When He Asked Me to Stay for Her, I Chose Myself Chapter 07
Ryan’s voice trembled.
He couldn’t hide the nervousness in his eyes.
“Once something happens, it can happen again.”
“What if one day you suddenly disappear again?”
I asked him.
Ryan fell silent.
It seemed like there was some secret he couldn’t bring himself to say.
I didn’t continue the conversation.
Instead, I walked into a nearby shop and bought Ryan a plush keychain.
It was my way of thanking him for showing me around that day.
After I returned home, I checked my phone.
There were new messages from Ethan.
[Sorry.]
[The experiment didn’t go smoothly today. I was tied up until now, so I missed the interview.]
[What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll bring something back for you.]
Just like before, I didn’t reply.
I tossed my phone onto the bed and went to take a shower.
—
Meanwhile, Ethan was walking down the street.
Staring at our empty chat thread, he suddenly felt uneasy.
He knew Vivian had never been someone who didn’t like texting.
She had always wanted to stay connected with her boyfriend.
She always replied quickly.
She always had so much to tell him.
No matter what she did, she would tell him about it.
But these past two days, Vivian hadn’t done any of that.
Today, she had ignored several messages from him in a row.
Ethan started wondering if he had gone too far.
Maybe he had also been neglecting Vivian lately.
While passing by a bakery, Ethan walked inside.
He bought Vivian’s favorite crepes and macarons.
Then he took pictures and sent them to her.
But there was still no reply.
The longer he waited, the more uneasy he became.
Still, he kept telling himself everything was fine.
[Vivian loves me so much. She’s always been understanding. She’ll calm down after I apologize. She always does.]
—
[I’m just overthinking everything.]
But Ethan’s footsteps kept getting faster.
By the last flight of stairs, he was practically running.
He pushed open the door.
“Vivian.”
“What have you been doing today?”
“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?”
“Even though we missed the interview today, it’s okay. We can go another day.”
“With our abilities, we can find good jobs anywhere.”
Usually, when Ethan rambled like this, Vivian would have already come out.
But this time, she didn’t.
The silence was suffocating.
Ethan looked around carefully.
When he saw the framed photo of them was gone, he immediately rushed into the bedroom.
All of Vivian’s clothes were gone.
So was the suitcase she had used for years.
Everything that belonged to Vivian was gone.
—
There wasn’t a single trace of her left.
A wave of panic crashed over Ethan.
He hurriedly called Vivian.
Once. No answer.
Twice. Still nothing.
Three times. The call still didn’t go through.
…
The hundredth time. Still no one picked up.
Ethan immediately sent a message in the class group chat.
[Does anyone know where my girlfriend went?]
Everyone started tagging Madison.
[Someone’s calling you. You were just chatting in the group. Why aren’t you saying anything now?]
Madison hurriedly appeared.
[I’m here!]
She deliberately didn’t deny anything. But then Ethan sent another message.
[Are you all crazy? My girlfriend isn’t Madison. She’s Vivian!]