C02
Over the years, I’d heard this excuse countless times. I used to think Ethan was simply passionate about his career, which was why I kept forgiving his indifference again and again.
He didn’t even know that I had long stopped liking milk, nor had I eaten breakfast alone in years.
“I see. Don’t overwork yourself and get too tired,” I said.
Ethan took my hand and kissed it gently. With a soft tone, he asked if I wanted to visit the set. Since I had already decided to leave, I might as well say a proper goodbye. I agreed and got into the car heading to the set.
It was already noon when we arrived. A scene had just wrapped up and as soon as Linda spotted Ethan, she
hurried over.
“Ethan, why are you so late? I miss you!”
Ethan stepped forward and stood next to Linda. “I had something to do this morning so I left for a while. Do you
still not focus on filming?”
The
eyes of those around us burned with intensity, leaving me trailing behind them. They looked just like a couple deeply in love.
When Ethan turned around and noticed I wasn’t saying anything, he explained, “Don’t overthink it. Linda
sometimes can’t keep up with her emotions.”
I turned and walked away, signaling that I had heard him. Ethan, seeing that I wasn’t suspicious, walked straight
into the makeup room.
Not long after, Linda approached me herself. She put away her usual innocent act and became aggressive. “Ethan doesn’t love you. Besides making clothes, what else can you do? I’m sure you’ve seen all the overwhelming messages of blessings saying me and him are the perfect match, right?”
I didn’t want to argue with her, but unexpectedly, Linda grabbed me forcefully and her strength made me crash
into the nearby filming light stand.
A few metal rods fell and struck my calf and the pain hit me instantly.
I saw Ethan rush over, immediately picking up the uninjured Linda. His eyes were filled with fury, as if he wanted
to burn me to the ground.
“I thought you’d stopped causing trouble by now. How long are you going to keep this up? I told you, Linda and I are just ordinary friends. Why do you always make a scene like this? Who are you trying to impress?”
After Ethan finished speaking, he walked away holding Linda. The staff around me began whispering and
pointing fingers. I looked down at my calf, which had been scratched open and let out a bitter smile.
I used to get injured every time I made clothes for Ethan, either slicing my fingers or bruising the back of my
9:41 PM
Condbye May We Never See Each Other Again
hand. Every time, he’d gently carry me to the couch, tenderly apply medicine to my wounds and say that when I was
hurt, it hurt him too.
The memory flashed by in an instant. I leaned against the railing and slowly got up.
I took a taxi to the hospital, trailing behind Ethan’s car.
Ethan and Linda made it to the trending topics again. In the photo, Ethan looked gentle, lowering his head to feed
Linda water. Linda had a blissful smile on her face, with no visible injuries.
I sat on the cold hospital bench. I got my calf wound stitched up with four stitches, throbbing with sharp, searing
pain.
It started to rain outside and I hadn’t brought an umbrella. I walked to the hospital room door, hoping Ethan would give me a ride home.
Before I could open the door, I saw Linda leaning against his shoulder, acting coquettishly. “This jacket is so ugly. Can you use it to wrap a pillow for me?”
Without hesitation, Ethan took off his jacket and folded it into a pillow to place under Linda’s feet. With a look of disdain, he said, “If it weren’t for today, to coax Mia, I wouldn’t have bothered wearing it again.”
I felt utterly disheartened. This jacket took me several sleepless nights to finish making. It was the most precious gift Ethan had ever said he received. Today, to appease me, he put it back on, only for Linda to trample on it
with her feet.
I finally understood what Linda meant when she said Ethan didn’t love me.
I ran into the rain and took a taxi back home to pack my things.
I was leaving in three days. I hung everything I didn’t need online to sell. When I finished packing, I found only one light suitcase left.
Linda posted on Twitter. It was a photo of Ethan’s back.
“Ethan took care of me all day. Fans, don’t worry about me..”
I deleted fifty posts from my Twitter account.
