When He Asked Me to Stay for Her, I Chose Myself Chapter 03
“Do you need proof?”
Ethan gave a cold laugh.
“Madison’s lab report was sent back by Professor Williams.”
“He even called her out for it!”
“You were the only one with Professor Williams at the time.”
“If you weren’t the one who took advantage of the situation and said something negative about her, then who else could it have been?”
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was unbelievable.
“That lab report was something I helped oversee from start to finish.”
“There’s no way it would’ve been sent back.”
“Don’t try to deny that this was your fault! Go to Professor Williams tomorrow and clear this up.”
“Make sure he approves Madison’s report!”
Ethan continued.
This time, his tone was almost a command.
I took a deep breath before finally speaking.“We’ve been together for four years.”
“Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
Everyone outside our relationship knew that I had never been someone who reported others to professors.
Instead, I was always the person who helped my teammates and younger students solve problems they couldn’t figure out.
And as for lab reports, who hadn’t had one sent back by a professor at some point?
Even Ethan needed seven attempts before his was approved.Why was this suddenly such a big deal?
But now, he was taking all his anger out on me.
Ethan was silent for a moment. But he still refused to believe me.
“People change.”
“So you changed too?”
I narrowed my eyes and looked at his clothes again.
“Vivian Hart!”
He suddenly bristled, like someone who had just been accused of something unforgivable.
“Maybe I’ve been too patient,” he said, his voice low and wounded.
“Is that why you feel safe attacking me now?”
After saying that, he turned around and went into the study.
I still remembered what happened during the first semester of my junior year.
Ethan made a mistake and didn’t take proper precautions, which resulted in me getting pregnant.
I wanted to keep the baby.
But Ethan called it “practical.”
He said we couldn’t afford to let it change our plans.
He held my hand while asking me to give up the baby.
Then he held my hand and made promise after promise.
“I’m sorry. It was my fault.”
“You’ve suffered so much because of me.”
“This will never happen again.”
“I won’t let you feel hurt anymore.”
“No matter what happens in the future, I’ll always put your feelings first.”
“I’ll never let you feel hurt or sad.”
But now, in just one day, he had hurt me again and again.
When I thought about those promises now, they only sounded ridiculous.
I couldn’t believe how foolish I had been.
While I was lost in my thoughts, Professor Williams sent me a message.
[Departure confirmed: day after tomorrow evening. It shouldn’t conflict with your ceremony tomorrow morning.]
[Any word from Ethan?]
I stared at the pile of torn paper on the floor.
After hesitating for a while, I replied:
[I’ll talk to him again.]
The next morning, Ethan left in a hurry without eating breakfast.
Not long after, Madison made another Instagram post.
“The best part of my morning? Feeding cake to someone I love.”
She attached a photo.
From the birthmark on the right side of his neck, I immediately recognized Ethan.
So much for all those boundaries he had promised me.
At noon, I handed the application form to Professor Williams.
As I passed by the lab, I saw Ethan through the crack in the door.
He was standing behind Madison, holding her close while patiently teaching her how to run the experiment.
I thought when Ethan said he would personally teach her, he meant they would work side by side like normal lab partners.
I never expected it would be like this.
That evening, while I was packing my luggage, Madison posted again.
“The moonlight is beautiful tonight.”
“I have someone by my side. Do you?”
The picture showed the shadows of two people raising their hands to form a heart shape.
There was no denying it.
Madison was deliberately provoking me.
I didn’t comment.
I just tapped the like button—a quiet acknowledgment that I saw exactly what she was doing.
By the time I zipped up my suitcase, the post had already been deleted.
However, several classmates still messaged me.
[Someone saw that the person making a heart shape with Madison was Ethan.]
[Vivian, you should pay attention. Ethan and Madison seem to be getting closer and closer lately.]
I gave everyone the same reply:
[I can’t control what he chooses to do.]
This time, Ethan didn’t come home until midnight.
The moment he got into bed, he pulled me into his arms.
The smell of alcohol mixed with the familiar scent of laundry detergent on him.
I suddenly felt sick.
I tried to pull away.
He nuzzled my neck, his breath thick with gin.
“Be a good girl tomorrow.”
“Get me a bagel with cream cheese.”
In the end, I could only give up.
The next morning, Ethan took the dress I was supposed to wear when we got married out of the closet.
“Vivian.”
“Madison wants to take some photos tomorrow.”
“She wants to borrow your dress.”