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He Chose Her Every Time, So I Left 10
A year later, I transferred to a new children’s therapy center on the south side of the city. I had my own treatment room and no longer had to commute across town.Ryan stayed at the old center, four subway stops away.We didn’t rush to put a label on things.When he asked me to an exhibition, I went.When I asked him to dinner, he came.In crowds, he walked on the outside. In open spaces, he naturally fell back.Once, at the movies, I fell asleep against his shoulder.When I woke up, his entire arm had gone stiff.“Why didn’t you wake me?”“You haven’t been sleeping well.”He looked away as soon as he’d said it.In the dim light, the tips of his ears were flushed.We took our time finding our way toward each other, leaving room to step back at every turn.In the spring, Ethan came by once.He stood outside the center, thinner than before, but calm.“I’m moving down south next month.”“Found a job?”“Yeah.”After a few pleasantries, he held out a bank card.“This is the first installme
He Chose Her Every Time, So I Left 9
Six months later, Serena lost the case.She was ordered to repay the money in installments and cover the penalties for breaking the flower shop lease early.The shop closed soon after.Before she left the city, she asked to see me one last time.We met at a fast food place near the train station.She pushed an old paper bag across the table.Inside were a few photographs.They’d been taken before Ethan and I got engaged.One showed him at a jewelry counter, choosing a ring.Another showed him sitting in a hospital corridor, my medical chart clutched in his hand.The last one was him waiting outside my office.“I took all of these.”Serena said.“Before he bought the ring, he dragged me to seven different stores, just to find one you’d like.”“The night you were hospitalized, he stayed at the hospital until dawn. The next day, he told you he’d just arrived because he didn’t want you to know he’d missed work.”I looked at the photos in silence.“What’s your point?”“He really did love yo
He Chose Her Every Time, So I Left 8
On Ruth’s seventieth birthday, I took her to see the apartment I’d rented for her.It was in her old neighborhood. An elevator building, south-facing, two bedrooms.I’d used the money I’d gotten back to pay three years of rent upfront.Ruth walked the length of the window, then turned away to wipe her eyes when she thought I wasn’t looking.“You called off the wedding. You should keep that money for yourself.”“This is for me.”I hugged her.“When you’re comfortable, that’s when I’m at ease.”That afternoon, the relatives gathered for a meal.Diane showed up unannounced.She came bearing gifts and apologized to Ruth the moment she walked in.“I failed to raise my son right. I’m sorry Quinnie’s been hurt.”Ruth didn’t ask her to sit.“Let the children handle their own problems.”“Ethan knows he was wrong. He’s cut all ties with Serena. He sold the apartment. He’s lost so much weight these past weeks, and he’s even quit his job.”I frowned.“Why did he quit?”“He said he used to live too
He Chose Her Every Time, So I Left 7
Ethan took Serena to court.Not for the seventy-nine thousand.He’d already paid me back himself. He was suing her for forging medical records to obtain the loan.After Serena received the summons, she cornered me outside the therapy center.She looked far more worn than the last time I’d seen her.“Happy now?”I walked around her.She stepped back in front of me.“He wants me to pay him back and give up the shop. The lease is for five years. Where am I going to get that kind of money?”“Talk to a lawyer.”“This is all because of you.”Serena grabbed my sleeve. “You’re the one who left him. Why are you still making him turn against me?”I pried her hand off.“I didn’t ask him to do any of this.”“Then why is he suddenly like this?”“Because the person who used to bear the consequences for you was me.”“Now that I’m gone, it’s your turn.”Her face went pale.“You think Ryan actually likes you?”I paused mid-step.Serena seized on it.“You didn’t know, did you? Ethan went to see him.”Sh
He Chose Her Every Time, So I Left 6
Ethan started trying to remember the things that mattered to me.He went to the noodle shop, which was about to be torn down, and asked Marie to sell him the table we’d sat at on our first date.He looked up emergency treatment for hazelnut allergies and added my dietary restrictions to the notes app on his phone.He sorted and boxed up everything I’d left at the marital home and brought them over, one box at a time.In the last box was a red scarf that had belonged to my mother.I felt the tear along the edge, and my expression darkened.“How did this happen?”Ethan’s face went rigid.“Serena wore it once. It got caught in the car door.”This scarf had always been locked away on the top shelf of the bedroom closet.I’d never had the heart to wear it.There was no way Serena took it by accident.“Who gave her the key?”Ethan didn’t answer.The answer was already clear.“You did.”“She was going to a party and couldn’t find the right scarf at the last minute. I didn’t know it was your m
He Chose Her Every Time, So I Left 5
Three days after the dinner, Ethan transferred the seventy-nine thousand back to me.Thirty-five thousand of it came from selling his car.The rest he’d scraped together by borrowing from coworkers and relatives.Serena couldn’t get out of the flower shop lease.She posted a long message on Facebook, saying she’d only borrowed money to start a business and never meant to ruin anyone’s relationship.It ended with: “Turns out family you’re not related to never stands a chance against a girlfriend.”Some mutual friends comforted her. Others came to ask if I was being too petty.I didn’t explain. I deleted them one by one.Ethan came to the therapy center every day to wait for me.The first day, he brought dessert.The second day, he brought a pair of flats.The third day, he placed a set of new car keys in front of me.“From now on, I’ll drive you to and from work.”I pushed the keys back.“I’m ten minutes away on foot now.”“Then let me walk you home.”“No.”“Quinn, I’ve already made Ser
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