2

My thoughts were yanked back to reality by Fiona's heart-wrenching sobs as Ethan pulled her back from the precipice of despair.

They clung to one another, their bodies entwined in a way that made my stomach churn, like a painful reminder of what we once shared and what had been lost.

Ethan's voice quivered with genuine fear as he softly kissed the top of Fiona's head. "Thank goodness you're okay..." he murmured, the words almost breaking in his throat.

Fiona shook uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks like a relentless storm. "Are you going to marry Alice? If that's the case, then let go of me. I'll jump off and be gone for good."

He gently wiped her tears with the tender care of a lover, but then his piercing gaze shifted, locking onto me with an intensity that made my heart race.

"It's just marriage. You'll always come first in my heart."

With a heavy sigh, he lowered his eyes, the weight of his words hanging in the air around us.

"After all, Alice has been with me for eight years. I don't love her anymore... but she saved me when I nearly drowned. She has been like a loyal shadow, always there for me. I owe her that."

Ethan admitted, the finality in his voice striking a bitter chord.

His declarations reverberated through the crowd, and shock rippled like a wave.

Yes, I had saved a dying Ethan all those years ago from the waters. And at the time, it had felt inevitable that we would end up together.

But that was what felt like a lifetime ago. He seemed to view me as someone who would wield past favors to manipulate him, and it stung deeper than I cared to admit.

If I'd known he would turn out like this, I would have happily let him sink back then.

The pitying glances from those around us began to scrape at my nerves.

I scoffed, crossing my arms defiantly.

"Ethan, I'm busy. When are you going to fulfill your promise?"

His laugh was cold, and a flicker of realization crossed his face as he looked at me with brazen disdain.

"So, you're just itching to marry me, huh?"

He turned back to Fiona, gently caressing her earlobe, soothing her in a manner that made my skin crawl.

Then Ethan glanced back at me with an exaggerated nonchalance.

"So, when do you want to tie the knot? Since you're so eager to marry me, I suppose I'll..."

I cut him off swiftly, my voice steady. "Let's break up."

Ethan's head shot up, surprise and anger flashing across his features like lightning in a storm.

"You want to break up?"

Ignoring the glimmer of triumph in Fiona's eyes, I met Ethan's frown with unyielding resolve.

"Yep."

"Is this some kind of a bad joke?" he shot back, disbelief cloaked in arrogance.

Ethan didn't believe me.

He scoffed, shaking his head as if to dismiss my words.

"Who doesn't know that you've been trailing after me like a lost puppy since college? Now that you finally have a shot at marrying me, you want to bail? Alice, don't kid yourself. You're still wearing the ring I gave you."

The smug look on his face suggested he thought he had me cornered, convinced I could never truly walk away from him.

But I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of my decision, and calmly removed the ring from my finger.

With a flick of my wrist, I tossed it off the rooftop, watching it arc through the air like a defiant shooting star.

"Thanks for the reminder. I almost forgot."

That ring was my birthday gift from Ethan, and it was bought with his first scholarship check.

It bore our initials—a token of our past that felt like a chain now, heavy and binding.

I recalled the time I had been in a car accident, darkness swallowing me whole. I clutched that ring tightly in my palm, its cool metal grounding me.

Ethan knew how much I treasured both him and that ring, how intertwining our lives had felt.

But now, I had thrown it away, casting aside the remnants of a love that had long since faded.

Ethan's brow furrowed deeply, confusion mixing with the anger in his eyes, but he still couldn't grasp the weight of my words.

He was struggling to accept that I was serious about breaking up.

I heard him sneer, his voice laced with mockery.

"Alice, I don't care what game you're playing. But let me make this clear: if you apologize right now, I'll pretend none of this ever happened. You want the title of Mrs. Moore? I'll still give it to you."

I managed a faint smile, a quiet strength blooming within me. "Ethan, here's to both of us getting what we want from now on."

After saying that, I turned away, striding confidently into the distance, each step a declaration of my newfound freedom.

As I walked away, I heard Fiona's voice drifting back to me, tinged with surprise. "Aren't you going to chase after her?"

Ethan let out a cold, humorless laugh. "Why bother? She'll be back soon enough. She'd be a complete fool to just walk away after everything she went through carrying my child."