Part 3We Couldn't Make It Till the End

The photo in the post showed Ethan and Sara sitting in a trendy new French bistro, surrounded by plates of escargot, foie gras and other fine dishes.

The caption read: [Enchanted at first sight, still falling for you till this day.]

Hannah stared at the photo of Ethan grinning as Sara fed him a bite of steak and couldn't help letting out a bitter, sarcastic laugh.

Ethan had once claimed to hate European cuisine more than anything. The root of that hatred went back to his father, who had been seduced by a French woman and abandoned him and his mother when Ethan was only three years old.

Because of that childhood trauma, Ethan had developed a deep aversion to anything European or foreign. He refused to get involved in international business and insisted on working exclusively with domestic clients.

That rigid attitude had cost the Turner Group hundreds of millions of dollars in missed opportunities for overseas expansion.

When Hannah took him on their first date, she had known nothing about his history. Eager to make the night special, she spent an entire month's savings taking him to the most luxurious French restaurant downtown.

But the moment a several-hundred-dollar steak was placed in front of him, Ethan's expression turned thunderous. He flipped the table on the spot, sending the scalding steak flying into her face before turning around and walking out without a word.

Hannah had been left standing there alone, surrounded by stunned patrons whispering and laughing as they stared at her.

When she returned to their apartment, Ethan gave her the silent treatment for an entire week. It wasn't until she spent half a day apologizing and transferred tens of thousands of dollars into his account as compensation that he finally let the matter go.

...

And now, as Hannah watched Sara feed him a cheap, heavily processed, freezer-burned piece of steak, Ethan looked completely radiant.

There wasn't even a flicker of disgust on his face. So, love really was a miracle cure. Apparently, it could heal even the deepest psychological scars.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Hannah glanced down at the comments beneath Ethan's post. Their coworkers were flooding the section with congratulations and heart emojis.

In the past, Sara had only posted vague, suggestive updates on social media.

Everyone in the office knew something was going on between the two, but no one dared say a word because Ethan had never officially acknowledged the relationship.

Now that Ethan had posted the photo himself, it was practically a public announcement. Naturally, everyone rushed to offer their congratulations and demonstrate their loyalty.

And Ethan, who normally maintained a stern, stoic image, dropped his usual reserve and replied to the comments with playful laughing emojis.

Hannah almost laughed out loud. She knew full well he was doing this on purpose to spite her, hoping she would grovel and beg for his forgiveness like she used to.

This time, however, she simply closed the app.

It wasn't until her stomach gave a loud growl that she realized she hadn't eaten a thing all day. She immediately pulled up her messages and texted her best friend, Megan West.

Hannah: [Down for some late-night tacos and barbecue?]

Megan replied instantly: [I'm in!]

...

At the late-night food spot, Megan was halfway through a grilled skewer when she suddenly paused. She glanced at her watch, then looked cautiously at Hannah.

"Hey, isn't your boyfriend ridiculously strict about your curfew? Doesn't he expect you home by ten sharp? It's almost ten. Shouldn't you be heading back?"

Hannah was immediately reminded of the rules Ethan had imposed on her.

Ever since they had gotten together, Ethan constantly claimed that he was deeply insecure and lived in fear of her cheating on him, so he had created a whole set of strict rules governing her life.

She had to be home before ten every night. She was expected to answer his texts immediately. And when he called, she wasn't allowed to let the phone ring for more than three seconds before picking up.

Even if she was in the middle of closing a multimillion-dollar deal with a client, if Ethan tried to FaceTime her and she dared to hang up, he would storm out of the apartment that very night and give her the silent treatment.

Knowing what he'd been through as a child, Hannah had quietly endured his controlling behavior. Yet Ethan had always lived by a completely different set of rules. He could disappear for an entire day or stay out all night without explaining where he was.

Once, simply because she was worried about his safety, Hannah made a video call to check on him. Ethan exploded. He bombarded her with dozens of angry messages, accusing her of being controlling and invading his privacy, then gave her the silent treatment for an entire month.

He naively thought he'd hidden his secrets perfectly. In reality, Hannah had known for a long time, thanks to the intimate photos Sara had sent her, that Ethan's unexplained nights away were nothing more than excuses to spend time with Sara.

It was almost laughable how thoroughly she'd allowed herself to be played. She had strictly followed Ethan's curfew and turned down countless dinners and outings with friends.

Eventually, her friends had stopped inviting her altogether, and her social circle had slowly disappeared until her entire world revolved around Ethan.

Looking back, none of it had been worth it.

"Don't worry about it," Hannah said, taking a fierce bite off her skewer. "He doesn't get to control me anymore. We broke up."

Megan froze. Then she slapped a hand against Hannah's back, genuinely thrilled for her.

"You should have dumped him ages ago. After everything that jerk pulled, he never deserved a single thing you did for him. Anyway, enough about him. Tonight's on me, and we're not leaving until we're stuffed."

Hannah grinned and ordered two more large platters of grilled food. The two women ate and drank well past midnight before Hannah finally headed home.

The moment she pushed open the front door, a throw pillow came flying and smacked her squarely in the face. Then Ethan's icy voice boomed through the dark apartment.

"Do you have any idea what time it is? You actually had the nerve to come home this late?"