The night after my boyfriend proposed, I discovered he’d already tied the knot with his first love. Heading to pick him up from a guys’ night, I overheard his conversation with his friends. “Gavin, you actually married Serena? What about Ellie? Aren’t you worried she’ll blow a fuse and walk?” Gavin Sterling crossed his legs, perfectly at ease, flicking ash from his cigarette. He spoke with an air of casual indifference: “I only married Serena so her kid could get into Stratford Prep. We’re divorcing in three years.” “Besides, Ellie’s just a doormat. I felt a pang of pity and offered her a ring, but if she dares make a fuss, I’ll call off the wedding, proposal or not.” His friends murmured their agreement, egging him on. “She might even be willing to be your mistress.” “A wife on paper, a girl on the side – sounds like the life!” I couldn't stand another second of their sick fantasies about living large. I turned away, pulling out my phone to call Mom. “You were right, Mom. He’s no Ross. I… I want to come home.” Mom’s voice burst with joy. “Good! Three days. We’ll bring you home.” 1 “Ellie, get me some hangover tea.” Gavin Sterling loosened his tie, practically throwing his jacket onto the floor before, as usual, barking orders at me the second he walked through the door. I had just hung up with Mom. Seeing him, drunk and red-faced, swaying like a drunken sailor, I felt a stark realization. He was utterly unlike Ross. Ross never drank, never smoked, never bossed me around like this in the dead of night. For the first time, a surge of irritation, cold and sharp, washed over me. “We’re out of honey and lemon. Can’t make it,” I said, my voice flat. “Out? Then go buy some! What do I keep you for? You can’t even handle a simple thing like that. Hurry up, I feel awful.” He tugged at his tie, slumped onto the sofa, and was asleep in the next second, snores rumbling through the quiet apartment. Instead of my usual routine of undressing him, wiping him down, and guiding him to bed, I simply tossed a blanket over him and retreated to my room. My phone chimed with another message from Mom. “Your brother will be here the day after tomorrow. Remember to pick him up.” I replied with a curt ‘Okay,’ then booked a professional cleaning service on my phone before drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep. The next morning, I woke to a jarring crash, the sound of the front door being slammed open with an alarming force, clearly signaling the opener’s rage. “Ellie Vance, you actually let me sleep on the sofa last night! Just because I proposed, you think you can walk all over me? You really think I won’t call off the wedding, ring or not?” He yanked me from the bed, his stale, boozy breath making my head throb. I winced, meeting his gaze squarely. “I believe you,” I stated, flatly. Gavin blinked, releasing me, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. Usually, when he threatened to call off the wedding, I'd dissolve into tears, clutching him, pleading for him to marry me, swearing I’d never marry anyone else. I’d even blame myself, wondering if I wasn't good enough, until he finally, condescendingly, granted me an engagement party. But now? Now, nothing mattered. I swung my legs out of bed, dressed quickly and efficiently, ignoring Gavin’s presence entirely. He watched my strange behavior, then impatiently grabbed my arm. “Are you really sulking? Just because I had a guys' night without you?” “I told you, they’re just my buddies. You wouldn't have anything in common with them, being a woman. Is it really worth getting upset?” “I’m not upset,” I said. He let out a relieved breath, rubbing his throbbing head as his voice softened. “Oh, right. Serena’s coming over today. I’ll get you a hotel room for the night.” 2 I stared at him, dumbfounded. He’d married Serena, yes. But to so brazenly invite her to move in, kicking me out for a hotel? Was he really taking his friends' advice to make me his mistress? A surge of furious laughter bubbled up, a bitter, sarcastic sound. “Gavin Sterling, you are absolutely shameless!” Gavin, seeing the expression on my face, uncharacteristically offered an explanation. “Serena’s son, Leo, needs to get into Stratford Prep. The principal and teachers do a home visit before enrollment to get a preliminary understanding of each student’s family situation. You know Serena’s a single mother, low income, lives in a remote area. A family like hers? Stratford Prep wouldn’t even consider them for enrollment.” So he’s playing the good