The Wishes He Never Fulfilled

My fiancé, Ethan, has a terrible memory and needs someone to remind him over and over again. This was the ninety-ninth time he had forgotten one of our plans. This time, he had booked the restaurant where we were supposed to celebrate our anniversary for his junior colleague Angela’s achievement celebration instead. "Why didn’t you remind me again? Whatever, it’s already booked, so we can just celebrate together." I froze and stared at him in disbelief. Knowing how forgetful he was, I had sent him ninety-nine messages to remind him. He hadn’t replied to a single one, and now he was blaming me instead. As I looked at the unanswered messages on my phone, my heart slowly grew cold. Ever since Angela joined Ethan’s team a year ago, he had placed her plans above ours every single time. The handbag I had fallen in love with would end up on Angela’s desk. I had planned a weekend road trip, but he claimed he had forgotten and went to the movies with her instead. That made ninety-nine times he had forgotten me. He had probably forgotten that my application for an overseas assignment had already been approved. I was leaving the country soon. If he loved celebrating Angela’s achievements so much, then he could stop wasting my time. ...... When I got home and began packing, a message suddenly popped up on my phone. It was from Ethan: "Where did you go? Don’t wander off." That sudden show of concern made my fingers tremble slightly. But as soon as I opened the chat, his next message appeared: "Go back to the law firm and check which regulation Angela cited in her compliance report. She can’t find it." I stared at his message for several seconds. So he hadn’t suddenly realized that I wasn’t at the dinner table. He had only noticed I was gone because he wanted to order me around. I scrolled up through our chat history. Every single message was about Angela. "Let Angela use that legal research template of yours. She just started and doesn’t know how to use it." "Angela said she wants Japanese food. Let’s go together after work today. I already booked a table." "There’s a clause in Angela’s contract that she isn’t sure about. Take a look for her." Ethan’s messages to me were always statements. He had already made up his mind, and it had never occurred to him to ask what I wanted. The most recent message was from the day it rained, when I had asked whether he could come pick me up. He had replied, "The company needs me to work late tonight. Take a cab home yourself." But the next second, Angela posted a photo on her social media. A tilted umbrella escorted her into the passenger seat. "Almost got stranded in the rain. Good thing someone came to my rescue." I knew that car’s interior better than anything. The little animal charm hanging from the mirror was one I had picked out myself. I used to think that since Ethan was her supervisor and Angela was a new member of his team, it was normal for him to take extra care of her. But every time I gave in, Ethan only became more excessive. This time, I didn’t reply to him. While organizing files at the law firm, I received another message from Ethan: "Why haven’t you replied yet? Angela says she’s hungry. We’re not waiting for you. Her stomach is sensitive, and she can’t eat cold food." "Come over by yourself later." This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. We would clearly make plans to eat together. But whenever I was delayed by a court hearing or traffic, all that awaited me was cold leftovers. Ethan showed nothing but indifference toward my hurt feelings. "Can you stop being so dramatic? It’s only a little cold. It’s not like you can’t eat it." He said I was being dramatic. I still remembered how, when we had just started dating, he had practically prepared my bathwater for me. But everything changed after he met Angela. When the power went out in our apartment, I had always been afraid of the dark, so I called him. All I received was a scolding. "The lights are out, so fix them. Do you really need to call me over something this minor? Can’t you be a little more independent?" So I contacted a repairman myself, learned how to handle everything on my own, and slowly trained myself not to rely on him. But with Angela, he showed an entirely different side. "You’re a girl. You don’t have to be so tough. If you need anything, I’ll help you." "As your senior, it’s only right for me to look after you." I couldn’t understand it. Why was helping the same person treated so differently? When I needed help as his girlfriend, I was being dramatic, but when Angela needed it, he considered it his duty. I swallowed the bitterness in my heart and texted Ethan: "You two go ahead and eat. I still have things to do." It was a long time before he replied. "Are you pouting again? Claire, you’re not a child anymore. Stop making a scene." I had made scenes before. Last winter, I had a fever of 102 degrees and was shivering all over, so I called him and asked him to bring me medicine. But he said he was at Angela’s company. Something had gone wrong with Angela’s project, and he needed to stay with her. I told him I felt awful too. After a two-second silence, he said, "You’ve always been healthy. How serious could it be? Just go buy some fever medicine." That was the first time I felt I couldn’t take it anymore. He was my boyfriend, yet I could never get priority from him. I asked him to break up with me. But before I could say anything else, he blocked me without a word. He knew I loved him too much and couldn’t live without him. So he let me cry for two days until I had no tears left. Only then did he have Angela invite me out to eat. Pathetically, I chose to reconcile with