anyone, but since he chose to stay with me, I should be grateful.

As for his real reasons, I didn't know anymore, and I didn't care.

I went back to the apartment to pack up the rest of my things.

"Why aren't you throwing a fit this time?"

Ethan leaned against the doorframe, watching me pack with cold eyes.

"Ethan, I just suddenly realized that our five years together were incredibly boring."

"Since when did you learn to play hard to get, Chloe?"

I caught the smug implication in his voice.