His Last Chance, My Last Goodbye

When Chloe first left home for college, her "high-maintenance" behavior made her classmates shut her out. The night she called me sobbing, I'd just finished a surgery. I hadn't even changed out of my scrubs before I was frantically begging Ethan to check on her for me. At first, he wasn't on board. "She's an adult, Claire. She needs to learn to handle things herself instead of hiding behind you like some princess." In the end, after I pleaded with him over and over, he let out a quiet sigh. "Claire—you worry about her. But the only person I worry about is you." Over the next two years, Ethan took on the role of a parent in my place. He taught her the unwritten rules of getting along with people. He smoothed out every wrinkle in her life. Chloe began to grow up. And their relationship grew closer by the day. Until Ethan took Chloe on a trip abroad. And forgot that I'd finally gotten a rare stretch of days off. Forgot that I was waiting in his empty apartment from morning until dark. "Claire?" The sound of my name pulled me back. My chest felt packed with sodden cotton, each breath dragging through a dull, heavy ache. I met Sophie's gaze. She looked so sure. I gave a faint smile. "No. He won't come." And I didn't need him to anymore. By the time I finished work, it was nearly ten. I stepped into the elevator, pressed my back against the cold metal wall, closed my eyes, and didn't move. I'd barely stepped out of the hospital when someone called after me. "Claire! Over here!" I turned. Not far away, Chloe—who shouldn't have been here—was waving both arms, beaming as she ran toward me. "Surprise! Didn't expect this, did you?" Behind her, Ethan followed at an unhurried pace, one corner of his mouth turned up. I stood there, stunned, unable to react for a long time. It wasn't my fault. I'd just imagined this scene too many times. Walking home alone after a night shift with a stranger tailing me. Struggling to open a jar lid. Giving myself an IV while running a fever. And now—now that I'd finally decided to give up for good—it had come true. "See, Ethan? I told you Claire would cry when she saw us!" Cry? I raised a hand to my cheek. Only then did I realize my palm was cold and wet with tears. Ethan's gaze settled on my face. He frowned immediately, catching my wrist with practiced ease. "What happened to your face?" I looked up at him, dazed. "I was—" But Chloe held up her phone, cutting in eagerly. "Okay, okay, get in the car! We're gonna be late!" "What?" "Claire, didn't you check your messages? Ethan's taking me to the screening of the special edition!" She stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "I couldn't wait—I just couldn't hold out till tomorrow." I went rigid. When I looked at Ethan, his gaze had already drifted away. He pinched Chloe's cheek, his tone both amused and indulgent. "You…" The two of them walked side by side toward the car. Ethan held a hand beside Chloe's head to keep her hair from catching on the low-hanging branches along the sidewalk. I stood there alone. It felt as though a draft had slipped between my ribs and swept through me, leaving a cold ache deep inside. How pathetic, I thought. The way I'd softened. That pitiful surge of hope. After a long time, I wiped away my tears. "I'm not going. I'm going home." I turned to leave. Almost instantly, Ethan's icy voice reached me. "Claire Bennett." I stopped. "We came all this way to pick you up, and now you're giving us attitude?" The air between us seemed to harden. Chloe looked at me, then at him. Her face drained of color. She tugged timidly at Ethan's sleeve. "Ethan… did I do something wrong? Does Claire not like the movie?" That was my sister. The half-sister I'd protected for over a decade, the one who'd always looked up at me with those big, pleading eyes. And when it came down to choosing between me and a man she'd known less than three years— She chose to lean on someone else. Ethan took her hand and spoke gently. "No, it's not that. Go wait in the car." Once Chloe had obediently climbed into the passenger seat, he turned back to me, impatience flickering across his face. "Chloe's been excited about this trip ever since she found out, and the first thing she did was make sure you had a ticket." "You threatened to break up with me, and here I am, standing right in front of you." "Claire Bennett, what more do you want? Do you have to ruin everything?" I looked steadily at this man I'd loved for nearly seven years. "And what about you?" "What?" "Do you know how long it's been since I've had a full night's sleep? Do you know how many days in a row I've been on shift? You worry that Chloe might overthink things, that she might get upset. So why can't you see how exhausted I am right now?"