him. After that, I never made another scene. But this time was different. I wasn’t making a scene. I was serious.At the law firm, I organized every file related to Ethan, along with all the documents that needed to be handed over. Only then did I realize that after seven years of dating, I had accumulated a thick stack of records about him. But he had given me very little in return. He hadn’t even given me one decent gift. He always said, "We know each other too well. Don’t limit yourself to ordinary material gifts." Yet when Angela joined the firm, he gave her a custom-made suit as a congratulatory present. For Angela’s birthday, he prepared a huge bouquet of the white roses she loved. I had questioned him about it and complained more than once. But he always told me, "Those formal gestures are meaningless. What matters is living a practical life together." Yet he had also said, "She’s just a young woman who recently started working and needs something to help her make a good impression. Don’t make things difficult for me." He told me not to make things difficult for him. But when had he ever considered what I was supposed to do? I gave myself a mocking smile when my phone vibrated. It was my mother calling. "Hello, Claire. How are things going with the wedding? Have you and Ethan discussed it?" Not long before, I had taken Ethan to meet my parents. Both families had been satisfied with us. But when it was time to set a wedding date, Ethan said he was still at an important stage in his career and that there was no rush to get married. At the time, I had been disappointed, but I still tried to understand that he was under a lot of pressure at work. Now, I was simply grateful. If a man could turn our anniversary dinner into someone else’s achievement celebration, would I have to spend the rest of my life waiting alone after marrying him? "Mom, there’s not going to be a wedding. I’m planning to break up with him." My mother’s voice instantly grew tense. "Why? Did he do something to hurt you?" "No. I just suddenly realized that we aren’t right for each other." There was an obvious silence on the other end of the phone. After all, everyone knew that I had loved Ethan for seven full years. Everyone knew how deep seven years of love could run. I had been the one to pursue Ethan. To get closer to him, I attended the finance lectures he liked, read books in his field of study, and even secretly signed up for the same gym just so I could "run into" him. After graduation, he accepted a job in South City. Without a second thought, I gave up the job my advisor had recommended and followed him with a suitcase in hand. My mother was so angry that she refused to speak to me for three days. I had only replied, "Mom, if I miss out on him, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life." The day Ethan accepted my confession, I cried tears of joy. I thought I had finally melted the glacier around his heart, and that happiness would follow from then on. But I was wrong. When he repeatedly forgot about me for Angela, I should have understood that this relationship had ended long ago. I turned off my phone and saw a new post from Angela about their romantic dinner. [Thank you, Ethan, for celebrating with me! With you around, I’ll never be afraid.] In the photo, they stood close together, as if they were the real couple. My eyes stung slightly. The location tag showed the restaurant I had spent hours researching. The candlelight flickered, the food was exquisite, and a beautiful piano melody played in the background. But every time I invited Ethan there, he would say, "We’re getting married soon. Can you be a little more frugal?" "A single meal costs several hundred dollars. You can have a candlelit dinner at home too." He said it so confidently that I could only swallow my expectations time and time again. Yet when Angela said she wanted to eat there, he took her to the restaurant I had dreamed of visiting with him. After organizing the last document, I collapsed into my chair, exhausted. The last time I had helped Ethan’s company prepare a legal compliance plan, I had stayed up for three consecutive nights. The data was complicated and disorganized. I had called Ethan and told him how tired I was. I asked whether we could have two more days or whether he could provide me with an updated summary. Instead, he sternly criticized me. "Why do you have no spirit of cooperation? You’re always trying to get other people to do your work for you. If the project misses its deadline, can you afford the consequences?" To avoid delaying the project and meet the deadline, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and stay up. In the end, I suffered an acute attack of gastritis and had to spend two days in the hospital receiving IV fluids. But when Angela stayed up late making a presentation, Ethan had specifically taken time off to keep her company. "Angela’s new to the industry and under a lot of pressure. We have to help her more." I watched him bustle around Angela’s desk, bringing her coffee and fixing her formatting, and he felt like a complete stranger. So he wasn’t incapable of staying up with someone. He just wasn’t willing to take a single day off for me. After finishing everything that needed to be handed over, I prepared to go home. It didn’t matter. I would give myself a vacation.Ethan didn’t call until the next afternoon. He immediately launched into a furious accusation. "Claire, the laws Angela cited in her report were wrong, and the client is complaining! Why didn’t you review it for her?" "I had no obligation to review it for her. You should find a professional legal consultant." My voice was cold. "What do you mean? It was only