Shattered Ties

Skylar

I ignored the ringing phone for the hundredth time.

Ethan. Again.

The name flashing on my screen made my stomach turn. I clenched my fists, taking a deep breath to control my emotions.

For days, he had been calling relentlessly. I had blocked his number once, but he simply found new ones to reach me.

Why was he doing this? What more did he want after everything he had done?

I turned my phone face-down on the table and focused on my work, trying to drown out the thoughts clawing at my mind. But the phone rang again. And again. And again.

I gritted my teeth angrily. After countless calls, I finally snapped. I grabbed the phone and answered sharply.

“What do you want, Ethan?”

A pause. Then, a chuckle—soft, familiar, but no longer comforting as it used to be.

“Skylar,” he said, my name slowly rolling off his tongue. “Finally.”

“I don’t want to hear from you. Stop calling me,” I said coldly.

He sighed, as if I were the one being unreasonable. “I just want to talk. Let’s meet at our favorite coffee shop.”

“There’s no reason for us to meet, Ethan,” I spat angrily. “We have nothing to say to each other. I have nothing to say to you.”

He ignored my words. “Then I’ll come see you at home.”

My blood ran cold.

Mum

Since my father’s accident, her mental state had been fragile. The last thing she needed was Ethan showing up and causing trouble.

For her sake, I needed to make sure Ethan wouldn't come to the house. Seeing him might cause her more pain.

“Fine,” I muttered. “One meeting. That’s it.”

“Good,” he said, sounding satisfied.

I hung up before he could say anything else.

Forty-five minutes later, I arrived at the coffee shop. As I stepped inside, my eyes instinctively found him. Ethan was sitting at our old table by the window, the place where we had spent countless afternoons together.

I forced myself forward, walking slowly to keep my emotions intact. When I reached the table, I immediately noticed he had already ordered my favorite coffee.

The sight of it, sitting there as if nothing had changed, made my stomach churn. Ethan finally looked up and smiled.

"Skylar," he said smoothly. “How are -”

Before he could continue, I cut him off. "Don't ask how I’ve been," I said coldly. "You don’t need to pretend you care."

His lips parted slightly, but I didn’t give him a chance to respond. Rather, I just sank into the seat across from him.

"You don’t have to worry about me pestering you, Ethan," I continued in a sharp voice. "I already know what you want to talk about. I’ll stay away from you and disappear from your life. I won’t get in your way. You have nothing to worry about."

For a brief moment, something flickered across his face—an emotion I couldn't quite place. But then, he shook his head and smiled. That same infuriating, self-assured smile that used to make my heart skip a beat.

“You look well.”

I scoffed. “Cut the small talk, Ethan.”

His smile didn’t falter, but something flickered in his eyes. “I don’t want you to disappear from my life, Skylar.”

I blinked, trying to understand his words.

“Are you joking?”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I’m engaged to Celeste, yes. But that doesn’t mean my feelings for you just vanished; I still love you, Skylar.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Oh, so you still ‘love’ me?” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Tell me, Ethan, is that what you were telling yourself when you proposed to her?”

His jaw tightened, but his voice remained smooth. “You and I have been together for so long, Skylar. I can’t just forget you.”

I curled my fingers into my palm, my nails digging into my skin.

I wanted to scream at him. To tell him that HE was the one who had shattered everything we had together. HE was the one who betrayed me and ruined our relationship! It was all him!

But I refused to give him that satisfaction. Not now. Not ever.

“You broke up with me,” I reminded him, my voice steady. “You betrayed me. You lied to me. And now, after humiliating me in front of everyone, you expect me to—what? Stay by your side like a loyal pet?”

Ethan sighed, shaking his head. “Don’t be so dramatic, Skylar.”

I clenched my teeth. “Dramatic?”

Ethan reached out, his fingers about to brush my cheeks as he often did whenever he wanted to coax me into something. I jerked back instinctively, my skin crawling at the thought of his touch.

His voice was low, coaxing, as if he were offering me something precious.

“Skylar, I want you to be my lover.”

I instantly stiffened.

“I can take good care of you,” he continued smoothly. “If you agree, you won’t have to struggle anymore. I’ll get you a house, a car—everything you need. And your father... he’ll get the best treatment, I promise.”

My heart pounded, not with hope, but with total disbelief.

I had thought I’d heard everything. Thought he couldn’t possibly sink lower. But this?

He wasn’t asking for forgiveness. He wasn’t trying to make amends.

He was offering to buy me.

Something inside me cracked.

I forced myself to breathe, my vision blurring with rage.

Ethan sighed, as if he were the one burdened by this situation. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the one to blame here. If you want to be angry at someone, blame your father.”

My fingers tightened around the edge of the table at the mention of my father.

“He’s the one who ruined everything,” Ethan continued smoothly. “If he hadn’t gone bankrupt, things would have been different. You would still be—” He stopped, shaking his head with a small, amused smile. “But that’s the past. I’ve found the perfect solution for you, Skylar.”

I felt like I had been punched in the gut.

My hands trembled beneath the table.

I should blame my father?

“You must have noticed by now,” he went on, leaning back in his seat. “People in our circle want nothing to do with you. They avoid you like the plague. You have no status, no support. No one will help you.”

He tilted his head slightly, watching my reaction. “No one except me.”

“You—” My voice shook. “Do you even hear yourself, Ethan? Do you really think I would agree to something this despicable? What do you take me for?”

“You should be grateful, Skylar,” he added. “I’m still here and also do care about you.”

Grateful?

I wanted to scream. To throw the table over. To slap that smug look off his face.

Instead, I stood up abruptly.

“I’m leaving.”

Ethan’s hand shot out, gripping my wrist. His touch burned like poison.

“You should rethink this,” he murmured. “You’re no longer a rich lady, Skylar. You no longer belong to the elite class. Without your parents' protection, you should learn how to survive.”

I met his gaze, my chest rising and falling with barely controlled anger.

“I may have nothing, Ethan. But I still have my dignity.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “Dignity won’t feed you.”

I yanked my wrist from his grasp, stepping back. But before I could turn away, he spoke again.

“I remember your mother had a jewelry design studio,” he said lazily. “What would happen if it disappeared?”

My heart stopped.

A wave of cold terror washed over me.

He wouldn’t.

I searched his expression, hoping to find a hint of bluffing, but all I saw was a quiet, sharp amusement.

I trembled, my hands balling into fists.

Ethan had always been manipulative, but this… this was something else.

A dangerous kind of rage took over me. My body moved before I could think.

I grabbed the steaming cup of coffee from the table and, with all the strength I had, threw it at him.

It splashed onto his face and hair, staining his expensive suit. Gasps and murmurs erupted around us.

Ethan jerked back, cursing, his eyes darkening with fury.

And I didn’t wait for his reaction.

I turned and ran out of the café, ignoring the stares, the whispers, and the sound of his chair scraping against the floor.