Samaritan, not just marrying her, but now kicking me out for her? But it no longer mattered. “Fine,” I said, the word clipped and devoid of emotion. Perhaps my calm bothered him, my usual histrionics absent. Gavin pursed his lips. “I’ll buy you a nice jewelry set to make up for it.” “Mhm,” I mumbled, my emotions unaffected by his proposed compensation. But before I could leave, Serena and her son, Leo, arrived. She swept past me, ignoring me completely, and went straight to Gavin. “Gavin, I heard the principal himself will be at this home visit. Just having Miss Vance leave might not be enough.” “What do you mean?” Gavin asked. Serena didn’t answer him directly, her eyes shifting to me. Then, dramatically, she knelt on the floor before me, tears streaming down her face. “Ellie, you know Leo is my only child. I want him to succeed, and Stratford Prep is his best shot. So, I’m begging you, please grant me one unreasonable request.” She’d already married Gavin. She already had the legitimate claim. Why bother with this theatrical display for me? But to indulge her performance, I asked, “What request?” She seemed to struggle for words. “Ellie, I need you to move all your things out and let me be the lady of this house. The second bedroom needs to become Leo’s room. That’s the only way the principal and others will believe us.” So that was it. Conveniently, I was already planning to move my things out. She was just giving me a perfect reason. Gavin, seeing my silence, spoke before I could. “It’s just redecorating twice, it’s not hard. Anyway, you don’t have anything else to do at home, there’s no need to…” Before he could finish, I smiled, a thin, ironic curve of my lips. “Families should live together, shouldn’t they? I’ll move.” Gavin’s frown deepened, and he started to reach for me, but Leo clutched his hand. “Yay, Daddy! We can live together!” 3 My pre-booked moving crew was already en route, proving eerily convenient. My belongings steadily dwindled, replaced by Serena’s. The house even sported wedding photos of Gavin and Serena – pictures I’d never had with him. Gavin, seeing me staring, uncharacteristically offered an explanation. “Those are all Photoshopped, fake. I never took any photos with her.” “They look good,” I said, not answering his question. Gavin frowned. “Ellie, if you’re upset, just tell me. I can still tell them not to move in.” But if he truly cared about my feelings, he wouldn’t have secretly married Serena. He was merely testing me. I took a deep breath, a faint smile touching my lips. “Helping others is a good thing. I’m not upset.” With that, I turned away from Gavin’s stunned expression and looked at the second bedroom. The balcony of that room housed my favorite potted plants and greenery, along with many of my personal items. Now, the plants lay cruelly tossed onto the ground, my cherished greenery trampled under the workers’ feet. Green sap, sticky and vile, smeared the entire room. Suddenly, the whole house felt utterly repulsive. And the people in it even more so. Serena, standing nearby, offered a flimsy apology. “I’m so sorry, Ellie. Leo’s allergic to these, so they had to be cleared out. Don’t worry, once Leo’s enrollment is sorted, I’ll have everything restored to how it was.” I didn’t dignify that with a response. I merely gestured to the three packed boxes by the door, telling the movers to take them. In an instant, every trace of my presence in that house vanished, systematically replaced by another woman. I smiled, a weary, knowing curve of my lips. Though Gavin and I hadn’t been ‘pure’ in our relationship, we had been intimately intertwined for four years. Truly leaving still felt a little raw, a bit bitter. But it was time to end it. “I’m leaving,” I told Gavin. Gavin, his hand still clutched by Leo, nodded. “A week at most, and I’ll have you back.” But I wouldn’t be coming back. Before I could walk out the door, Serena reached out and called to me. “Ellie, to thank you, I’d like to treat you to dinner tonight. As a token of my gratitude. You absolutely must not refuse, or I’ll be terribly upset.” Seeing her insistence, I could only agree. That evening, I arrived at the restaurant, waiting until past ten, but there was no sign of Gavin, Serena, or Leo. I called. “Oh, Ellie, I’m so sorry,” Serena’s voice cooed. “Leo suddenly got sick. Gavin and I are at the hospital. I completely forgot to tell you. You’re not angry, are you?” Angry? No. Just tired of the childish, pathetic games.
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