Chad pressed in, I had no room to run, I was
backed against a wall.
I was ready to give up, no one cared about
me anymore. No one was going to help me.
Mom was gone.
I closed my eyes, but greasy Chad didn’t
touch me.
Instead, I heard a loud crash. I opened my
eyes, and there was Chad with a bottle of red
wine smashed over his head. Red wine and
blood were all over him.
No one was helping Chad, they just watched
<
Ethan break a bottle over his head. He went
to the ER with a permanent scar because
people were too scared to help him.
That’s how Ethan and I first met.
- 5.
“Riley, you’re better than this! Ethan is
finished! Be with me! I’ll let Ethan go if you
become my mistress.” His gross breath hit me
on my neck.
“Tiffany! What are you doing here?” I
shouted.
Chad looked around, confused.
I used the moment and kicked him hard. He
let me go.
I ran.
From what he said, I knew Ethan was selling
everything.
I called my friend, Ben.
“Buy everything Ethan is selling, pay over the
odds. But keep it anonymous. He can’t know.”
I didn’t want to admit it, but I couldn’t help
him directly. It was the only way to ease his
suffering.
- 6.
Ethan, finally relaxed, was going to the
hospital with me to see Dad.
He was old, with way more white hair.
Dad struggled to open his eyes.
“Heather, my dear girl, you came!”
He saw that it was me, and closed his eyes,
turning his head.
“What do you want? Don’t think you’re
getting a cent.”
I took Ethan’s hand. “You seem to be doing
great! You’re not going anywhere anytime
soon. Let’s go, Ethan.”
“You little brat, I should have never let you be
born, you’re nothing! You’re just like that
awful mother of yours, selfish and evil.”
“You can insult me but not Mom. She was
L
rejected by her whole family for you. What a
mistake!”
I was tired of him. I would wait for him to die,
and watch him then.
- 7.
Leaving the hospital, Ethan told me his Mom
wanted to see me.
We got in his car. It wasn’t the old one, he
had sold it.
He cranked up the A/C to my favorite
temperature.
Ethan, who had quit years ago, was holding a
cigarette, but didn’t light it.
L
“Do you want to see her?” He tapped his
fingers on the window.
The mother who had hated me for years.
She had found me and begged me to leave
Ethan.
When we had planned to get married, she had
threatened to jump off the roof, saying I was
not good enough.
I had lived with Ethan for five years, with no
promise of a ring.
“Is she still trying to stop us from getting
married?”
“Go and see.”
く
“Okay.”
- 8.
Ethan’s Mom seemed defeated, laying in a
lawn chair, in the sun.
Ethan yelled out, “Mom, I’m home!”
“Don’t shout, you’ll kill my soul!”
She saw me, and she looked shocked.
She didn’t understand why I hadn’t left. She
had always said I was a gold digger and I
should have been gone a long time ago.
Remembering her actions she hid in the
kitchen.
く
“I fired the maid, I’ll make you something.”
We sat on the couch.
The TV was on, but I didn’t hear it.
I was held in Ethan’s arms.
He put his head on mine.
“Babe, you know, right? That I’m broke.”
Finally hearing him say the words, I was
speechless.
“The million dollars is for you, a safety net,
you can live well even when I’m gone.”
I turned, and put my head in his chest, my
く
tears soaking his shirt.
Why was he like that, giving everything for me
to be happy.
“I will never leave you. Let’s get married! And
I have a surprise for you at our wedding.”
He held me tighter, not letting me go.
He tried to give me the bank card again.
“You never said yes!” I asked.
“But I have nothing now.”
“But I do! It’s my turn to take care of you!”
Ethan laughed.
“Okay, you are the best. I’m happy to be
taken care of by you!”
“Are you going to the high school reunion?” I
asked.
“If you want to, I’ll go.‘
“Let’s go, and tell everyone we are getting
married!”
“Okay, I’m with you.‘
- 9.
Ethan was busy planning our wedding. We
were trying on dresses and suits.
Chad and Tiffany, they were doing the same
thing
r
When Chad saw us, he glared at me, still
upset about the beating.
気
ス
“Well, well. Ethan is buying a suit. I thought
he was bankrupt? I guess he will be buying in
a store that is below my standard!” Chad
snickered.
“Looks like you still have not learned your
lesson.” Ethan replied coldly.
“Buy what you want, I’ll send the bill,” Chad
said.
Tiffany loved a dress, the store’s most
famous one.
“Charge it, send it to the address” Chad
ordered.
く
“Sorry sir, this is our manager’s dress, it is
not for sale,” the assistant replied.
I pulled out my black card, and the assistant
said “Ms Riley, we will send it this afternoon!”
“But you said you would not sell it! How can
you sell it to her?!” Chad was angry.
“I am not allowed to say.”
“Riley, do you want Ethan’s company back?
Give me the dress, and we will drop the
attack!” Tiffany was staring at me with red
eyes.
Ethan grabbed me and rushed me out. Tiffany
tried to hit me, but Ethan kept her back.
<
I got free and stood in front of Ethan.
“Tiffany, you’ve lost your mind!”
Tiffany tried to attack me again, but the
security guards took her away.
“You will pay for this!” she yelled.
