Ethan Hunter broke up with me for the 49th time just six days after my appendectomy.

The reason? He smoked a cigarette in a video, and I showed my disapproval.

After that, he hung up on my video call and vanished for three whole days.

I've grown accustomed to this pattern; it always seems to start with me being the one to apologize first.

Even with my wound still healing, I took a ten-hour train ride, carrying a cake and flowers to surprise him.

Yet, he abandoned me to help a female colleague fix her plumbing and didn't return home all night.

"I just want to indulge a little before we get married. If you can accept that, we'll go ahead with the engagement party in a month," he said.

I smiled but didn't respond; truthfully, I was already tired of it all.

Crying into a pillow now is different from crying over a child later; I can tell the difference.

So, I called off the wedding, and Ethan lost his mind over it.

"I thought you already quit..." Before I could finish my sentence, Ethan abruptly hung up the phone.

Lying in my hospital bed, I pressed my lips together and let out a sigh.

Just as I was about to call him back, the nurse informed me that my discharge paperwork was ready.

Once home, I pulled out my phone, and as expected, it was turned off.

All my other social media accounts had been blocked too.

This was Ethan's usual tactic; whenever he was upset, he would just disappear.

I would patiently soothe his temper, often begging him to come back.

He'd act like a proud peacock, lifting his chin and saying, "Now you realize you can't live without me, huh? Let's see if you dare to do this again."

Then he'd switch to being a clingy puppy, showering me with care and attention.

This had become our routine.

Since I had just been discharged and wasn't fully recovered, and Ethan was away on a year-long business trip, I didn't rush things.

After three days of resting at home, I finally bought a ticket to his city.

With a cake and flowers in hand, I spent eleven hours traveling to his workplace.

Arriving just in time for the end of the workday, I began to think about where we could celebrate our five-year anniversary.

Suddenly, I spotted Ethan with a glamorous woman by his side.

As I approached to say hello, I overheard her say, "Are we going to your place or mine?"

The cake box fell from my hands with a loud thud, shattering the fondant cake I had carefully carried all this way.

Ethan turned around and didn't seem surprised to see me; it was almost as if he expected it. "Why did it take you so long? It's been three days," he remarked.

"Ethan, I just got out of the hospital..." I began, but he cut me off impatiently.

"This is my colleague Sophie. We live in the same building, so we came back together." He then turned to Sophie with a softer tone. "This is my girlfriend; her name is... never mind, it's not important. Let's go."

I tightened my grip on the flowers and forced a polite smile while nodding.

Sophie looked me up and down with a flirtatious grin, but her eyes held an unmistakable disdain that felt oddly familiar.

Before I could ask anything, they had already turned away and started walking ahead of me.

I silently followed them, watching as they laughed together.

Occasionally, Sophie would lightly punch his shoulder; they looked more like a couple than colleagues.

When we reached Ethan's apartment, I discovered that not only did they live in the same building—they were neighbors just a wall apart.

I placed the flowers and cake on the table, my arms sore from carrying them.

The wound on my abdomen throbbed slightly as I sank onto the couch and opened the takeout app.

"Ethan, let's order takeout tonight. Get whatever you want, and we can order another cake too. Let's celebrate properly," I suggested.

But my words hung in the air without a response.

When I looked up, I saw he had changed into a different outfit and was fussing with his hair in front of the mirror, the faint scent of woodsy cologne lingering in the air.

He was undeniably handsome; otherwise, I wouldn't be so captivated by him.

Seeing him care so much about today made me wonder if I had been too dismissive. "How about we go out to eat instead?"

Just as Ethan was about to reply, there was a knock at the door.

Sophie stood outside, looking equally well put together.

She breezed past me and spoke directly to Ethan.

"Are you ready? You're taking longer than a woman!"

"Coming!" Ethan replied, clearly flustered as he tried to head out, but I blocked his path.

"Ethan, are you going out?"

He adjusted his clothes and said, "You can order takeout for yourself. I have dinner plans with my colleagues; I'll come back later to keep you company."

"Can I come too?"

Sophie raised an eyebrow at my question, as if it were the funniest thing she'd ever heard. "That might not be appropriate; it's just a work gathering without partners. How can everyone enjoy themselves if you're there? If that's the case, Ethan shouldn't go either."

