Chapter 3The Walking Spare Parts Refuses to Be Blinded

I canceled her authorized user card on my account.

Unable to reach me, she sent her friends to corner me.

Watching her friend stand on my porch, acting smug and entitled as if I ought to drop to my knees and apologize, I found the situation laughable. I simply slammed the door in her face without saying a word.

My mother had initially worried that I might cave and run back to Chloe.

Seeing my firm actions over the following days, her worried frown finally eased. Her mood brightened, and she looked years younger.

Though I had no desire to keep up with Chloe, news about her still managed to reach my ears.

Without my financial support, she was forced to check Brandon out of the hospital.

She had no job, no savings, and no property of her own in this city. Her only choice was to cram into Brandon’s cramped, run-down apartment and live under the same roof as his parents.

One day after finishing a workout at the gym, I received a text from an unknown number.

"Ethan, I’m living at Brandon’s place now. His parents aren't awful and annoying like your mother. They treat me like royalty and can't wait for me to become their daughter-in-law!"

"Ethan, we were together for five years. I know you only broke up with me because you were jealous. I’m willing to be reasonable. If you apologize right now and agree to donate your corneas, I’ll come home and marry you."

Reading the text, I laughed at the sheer absurdity of it.

Even now, Chloe genuinely believed I couldn't survive without her.

Every single word dripped with unearned arrogance.

Looking back, I realized how utterly foolish I had been over those five years.

I thought endless patience and unconditional giving would earn me love. Instead, it only bred a woman who thought she had the right to trample all over me whenever she pleased.

Refusing to waste any breath on her, I blocked the number immediately.

A week later, her best friend ambushed me on the street. With a triumphant smirk, she shoved a formal invitation into my hands, inviting me to Chloe and Brandon’s wedding.

My mother begged me not to go, but I decided to attend anyway.

Not because I was still clinging to the past.

Rather, I wanted to prove to myself that I could face her with absolute indifference.

Marrying her had once been my greatest dream. Whenever I slightly upset her, she would threaten to never marry me.

Every time she used that line, I would panic and scramble to soothe her.

The mere thought of her becoming someone else's bride had once made it hard for me to breathe.

Yet standing there now, watching her in a white gown beside Brandon on the altar...

I didn't feel a shred of heartache. In fact, all I felt was an overwhelming sense of relief.

When Chloe first spotted me in the crowd, a cold, mocking smirk played on her lips.

Just like whenever she threw a fit in the past, she acted like a pampered princess perched on a pedestal, waiting for me to come groveling.

Yet as the ceremony progressed through more than half its program and I remained seated, calm and unbothered, her composure began to visibly unravel.

When the officiant asked if she took Brandon to be her lawfully wedded husband, her eyes remained glued to mine.

I cast a brief, detached glance her way and said nothing.

Suddenly, she gathered up her train and bolted straight down the aisle toward me, shouting angrily, "Ethan, are you seriously going to sit there and watch me marry another man? Aren't you terrified that you'll regret this for the rest of your life?"

I looked at her face, warped by frustration and rage.

I had once spent hours imagining how breathtaking she would look in a wedding gown.

Seeing it now, I thought she looked entirely ordinary.

Seeing no reaction from me, a flicker of panic crossed her eyes. She gritted her teeth, as if granting me a gracious concession.

"Fine, Ethan. I'll throw you a lifeline. If you beg me to come back right now, I'll walk away with you."

"On one condition: you have to agree to donate your corneas to Brandon."

A faint smile touched my lips.

Even at this very moment, she was still trying to dictate terms to me.

I reached into my suit pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.

Chloe’s expression softened instantly.

She lifted her chin triumphantly, holding out her ring finger. "I knew it. You could never let me go. Get down on one knee and put it on."

I looked at her calmly, took the ring out of the box, and casually dropped it onto the floor.

She froze in place, the color draining from her face until she was ghostly pale.