Loading promotion info...
Five Years, One Lie, and a Hat That Wasn't Mine
Novelix
Completed
For five years, I believed I was the one Ethan chose. Then on our anniversary trip, he gave my sun hat to my sister Anna and walked her through a wedding rehearsal in a glass chapel. I watched from the shadows as he slid a ring onto her finger and told her he was finally making up for what he owed her ten years ago. He thought I'd cry. Instead, I sold my share of our house, canceled the wedding, transferred to Frankfurt, and blocked him everywhere. Now Anna is in prison. He's bankrupt and begging in the snow. And I'm the one who got away.
Chapters (3)
第1章
To celebrate our fifth anniversary, my fiancé, Ethan Carter, planned a weekend at Lake Tahoe for the six of us.
Before we set out, he gently lifted the sun hat from my head.
"The trail ahead is completely exposed, and your skin is already acting up. Why don't you wait for us at the café?"
My sister slipped an arm through mine. "He's only worried about you, Claire. We'll take the photographer with us now, then come back and get some gorgeous shots of you later."
It was nearly sunset when the photographer sent a link to the edited previews.
In one photo, my sister stood beneath a stand of golden aspens by the lake, wearing a white dress identical to mine. My fiancé held her tenderly in his arms.
Our friends crowded around them, laughing and waving signs printed with an inside joke Ethan and Anna had shared when they first dated ten years ago.
Then someone accidentally posted a voice message in the group chat.
"Ethan and Anna still look perfect together. Getting rid of the little tagalong even made the air feel better."
Ethan replied, "Watch what you say. I'll bring her a bubble tea later. That'll smooth things over."
The wind chimes outside the café whipped in the wind, each bright note landing like a slap.
So all their considerate little lies had only been a polite way of throwing me out.
...
The café's glass door swung open, and the bell above it gave a dull clang.
Ethan strode inside carrying an oolong bubble tea. He stopped in front of me and pressed the cup against my cheek with the easy affection he had perfected over the years.
"You must've been bored waiting. The wind picked up, and Anna got a headache after two pictures, so we wrapped early."
Anna came in behind him holding the sun hat that had belonged to me. A vivid brick-red lipstick stain marked the edge of the brim.
The others filed in after her. Their laughter died the moment they saw me.
An awkward silence settled over the room, the kind people created when they were all pretending nothing had happened.
I looked into Ethan's eyes. They were calm and open, as if the cruel voice message and the photograph of him embracing my sister did not exist.
I lowered my gaze and recorded the chat, saving the audio, the photos, and his message about buying me off with bubble tea. Then I moved everything into a hidden album labeled Exit Plan.
"Why aren't you drinking it?" Ethan pulled out the chair beside me, pushed in the straw, and held the cup to my lips. "Oolong with no ice, just how you like it. I walked two blocks out of my way for this."
I glanced at the bottom of the clear cup. A layer of golden mango popping pearls had settled there.
Three years earlier, a delivery driver had brought me the wrong drink, one made with mango. Ethan had driven across town after midnight to find allergy medication for me.
Now he had forgotten that mango could send me into anaphylaxis.
"There's mango in it," I said.
He blinked, looked down, and frowned. "The barista must've messed up." He moved the cup away, irritation creeping into his voice. "It's barely any fruit syrup. Can't you just take out the pearls? We're on vacation. Do you have to make this into a whole thing?"
Zach Miller gave an uncomfortable laugh. "Come on, Claire. Ethan stood in line forever for that. Don't be so high-maintenance."
Anna chose that moment to place the stained hat on the table in front of me.
"Don't blame Ethan. He was so busy looking after me that he probably didn't notice." She smiled sweetly and reached for my arm. "Here's your hat. The sun was awful, and Ethan insisted I wear it because I burn so easily."
I moved out of reach and stared at the hat.
Ethan had brought it home from a business trip to Italy the month before. He had said the weave reminded him of me, strong but soft.
Now it was just another offering he had laid at another woman's feet.
"It's dirty," I said.
Anna froze. "What?"
"The hat is dirty." I pointed to the lipstick. "I don't want something after somebody else has claimed it."
Ethan's expression darkened. He snatched up the hat and tossed it onto an empty chair.
"Are you done, Claire?" His lowered voice carried a warning. "Anna is your sister. She wore your hat for an hour. Was it really worth embarrassing her in front of everyone?"
"Am I humiliating her, or are all of you treating me like an idiot?"
Something flickered in his eyes. He knew I had seen the photo, but his guilt quickly hardened into indignation.
"The photographer asked us to pose that way. Everyone else was just messing around."
He reached behind my neck and rubbed it with just enough pressure to remind me that he expected obedience.
"Let it go. When we get back to the hotel, I'll order you a new one. Okay?"
Looking at the face I had loved for five years, I suddenly felt sick.
"Okay." I lowered my eyes to hide the ice in them.
Satisfied, Ethan released me and turned to pull out Anna's chair.
I opened the airline app on my phone and quietly studied the ticket I had booked to Frankfurt.
第2章
Night had fallen by the time we returned to the rental house.
A grill glowed red in the courtyard. Everyone sat around a long table opening beers, their laughter loud enough to erase the afternoon's unpleasantness.
I rolled my suitcase toward the stairs. As I passed the living room, I saw Anna sitting on the couch touching up her makeup. My rejected hat sat perfectly straight on her head.
"This really does suit me," she said, admiring herself in the mirror. She looked over at Ethan as he came in drying his hands. "Don't you think?"
His gaze lingered on her face. A smile touched his mouth.
"It does. Since Claire thinks it's too dirty to keep, you might as well have it. She owns plenty of hats."
I stopped on the landing and tightened my grip on the suitcase handle.
