The Day I Died, He Married Her

Chapter 9

Looking back, the signs were all there—Ethan Winters had fallen for Lily Evans.

I just refused to see it.

Back then, we talked on the phone every night, and he often brought up her name.

"Met someone new recently. Proud, stubborn type."

"She's nothing like you. You're this sweet, obedient doll, while she's all thorns."

"Still, she's had it rough—orphaned, working her way through school."

I didn't suspect a thing. I even encouraged him to help her out.

Ethan truly doted on me then.

He took my words to heart and started assisting Lily regularly.

But somewhere along the way, helping turned into something more.

At first, I didn't notice anything unusual.

Until one day, when I called Ethan Winters, a woman answered the phone.

I remained calm and politely told her I was looking for Ethan.

"Ethan?" The woman's voice dripped with smugness. "He drank too much covering for me. He's throwing up in the bathroom right now."

"Call back later." She hung up.

After the call ended, I stood frozen for a long time before the implications sank in.

Ethan Winters—who always kept women at arm's length—had willingly taken drinks for her.

In that moment, panic set in.

But I was still too naive. I told myself to trust him, and so I never confronted him about it.

By the time I realized the truth, it was already too late to turn back.

I refuse to dwell on what happened afterward.

I won't let the filth of those memories tarnish the happiness he once gave me.

During that time, I lived in agony. The heartbreak of our failed relationship, compounded by my deteriorating health, left me gaunt and hollow.

Back then, the doctor diagnosed me with mild depression. I kept it from my family, afraid they'd worry.

The only thing that kept me going was the desperate hope of getting into Ethan's graduate school. I convinced myself that the distance between us was why he fell out of love.

He attended a prestigious university in another city, while I, with my mediocre grades, only made it into a local college. We only saw each other during winter and summer breaks. Long-distance relationships test people in ways others can't understand.

Eventually, I couldn't bear the separation. I started visiting his campus every weekend.

The day I begged him to take me back—only to be rejected—Lily came to see me afterward.

She looked down at me like some merciful goddess.

"Rachel, what makes you think you can compete with me?"

"If it weren't for your childhood ties to Ethan, a plain girl like you would never have caught his eye."

"Stop deluding yourself. He never saw you as anything more than a friend."

"He loves me. Do you have any idea how passionate he is with me?"

She rubbed her waist and deliberately tilted her head to reveal a love bite behind her ear. "You didn't know, did you? We've been living together off-campus."

"He's already planned it all out. We're getting married right after I graduate."

"Next year, don't forget to come to our wedding."

Lily's words were the final blow.

That night, I locked myself in the dorm bathroom, pressed a blade to my wrist, and slashed deep.

Vivian found me.

She was my closest friend from high school, the one who'd followed me to B University. She knew everything about Ethan and me.

When I woke up, Vivian was collapsed over me, sobbing like a child.

"Rachel, how could you be so stupid?"

"Ethan Winters is a heartless bastard! You should've let him go ages ago!"

"I'm going to find him and make him kneel before you to apologize!"

I stared blankly at the ceiling, my voice raw. "Vivian, don't tell him."

He didn't want me anymore.

Even if I died, it had nothing to do with him.

Breakups should be handled with dignity.

Vivian hugged me, her tears dripping onto my neck.

"Rachel, you're such a fool! You should've told Ethan back then!"

"If he knew about that, he would've—"

"Vivian!" For the first time, I glared at her with steel in my voice. "We are never speaking of that again."