Chapter 9

"Ethan, does cheating give you that kind of thrill?" The smile froze on Ethan's face. It went from red to pale in seconds. Anna stared at him like he was just some stranger, not the guy she'd dated for over a year. Yeah, watching him twist like this felt oddly satisfying. Was this kind of jerk even worth keeping? "Anna, what are you talking about? I seriously don't get it." Sweat started forming on Ethan's forehead, but he still tried to play dumb like nothing happened. Anna didn't bother pretending anymore. She pulled out her phone, quickly found the photo, and held it right up to his face. Clear as day. Two tangled bodies on a huge waterbed. No need for detective work—his features were all right there. The silence between them grew heavy, almost suffocating. Anna tilted her chin slightly, her voice calm and clear: "Ethan, I'm not gonna cry, not gonna make a scene, and I'm not asking for compensation. Let's just end it here—break up." Once the words left her mouth, she let out a soft sigh. Over a year together, and this was how it ended. It sucked, no lie. But in Ethan's eyes, that reaction just made him panic more. His face turned grim. While Anna wasn't paying attention, he suddenly grabbed her phone and slammed it to the ground. "Bang!" Her sleek white phone shattered into pieces so tiny you'd never guess what it used to be. "My phone!" Anna yelled, her heart aching. She rushed over, squatted down, and checked the broken pieces. No way it could be fixed. Fuming, she spun around and glared at him. "Ethan, are you seriously insane? Why the hell would you smash my phone?!" "I'll pay for it, no big deal. But breaking up? Not happening," Ethan shot back without even blinking. Anna let out a scornful laugh and stood up. "Fine. That phone? I bought it years ago for just over four hundred bucks. We've been through things, me and that phone. Plus, you know, inflation's a bitch... So let's be generous—friend discount. Call it four grand." Since he's so eager to pay for it, she wasn't the type to make a fuss—might as well give him that chance. Ethan clearly didn't take her sky-high price tag seriously, just chuckled like nothing happened. With a grin that looked almost fond, he said, "Glad you figured it out. Don't throw a fit or talk about breaking up again. Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you." Figured what out? Did she ever say she wasn't breaking up? Anna stared at him like he was speaking another language. Seriously? She had shown him the photo. Could she be any clearer? "Ethan, I'm dead serious about the breakup today. If you have even a bit of spine, make this quick. Don't make me look down on you." "Oh, and just wire the money to my account. No need for me to keep looking at your face." She finished with a mutter, eyeing his twisted expression like it was something gross. "You're breaking up with me just because I slept with someone else?" he asked, stepping right up to her. His annoyingly attractive face carried a fake hint of frustration. "Anna, come on, I'm a guy. We've been dating all this time and you wouldn't even let me do more than hold your hand. I had to let off steam somewhere. If you weren't so uptight, would I have gone with someone else?" "Argh!" That last word barely got out before it turned into a pained howl that echoed across the campus. Anna casually shifted her foot, lifting her little leather shoe off his freshly polished ones, flashing a fake sweet smile. "Oops, sorry! Slipped." "...!" Ethan's handsome face twisted as if he bit into a lemon. He gritted his teeth to keep up appearances, sucking in air through the pain. "What's up with your mouth?" he asked suddenly. Anna, still part in disbelief she ever dated such a top-tier scumbag, was also savoring the small victory. But his random comment snapped her back. "Huh?" Her mouth? Was there something wrong with it? She touched her lips, feeling nothing off. Probably just Ethan grasping at straws to change the subject. And just like that, her disgust for him deepened—it wasn't worth wasting one more second with him.