A rare flash of shock crossed Ethan's face. Then he frowned. "…You're really going to compete with your own sister over this?" I almost laughed. But when I closed my eyes, all that was left was a hollow, bone-deep weariness. "Forget it." Before he could react, I turned and walked away. Back at my apartment, I went straight to the bathroom. Only when the hot water enveloped me did the numbness begin to fade. Soon, the volunteer team roster and flight details arrived on my phone. At the same time, a message from Chloe popped up in the group chat. Claire, did you and Ethan have a fight? Nooo. Ethan really is the best person ever. Whenever anything happens, he's the first one there. Last time I had trouble at my internship, he showed up the second I hung up to back me up… He takes me out for amazing food and all kinds of fun stuff… Can't you two just meet each other halfway? Cut him some slack. Don't be so petty. Meet each other halfway. But the one who had to take that step back was always me. I didn't reply. I left the group chat. After that, I curled up under the covers and let my eyes close. I slept fitfully. For the first time in a long while, I dreamed. I dreamed about four years earlier. Ethan had just closed his first big deal and driven hundreds of miles to see me. "Claire, we won't have to do long-distance much longer." "Claire, I'll be able to marry you soon." "Claire—my Claire…" We held each other and cried, our hearts pressed close together. We'd been so happy. But then. Chloe got accepted to a university in New York—his city. And after that, there was no "someday" for us. Somewhere between sleep and waking, an arm slid around my waist from behind. My eyes flew open. Without thinking, I grabbed the self-defense spray from the nightstand and aimed at the blurry figure. A muffled grunt. The next second, a violent shove sent me tumbling off the bed. "Claire Bennett!" The light snapped on. Ethan stood there, eyes rimmed red, his entire body radiating barely contained fury. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" I sat on the floor, shaking with fear. Ever since that night a stranger had followed me home, I'd been constantly on edge. The fear had never faded. It took a long moment before I registered what had happened. It was Ethan. Not a burglar. Not a stranger. Seeing my ashen face and unfocused eyes, he seemed to realize something was wrong. "What is it? A nightmare?" I shook my head in silence. I got up from the floor. "Take the guest room. I'm used to sleeping alone." Ethan stared at me in disbelief, jaw clenched. "Claire Bennett—Chloe is in the guest room. You're sending me in there to sleep?"

My head felt foggy. "…The couch is fine too. Whatever you want." I didn't look at him again. I turned off the light and pulled the blanket over my head. The room stayed silent for a long time before I finally heard the door open and close. The next morning, when I got up, the two of them were already eating breakfast. Ethan slid a bowl toward me. "Eat. Your favorite—maple oatmeal." I sat down. "Thanks." He frowned, almost imperceptibly. Chloe chewed on her bagel, casting cautious glances at me before tentatively speaking. "Claire, you don't have work today? That's rare." "Mm." Ethan spoke abruptly. "Claire, quit your job. Move to New York. We'll get married—I'll take care of you." Chloe nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Then we can all hang out together!" "And Claire can help me pick out stuff for the new place!" I set my spoon down and frowned at the two of them. "New place?" Chloe's eyes went wide. She clapped a hand over her mouth, too late. As I continued to stare at her, she retreated behind Ethan and reluctantly mumbled an explanation. "…Ethan bought me an apartment for my birthday." "I didn't mean to keep it from you. But you're so uptight about stuff like this—I knew you'd give me a hard time…" Ethan gave her hand a deliberate pat, cutting her off. "That's enough. Your sister isn't like that." Then he looked at me. "It wasn't that much—just over four hundred thousand. Chloe's young. Think of it as security for her, from both of us." My hands clenched, and my voice shook. "You used the money from our joint account?" Ethan blinked, as though the answer were obvious. "Yeah. Why?" We'd opened that joint savings account during our first year of dating long-distance. Every month, we each put in whatever we could spare from our paychecks. The plan was simple: once we'd saved enough, we'd buy a place and get married. Back then, I'd picked up extra night shifts at the hospital—three hundred dollars a pop. I'd worked through fevers rather than give up the overtime, all to save a little more. Ethan had stayed in budget motels on business trips. He could have expensed nicer places, but he'd always chosen the cheapest single room. Two full years, and we'd saved fifty-four thousand dollars. We'd earned every single cent under the fluorescent lights of the ER before dawn and at client dinners where he drank until he threw up. Security. Security. Now that life was better, he could toss money at Chloe and call it "security." Then what about my youth? My health? All those years I spent enduring the agony of being apart—who was going to make me feel secure? I blinked back tears and stood, my voice cold. "Give me back my half. I never agreed to buy her an apartment." Ethan stared at me in disbelief. "Over that little bit of money? Have you lost your mind?" "Lost my mind?" I forced something that resembled a smile. "Then why don't you ask her to work my hospital shifts for a few years and earn 'that little bit of money' to pay me back?"