one forgotten anniversary. Why are you being so petty?" I was silent for a moment before saying, "It means nothing. Ethan, we’re breaking up." "I’m not your company’s employee. I have no obligation to take responsibility for any of this." But the person on the other end seemed not to have heard me. His voice was full of restrained anger. "Claire, stop being unreasonable!" "Angela remembered last night that you wanted to try this restaurant. When you didn’t show up, she even had your food packed up to bring home. And what did you do? You turned off your phone and ignored every message." I wasn’t sure whether he hadn’t heard me say we were breaking up or whether he had automatically treated my breakup as another part of my unreasonable behavior. I was about to repeat myself when he hung up. I gave a self-mocking laugh. It was my fault for loving Ethan so openly. Even he didn’t believe I would ever leave him. The next day, after delivering documents to the courthouse, I crossed the street and ran into two people. Ethan was carrying several large bags, while Angela walked beside him. The smiles on both their faces froze for a moment when they saw me. "Claire, don’t misunderstand. Mr. Hayes is just helping me carry my documents because he’s worried I can’t carry them all by myself." As Angela explained, she tried to come forward and take my hand. But Ethan pulled her away. "Why are you explaining anything to her? She’s the one who should apologize." Before Ethan dragged her away, I seemed to see Angela give me a provocative smile. As I watched them walk away, it felt as if a huge hole had opened in my heart. Ethan had never accompanied me to court. He always said the courthouse was too far away and too much trouble. "Why go through all that yourself? Just have the documents delivered." But now, he carried bag after bag for Angela without a single complaint. When we reached the parking lot, Ethan put everything in the trunk. Angela was already sitting in the passenger seat and rolled down the window to wave at me. Ethan let out a cold snort. "Angela is so considerate of you, and you still have the nerve to give her attitude." "You won’t even take responsibility for her when she needs help." I crossed my arms and replied coldly, "I’ll say this one more time. I’m not your company’s legal consultant. I have no obligation to handle this for you, and I’m not going to help you with it." "The documents you previously asked me to handle have already been notarized and mailed to your company. From now on, I won’t handle anything for you." Angela looked wronged and reached for her seat belt. "Claire, why are you saying things like that? Are you upset because I’m sitting in the passenger seat? I’ll get out right now." But Ethan stopped her first and gave a mocking laugh. "Don’t move. I spoiled her rotten. The moment you say anything, she throws a tantrum." "You can walk home yourself." The moment he finished speaking, the car started and sped away in front of me. When it came to me, Ethan never seemed to have any extra patience.Several days later, Ethan sent me an address again. "My mom invited you to dinner so we can discuss the wedding." I typed and deleted my response several times. After hesitating for a long time, I finally replied with a single word: "Okay." Even though I had decided to break up with him, I should still give his mother an explanation in person. After all, Ethan’s mother had treated me fairly well during our seven years together. When I entered the private dining room, Ethan’s mother had already arrived. I exchanged a few polite words with her. Only then did Ethan arrive late with Angela. "Mom, Angela is a colleague from my team." "This restaurant is close to the office, so I brought her along for dinner." Ethan’s mother cleared her throat, her expression turning unpleasant. Ethan acted as if he hadn’t noticed and picked up the menu to begin ordering. Everything he ordered was food Angela liked. Both he and Angela loved seafood, but I couldn’t eat it. Whenever the three of us ate seafood together, I could only sit to the side. Some seafood was difficult to handle, and Ethan would patiently prepare it for Angela every single time. But when I wanted some fruit and asked him to cut it for me, he would immediately frown. "Ethan, don’t order so much seafood—" His mother frowned and looked at me. Only then did Ethan seem to remember me. He casually said, "Then let’s get this mango smoothie. Claire likes sweet things." A wave of bitterness rose in my heart. Only after ordering everything else did he finally show me a little consideration, as if he were granting me a favor. "I’m allergic to mangoes," I suddenly said. Reminded by me, Ethan finally showed a hint of panic. He quickly flipped through the menu. "Oh, then we’ll change it. How about—" "Don’t bother." I stood up and cut him off. How ridiculous. Seven years had not been enough for him to learn what I liked. He seemed to have forgotten that I had once been hospitalized after accidentally eating mango. At the time, he had stayed by my bedside, held my hand, and promised that he would take care of me from then on. But he had forgotten all of it now. I looked apologetically at Ethan’s mother and said softly, "I’m sorry, Mrs. Hayes, but I’m not going to eat." "Ethan and I have broken up." After saying that, I turned and left the private dining room. Ethan didn’t follow me. It wasn’t until evening that Ethan finally arrived at my law firm. But he waited for a long time, and no one came out to greet him. Just as impatience began to appear on his face, one of the lawyers poked his head out. "Are you looking for Attorney Claire? She’s gone. She should already be out of the country."