Three's a Crowd, So I Walked Away

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My best friend invited me and my boyfriend to an amusement park.

While we were drinking water, my boyfriend, Ethan, naturally opened the bottle for Chloe first.

Chloe smirked playfully.

Failing Boyfriend 101, are we? How could you not open your girlfriend's first?

Ethan teased her back.

Rainey's strong enough to twist your head off. She doesn't need my help.

"Shut up! I'll twist yours off first!"

The two of them started messing around.

When we were eating, my best friend accidentally spilled ice cream right onto her chest.

Without even thinking, my boyfriend leaned down and licked it off her chest.

Chloe was wearing a deep V-neck tank top, and her cleavage was practically spilling out.

After carefully licking it clean, Ethan grabbed a tissue to wipe off the spit from her skin.

"So clumsy. Be careful next time."

Chloe turned to me and complained:

"Hey, Rainey, control your man. He acts like he owns the place. Is he my boyfriend or my dad?"

I had been dating Ethan for seven years, and scenes like this had played out countless times.

But now, I didn't want to play along anymore.

After we paid for dinner, Chloe walked out of the restroom.

Like a million times before, Ethan was already holding her purse.

It was getting dark.

Ethan turned to me.

"Rainey, take the subway home. I'll drive Chloe. She lives far away."

Before I could even say a word.

Chloe had already opened the passenger door and hopped in.

"No need to ask! Rainey worries about me more than you do!"

Of course I worried about her.

She had been my best friend for ten years. Back in college when we were broke, we even shared a single piece of expired bread.

But now, the person who cared about her most wasn't me.

It was Ethan.

"Bye, Rainey! We're off!"

Chloe's cheerful voice faded as the car kicked up a cloud of dust.

I got home.

Ethan FaceTime-d me.

"Rainey, the streets over here are flooded. The car might stall, so I'm not coming back tonight."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "So, are you sleeping in the car?"

Chloe snatched the phone from Ethan's hand, her face flushed red as if she had just showered.

"He's staying at my place! Don't worry, Rainey, he's totally not my type!"

Only then did I notice she was wearing Ethan's button-up shirt.

I hung up.

I called the moving company to schedule a time.

In the corner of the bathroom, the laundry basket was giving off a faint, sour smell.

I walked over with a frown.

It was the shirt Ethan wore two nights ago, stained with vomit from when he drank for Chloe at a party.

"Why are you guys picking on a young girl? Just because she doesn't have a boyfriend? I'll drink for her!"

When our college internship ended.

Ethan had changed the only full-time return offer on our team from my name to Chloe's.

He said the exact same thing back then.

She didn't have a boyfriend.

So, because I had one, I was supposed to let her have everything.

I threw the dirty shirt straight into the trash.

Dirty clothes get thrown away.

And dirty people? They get thrown away too.

The next morning.

Ethan FaceTime-d me again.

"Rainey, bring me a change of clothes on your way to work."

Chloe popped her head into the screen, giggling.

"Reporting in, Rainey! Nothing happened last night. But your man snores so loud, like a literal pig. I was in the next room and couldn't sleep all night. How do you tolerate him? You must love him so much, haha!"

"Shut up. Who was the one whimpering like a puppy because of the thunderstorm..." Ethan muttered.

I simply replied:

"Ethan is not my husband."

The R&D department needed to send two people to Africa for a project. Nobody wanted to go.

After the meeting, I went straight to the general manager's office.

She was shocked. "Are you sure? You guys are planning a wedding. Long-distance isn't great for a relationship."

I looked at the sunlight outside the window.

The shadow over my heart cleared up a bit.

"We're not getting married anymore. A career is way more reliable than a man."

When I walked out of her office.

The receptionist gave me a sly look and handed me a single rose.

"Your boyfriend is so romantic."

I threw it into the trash can. A small card fell out.

The familiar logo on it made me realize exactly where the rose came from.

It was a freebie from the luxury birthday gift he bought for Chloe.

Right on cue, a text from Ethan popped up on my phone.

[Happy Birthday!]

[Babe, I'll pick you up tonight. Chloe keeps complaining that it won't feel like a birthday without you!]

My birthday was only one day apart from Chloe's.

Every year, Ethan and I would plan a huge birthday surprise for her.

But after her party, he would always complain:

"It's so exhausting, Rainey. Doing this twice would kill me. Why don't you just celebrate on the same day as Chloe?"

But every joint birthday after that.

Chloe was always the star of the show.

I didn't reply to Ethan. I just focused on prepping for my move overseas.

During a quick break.

I scrolled past Chloe's Instagram post.

[So lucky to have people who remember me every single year! ??]

It was a carousel of five photos.

Each one showed a birthday gift Ethan had given her over the years.

A Miu Miu dress, Dior sunglasses, a Chanel handbag...

And this year's gifta limited-edition Cartier ring.

That ring must have cost Ethan three months of his salary.

How hilarious.

In our seven years together.

Ethan had given me plenty of gifts too.

Hand-woven flower crowns, knitted scarves...

A three-dollar necklace, a four-dollar canvas bag...

He always said:

"The price tag doesn't matter, it's the thought that counts."

"Besides, to keep up appearances for you, I have to buy Chloe the best and most expensive things."

"Don't you care about Chloe the most?"

Thinking about it now, it was just ridiculous.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The receptionist walked past and smiled.

"Getting married soon, huh? Look how happy you are."

I took a sip of my coffee.

"I am happy. But I'd be happy even without getting married."

When work ended that evening.

Ethan was waiting for me outside the office.

Before I could say anything.

He impatiently pulled me into the car.

"Babe, what took you so long? We're going to be late."

Before I even opened the passenger door.

I saw Chloe sitting in the front seat, her feet propped up on the dashboard, scrolling through her phone.