With that, she turned as if to leave, and Ethan shrugged off my grip on his arm.

"Emma, can you stop being unreasonable? You clearly don't understand your mistake or genuinely want to apologize. Just stay home and think about it."

He took a few steps away but then turned back, extending his hand toward me.

I smiled, thinking he couldn't bear to leave me behind, but then he said, "What about those two love bracelets you made me?"

I pointed to my bag hanging by the entrance. In a rush, he dumped its contents onto the floor.

After finding the bracelets, he stood up and shut the door behind him as he hurried toward Sophie.

"Like them? She's really talented; I knew you'd appreciate them—one for you and one for me..."

Those were the bracelets I had spent three days making after getting out of the hospital, and now he was planning to wear one with someone else.

Staring at the empty hallway and the closed door, I glanced down at my phone—my only lifeline in this moment.

They probably hadn't gone far yet, so I called Ethan.

"Ethan, I don't have my keys; can you come back to let me in?"

Before he could respond, Sophie's mocking voice came through the line. "Your girlfriend is trying everything to get you back home. Why don't you just skip tonight? I can handle them alone."

"That's not fair! We agreed to go together!"

I interjected quickly. "You don't want to make a trip back; how about I come get—"

But before I could finish my sentence, he hung up on me again. My message went unanswered as well.

How many times had I failed to complete a thought today? I lost track long ago.

Alone in the hallway, I sat on the cold floor for what felt like ages.

Several times I considered checking into a hotel but realized that without proper identification, it wouldn't be possible.

Finally, at midnight, just as my phone was about to die, Ethan returned.

He and Sophie were leaning on each other, laughing and chatting as they approached. The moment they saw me sitting on the floor, Ethan's expression changed instantly.

"What are you doing out here? People are coming in and out; do you want to embarrass me, Emma?" he snapped.

I struggled to stand up after my legs had gone numb, only to be met with his harsh words.

"You closed the door when you left! I told you I didn't have a key to get back in."

Ethan shifted uncomfortably at my words but stubbornly replied, "If you had just said it a few more times, maybe I would've believed you."

I clenched my phone tightly, wanting him to see how many messages I had sent him, but I held back.

All I wanted was to get inside, lie down, and tend to my wound, which had started bleeding again.

Seeing me silent and looking down, Ethan assumed I realized my mistake.

He mumbled complaints under his breath, the smell of alcohol on his breath. "I don't know how you can be so clueless; you've really embarrassed me..."

As he opened the door and stepped inside, Sophie leaned against her own doorframe and called out to him with a flirtatious tone. "Ethan, my plumbing burst! You promised you'd come fix it today. Are you coming?"

Ethan hesitated, glancing at me as if unsure what to say. He thought I would object.

But this time, I simply paused and looked at Sophie, realizing that some people can be this shameless.

I didn't say a word; instead, I walked straight into the apartment.

I sat on the edge of the bed for ten minutes waiting for Ethan to come in, but the door quietly shut behind him.

In that moment, my heart felt oddly calm.

After washing up and changing my bandage, I lay down on the couch.

I didn't know if the only bed in this apartment had already been slept in by another woman; it felt too dirty for me.

At six in the morning, the sound of Ethan opening the door woke me up.

When he saw me sitting up on the couch, he looked surprised but then cautiously smiled.

"Emma! Why are you sleeping on the couch? You just got out of the hospital; you should be in bed! I brought you your favorite burgers—come eat!"

I couldn't help but scoff internally; now he remembered I had just been discharged. "Do you know what yesterday was?"

My tone was calm, but Ethan interpreted it as an accusation.

"Can you stop being so petty? The dinner was planned a week ago! There were so many friends; I couldn't ruin it for them! It's been four years since our anniversary; what does it matter if we miss one?"

So he did remember. Hearing his response made me go silent again.

As I stood up to head to the bathroom, he grabbed my wrist.

He took a deep breath and pulled out a necklace from his pocket. "Here's your gift; I bought it a while ago. Don't say I don't care about you."

Looking at the necklace in his hand, I recalled seeing it around Sophie's neck just yesterday.

I pulled my hand away from him.

"No thanks; I don't want secondhand gifts. You can give it back to Sophie."

His face fell as anger took over. "Emma, what do you want from me? Aren't you here to apologize? Why are you acting so high and mighty now?"