Then I saw the text on my phone: “In a
meeting.” My blood ran cold. Had he been
doing this every time he’d brushed me off
with a “work emergency“?
Chloe, understanding what was happening,
exploded. “That jerk! I’m going to give them a
piece of my mind!”
I stopped her. Ethan was important to me. No
matter what, I didn’t want to humiliate him.
My mind was a mess. I don’t even remember
how I got home.
That evening, the “extremely busy” Ethan
actually came home. It was a face I’d known
since childhood, but tonight, it felt like a
stranger’s.
“Ethan, can we talk?” I asked, sitting on the
sofa.
“Sorry, I have to work late tonight.” He walked
over, leaning in for a kiss. But as he got
closer, the scent of another woman’s perfume
hit me, making my stomach churn.
I turned my head away. “How did you cut your
lip?”
He froze, a flicker of panic in his eyes. “I
bumped into something.”
We’d met at an orphanage as kids and had
come a long way together. Everything he had
now, we’d built together. I didn’t want to
throw our life away… it would negate all
those years of hardship.
“Ethan, remember our promise? We’d never
lie to each other.” No one was perfect. We’d
known each other for almost thirty years,
been together for ten. I was willing to give
him a chance.
He sighed, pulling me close. “Of course.
Sarah, I’ve just been busy with work. Don’t
overthink it. We’ll get married after the
company goes public.”
I’d been waiting to hear those words for
years. Now that he’d finally said them, all I
felt was sadness. He still wasn’t being honest.
Seeing my reaction, his face softened. He
hesitated, then said gently, “Don’t be upset. I
won’t work tonight. I’ll stay with you.”
“Okay. I’ll ask Maria to make dinner.” I forced
a smile.
“Okay.”
