No Cheap Love
The day I went to pick up our wedding rings, I
discovered there were two. One was mine. The
other, identical in every way, belonged to Summer, the college student my boyfriend,
Ethan, was sponsoring. I confronted him, only to
overhear his phone call. “Help me buy a condo
for Summer, in your name. Don’t let Olivia find
out,” he pleaded. There was a pause, then he
said hoarsely, “I love her. I can’t give up on
Summer.” That was it. I was done.
My heart felt like it had been stabbed. I’d
designed the ring myself, engraving the date we
met and our initials inside the band. The other
ring had their date and initials. I’d thought it
was so special, so unique to us. Now, I felt like
a clown. I forced a smile, put their ring back,
and walked out, tossing mine in the trash.
The cool air cleared my head. I was about to
call Ethan and demand an explanation when I
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saw his text, three minutes old: “Waiting for you
at the Chinese place nearby.”
My stomach churned as I walked to the
restaurant. The hostess led me to a window
table, and there he was, his back to me, on the
phone. “Help me buy a condo for Summer, in
your name. Don’t let Olivia find out.”
The words hit me like a ton of bricks. So, it was
true. What was I, chopped liver? He continued,
his voice thick with emotion, “I love her. I can’t
give up on Summer.” A bucket of ice water
couldn’t have been more effective. I was
suddenly, eerily calm. He loved her? Fine. I’d let
them have each other.
I knocked on the booth. Ethan spun around,
phone snapping shut, a flash of panic in his
eyes. “When did you get here?”
“Just now,” I smiled. “Who were you talking to?”
He watched me carefully, relieved when I didn’t
react. “Work,” he said, pulling out a chair.
“Reminding me about a meeting this
afternoon.”
I nodded, playing along. “Let’s order then. You
need to get back.”
He called the waiter, then turned to me. “So,
the ring? Everything you hoped for?”
My smile faltered. “It’s beautiful. But there’s
another one, exactly the same. Kind of weird,
right?”
Ethan shifted uncomfortably. “Must be a
mistake. I’ll look into it.”
I said nothing, my heart a block of ice. He
stared at me, probably wondering why I was so
quiet. I was usually a chatterbox, always telling
him stories, but ever since Summer arrived in
town after high school graduation he’d become
く
town after high school graduation, he’d become increasingly impatient. He’d interrupt me, telling
me, “Girls are cuter when they’re quiet.” I used
to get upset, but he never bothered to soothe
- me. How stupid I’d been. The signs had been so
obvious.
Ethan and I were practically childhood
sweethearts. We’d known each other since
kindergarten. Our parents were close, and there
was always this unspoken understanding we’d end up married. Summer was an anomaly. I was the one who suggested sponsoring her. She was this skinny, shy kid from a poor rural area,
always polite, calling everyone “Ma’am” and
“Sir.” I wanted to help her get out of that life,
but my allowance wasn’t enough, so I begged Ethan to join in. He’d been reluctant, saying he
didn’t have time for my “charity projects.” Then
I had a car accident. He was frantic, praying for
me, even climbing the steps to the local
cathedral, something he’d never done. Someone
told him good deeds might help my recovery, so
he finally agreed to help Summer. I recovered
quickly, and he joked that Summer was my
good luck charm. I treated her like a little sister,
sharing everything I had. Little did I know I was
inviting a wolf into the fold.