That hat had been my anniversary gift. One careless sentence from him had turned it into a favor he could bestow on my sister.
I said nothing and continued upstairs.
In the dark bedroom, I sat on the edge of the bed and called our wedding planner.
"Claire, your hair and makeup trial is booked for next month. Did you need to change the appointment?"
"Cancel it."
She paused. "Cancel? Ethan called yesterday to confirm the floral arrangements."
"Cancel everything," I repeated. "Keep the deposit and stop all further work. If he asks, tell him I terminated the contract on my own."
After hanging up, I messaged our realtor a copy of the deed to the house Ethan and I had bought together.
Get me a valuation. I want to sell my ownership interest as soon as possible.
The bedroom door opened. Hallway light spilled in as Ethan entered carrying a plate of grilled wings. He nudged the door shut with his foot, set the plate on the nightstand, and sat beside me.
"Still angry?" He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and softened his voice. "I only said that downstairs because I wasn't going to embarrass your sister in front of everyone. She just went through a breakup. You know she's having a hard time. Of course I'm going to look out for her a little."
Three years ago, in this very house, he had thrown out a friend for making a joke at my expense.
Now I was the one expected to protect someone else's dignity.
I pushed his arm away. "Does looking out for her include holding her like your girlfriend for pictures?"
Ethan sighed and pulled a navy velvet jewelry box from his pocket. He pressed it into my hand.
"Stop being jealous. I bought this especially for our anniversary."
Inside lay a red carnelian Van Cleef necklace.
I did not take it out.
Downstairs, I had clearly seen an identical necklace around Anna's neck. The only difference was that the clasp on hers had been engraved with the letter A.
Mine had no engraving at all.
He thought an expensive gift could make up for anything. He did not care whether it had been chosen for me or whether it meant anything at all.
"Why don't you put it on?" he urged, reaching into the box.
"I don't like red." I pushed it back at him.
His hand stopped. His face went cold.
"How long are you going to keep this up? I planned a surprise for you, and you insist on acting like some tragic victim. Who is this performance for?"
Zach shouted from downstairs. "Ethan! Anna wants the scallops you made. Get down here!"
Ethan drew a deep breath and slammed the jewelry box onto the table.
"Stay here and think about your behavior. If you're going to keep acting like this, don't bother coming with us tomorrow."
He left and slammed the door.
Darkness swallowed the room again.
I picked up the box and dropped it, necklace and all, into the trash.
My phone lit up with a text from my mother.
Anna finally got a chance to get away and clear her head. Please keep your temper under control and stop putting Ethan in the middle. If she hadn't gotten sick back then, the two of them would probably still be together.
I stared until my eyes burned.
Everyone thought I should step aside. Everyone wanted to remind me that I had only ever been the consolation prize.
I locked my phone, took every piece of clothing out of my suitcase, and folded it again with steady hands.
第3章
That evening's bonfire was held on the beach.
Firelight painted every face red. I sat on Ethan's right, while Anna sat on his left.
Ethan had placed my hat on the damp stone beneath Anna, saying a woman should not sit somewhere cold.
I looked at the crushed brim and felt nothing.
Eventually someone suggested Truth or Dare. Zach spun an empty beer bottle, and it stopped with the neck pointing directly at Ethan.
"Truth or dare?"
"Truth." Ethan took a relaxed sip of beer.
Zach glanced at Anna, then drew out the question for effect. "What is your single greatest regret in life?"
The group fell silent. Only the snapping firewood remained.
Ethan's grip tightened around his bottle. He did not look at me. He turned to Anna and held her gaze.
"Not making it to Iceland ten years ago."
His quiet answer pierced every pretty lie we had told ourselves over the last five years.
Ethan and Anna had planned to see the northern lights in Iceland after high school graduation. Then Anna decided he was too poor and left the country with a rich boyfriend instead. Ethan had waited at the airport for an entire day and night.
He had told me the story once, but then he had said he was glad the trip never happened because otherwise he might never have met me.
Now it was the greatest regret of his life.
Anna lowered her head, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
"I'm sorry. If I hadn't gotten sick back then, maybe everything would have been different."
The lie was seamless. Pain crossed Ethan's face. He reached out and gently patted her back.
"It's in the past," he said hoarsely.
Their friends sighed in perfect sympathy. Someone murmured, "They never stood a chance."
I sat among them like an intruder.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was an email from Human Resources.
Claire, your transfer to our Frankfurt office has received final approval. Please complete your handoff no later than the twenty-fifth.
Three days away.
I locked the screen and stood.
Ethan finally noticed. "Where are you going?"
"I'm tired. I'm cutting the trip short and leaving tomorrow." My voice was as calm as if I were discussing the weather.
His brows drew together. He rose, grabbed my wrist, and lowered his voice.
"Do you have to ruin the night when everyone is having fun? It was a game. Why do you make everything so serious?"
"A game?" I looked at his hand around my wrist. "Is that really what this is to you?"
"What else would it be?" He flung my hand away. "Can you stop being so sensitive? Whatever Anna and I had ended years ago. You're the woman I'm marrying. Do you need me to apologize in front of everyone before you'll be satisfied?"
Anna stood as well, tears still clinging to her lashes. "Don't blame Ethan, Claire. If my presence bothers you, I'll leave tomorrow. I don't want to come between you."
"Why should Anna leave?" Zach cut in. "Ethan planned this whole trip for her... for all of us. Why should she go just because somebody else is insecure?"
Ethan did not correct him. He only looked at me with cold disappointment.
"If you want to go, go alone. I won't drive you to the airport. When you calm down and stop being unreasonable, we'll talk."
He turned away, sat beside Anna again, and clinked his bottle against hers.
Firelight danced across his profile. I barely recognized him.
I did not argue. I simply walked into the dark.