The "Wifey's Seat" sticker on the dashboard had been half-peeled off by her.

Chloe grumbled an explanation:

"Don't look at me, I definitely don't want to be Ethan's wife!"

"Honestly, I'd rather be his dad!"

Ethan shot back immediately:

"Watch your mouth! Who are you calling son? Respect your elders, you should be calling me big brother!"

He turned to me, completely unfazed.

"It's fine, babe. I can stick another one in the back seat. I'll buy you a whole pack."

Chloe made a move to get up.

"Rainey, are you mad? Fine, I'll go to the back. Rainey is my favorite anyway!"

Ethan pressed her leg down.

"Forget it. Since we're already here, you can just be our little third wheel."

My phone buzzed. It was the movers letting me know everything was packed and moved.

I guess it was time to tell Ethan.

Tonight, we were going to the place where we had our very first date.

Good. Let's end it where it all started.

Looking at all the couples around us, Ethan grabbed my hand and sighed.

"On our first date, I was too shy to even touch your hand. And now, we're about to get married!"

Chloe chimed in loudly.

"You better thank me, your honorary mother-in-law! Without my master plans, Rainey would've never said yes so fast!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll put you at the head table at the wedding! Happy now?"

"Then buy me boba!"

"The usual? Black tea with salted cream, 30% sugar, no ice? Don't you get sick of it? Rainey, what do you want? Chloe and I will go grab it."

Just then, a couple of content creators with cameras walked up to us.

"Hey guys! We're filming a couples' Q&A for National Couples' Day. How long have you two been dating?"

Ethan looked a bit awkward and pulled me from behind him.

"Oh, you have the wrong person. Rainey is my girlfriend."

But Chloe suddenly grabbed Ethan's hand, holding it tight, her smile brilliant.

"Babe, I'm sorry! Don't try to make me jealous with someone else!"

Then, she whispered in a voice only the three of us could hear:

"It's just a TikTok video. I'm the birthday girl today, let me have some fun! Rainey won't mind!"

In front of the camera, their fingers were tightly locked.

Chloe talked smoothly about their "relationship details."

Ethan looked at her with a gentle, adoring gaze.

They looked so perfect together.

The crowd of onlookers pushed me aside.

I just smiled, pulled out my phone, and took a picture of their intertwined hands.

Ethan.

You found me in the crowd, and now you're returning me to it.

Thank God, I don't love you anymore.

After the interview, Chloe clung to my arm, apologizing.

"Rainey, I just thought it was fun. Please don't be mad at me!"

Ethan chimed in:

"Yeah, you know how she is. She's just a wild card. Don't take it personally, Rainey."

I shook my head.

"I'm not mad. In fact, I'm here to break up with you."

A firework exploded in the sky, and Ethan instantly covered Chloe's ears.

He turned his head and yelled over the noise:

"What did you say, Rainey?"

Before I could repeat myself.

Chloe was already dragging him toward the drop tower.

I have a massive fear of heights. Every time Ethan wanted to go, I refused.

But this time, I suddenly wanted to push myself.

Not for anything else.

Just to find a bit of courage.

The courage to completely walk away from these toxic relationships.

There were only two seats left. Ethan smiled and placed Chloe's hand in mine.

"You two are the closest. Go ahead."

I closed my eyes.

The next second, Chloe's blood-curdling scream of "Help!" shattered the night.

The operator slammed the emergency stop.

Everyone saw it thenher safety harness wasn't buckled.

Chloe was sobbing, shaking violently in her seat.

Ethan ran over, his face pale.

He scooped Chloe up into his arms, bridal style, and glared at me.

"Rainey, how can you be so cruel? You were sitting right next to her! How could you not check her harness? Were you trying to kill her?"

Chloe seemed to snap out of it, pushing Ethan's chest weakly.

"Don't blame her... you know hurting her hurts me too. Ethan, just go!"

The hushed whispers of the crowd snapped me back to reality.

Ethan sighed. "Fine, whatever you say."

"Rainey, go home first. Chloe's in bad shape. I need to stay and watch over her."

I took a deep breath.

I went home and pulled out the relationship journal Ethan used to write for me.

I couldn't remember the last time he wrote in it.

But tonight, I wrote the final entry.

"October 14th. We are officially over."

Chloe's birthday. The day I cut her off.

For the next week, I was fully occupied with my relocation paperwork.

Ethan didn't contact me once.

Until one evening, he finally called.

"Rainey, where's that heirloom cross necklace my grandmother gave you?"

"I've searched the whole apartment, and I can't find it anywhere."

I asked him:

"Are you at the apartment?"

"Yeah. Chloe's still having nightmares. I remembered that cross is blessed and brings peace. I want to give it to her to help her sleep."

I was stunned.

His mind was entirely consumed by finding a cure for Chloe's nightmares.

He didn't even notice that all my belongings were gone.

That necklace was given to me the first time I met Ethan's grandmother.

She said it was reserved for her future granddaughter-in-law.

I was going to return it, but I hadn't had the chance.

Ethan's voice kept droning on.

"Chloe says she's scared, so I need to rush back to her place."

"Leave work early and go find the necklace. While you're at it, do the laundry. The clothes in the basket are starting to smell."

"Oh, and don't forget to grab those donuts Chloe likes from downtown. She's too stressed to eat anything else."

I summoned the very last bit of my patience.

"Ethan, we broke up."

There was a long pause on the other end.

"Is this because I carried her at the amusement park?"

"Rainey, she almost died! Can you stop making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"She didn't even blame you for not checking her harness!"

Seeing that I remained silent, Ethan added:

"Alright, Rainey, stop overthinking. Chloe and I love you the most."

Whether they loved me or not, I didn't care.

But I knew one thing: Ethan, you loved her.

I hung up and blocked him everywhere.