Ava turned her phone camera toward Ethan.

Ethan and Sylvia were in the center of the dance floor, locked in a deep, passionate kiss. His eyes were closed, completely lost in the moment.

It hit me then—yesterday, when we slept together, we didn’t even kiss. In the heat of the moment, I had leaned in to kiss him, only for him to pull back.

"Sorry, I’m just not into kissing. It’s gross. Saliva makes me feel sick," he had said.

Like an idiot, I had believed him, yet here he was, making out with Sylvia in front of everyone without any hesitation or second thoughts.

So, it wasn’t that he didn’t like kissing. He just didn’t like kissing me.

Watching them on the phone, I felt a thousand tiny needles stab my heart, each one sharper than the last, until I could barely breathe.

Just this afternoon, Ethan had casually told Lucas he wanted to go after Sylvia, and now, just a few hours later, they were already a couple.

Classic Ethan. He always gets what he wants, no matter who he has to crush along the way.

As the dance officially started, Ethan naturally invited Sylvia for the first dance. They spun together in the center of the floor, the spotlight on them, while the onlookers around them were mesmerized by their perfect moment.

Everyone admired the scene.

Everyone except me.

As the song ended, Ethan rested his forehead against Sylvia’s, their lips barely an inch apart.

The crowd erupted into cheers, and the two leaned in for another kiss, oblivious to the world around them.

I cried until my eyes burned and my tears ran dry.

Ava’s voice cut through my misery. "Cynthia, I know this hurts. I’m only showing you this to snap you out of it. Stop following Ethan around. He’s not worth your love. You deserve a life of your own."

My throat felt raw, my voice nothing more than a whisper. "I know."

I had been so foolish, letting myself be blinded by Ethan’s fake affection for so many years, falling in love with someone who never truly cared about me.

Ava’s voice sharpened. "He’s a total jerk. He’s known how you felt all this time, soaking up your attention, keeping you on the hook like a backup plan. Look at him. The moment someone new comes along, he drops you without a second thought."

I forced a bitter smile. Everyone else had seen it clearly, while I had been trapped in my own delusion that Ethan might actually love me back.

"Don’t worry, Ava. I won’t follow him around anymore. I won’t waste another minute making myself smaller for his sake. I’ve already made up my mind. I’m withdrawing my application to Caltech and applying to MIT instead."

Before I could talk myself out of it, I opened my laptop, withdrew my Caltech application, and submitted my MIT application.

Ava beamed, clearly relieved. She had always thought applying to Caltech was a waste of my potential.

However, with his average grades, Ethan could only get into Caltech. He had once told me he didn’t want to be apart from me, that he hoped I’d choose the same school as him.

I had taken that as a sign, clinging to the idea that being with him was worth the sacrifice.

Looking back, it was clear that Ethan never wanted to be with me. He just didn’t want to lose his loyal follower, but now that he had Sylvia, I had no reason to stick to the same path.

If I still chose to follow Ethan after everything I had seen tonight, I would never be able to respect myself again.

All I wanted now was to get as far away from him as possible.

To never see him again.

I would no longer follow Ethan.

I would follow my own dreams.

I hung up the phone, turning down Ava’s offer to come over and keep me company.

Sadly, the memories from last night kept replaying in my mind.

The way his strong arms held me close, his warm breath against my skin, and the sweet, whispered promises that made the bed frame rattle all night.

I shook my head sharply, trying to push the thoughts away. I curled up on my bed, hugging my knees to my chest.

My mind kept flipping between the Ethan who used to be so kind to me when we were kids and the cold, careless Ethan from today.

I only managed to fall into a fitful sleep as dawn broke. Ethan hadn’t sent a single message all night.

Once, when I got drunk and disappeared for a few hours, Ethan had nearly lost his mind trying to reach me.

After that, he insisted we say goodnight every evening, just so he knew I was safe. It had become our habit, a small, comforting ritual.

It was funny how even habits built over years could be shattered in a single night. Maybe this was for the best. We were bound to drift apart eventually.

For a moment, I considered confronting him, even if it meant ruining my own reputation. However, my family’s business still relied on his father’s influence. I couldn’t afford to be reckless.

No, the best I could do was quietly pull away, bit by bit, until we became nothing more than distant memories to each other.

The next morning, I felt myself being pulled into a warm, firm embrace. I jolted awake, my heart racing.

The first thing I saw was the familiar curve of a defined jawline, the hint of stubble against smooth skin.

It was Ethan.

I had forgotten that he knew the passcode to my house and that no one, not even my parents or the housekeeper, Mrs. Triton, would stop him from coming in.

Noticing I was awake, Ethan chuckled softly, leaning in to blow gently into my ear.

I yelped, pushing him away and scrambling to the far side of the bed.

He followed, wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"What’s wrong? Don’t want me anymore?" he teased, his lips brushing my neck. "After the way you were moaning last night, don’t tell me you’re not up for another round."

I clamped my mouth shut, refusing to respond, and my entire body tensed against his touch.

Ethan sighed, pretending to be annoyed. "You didn’t even say goodnight to me last night. Do you know how worried that makes me? I’ll let it slide this time, but you still need to make it up to me. I think you should use that pretty little mouth of yours and—"

I shoved him off with all the strength I had, my heart pounding with a confusing mix of anger and betrayal.

Ethan’s expression darkened, clearly irritated. "What’s with the attitude? Is this about me not taking you to prom? About not being your date?"

I stayed silent, refusing to meet his gaze. Ethan smirked, assuming he had figured it out.

"Let me guess, Ava told you, right? You’re mad because I took Sylvia to the dance? Seriously? She didn’t have a date, and I was just helping her out. What’s there to be jealous about?"

Every word he said only made my blood boil, but I bit my tongue, unwilling to let him see how much he had hurt me. I threw off the covers and got out of bed, making my way downstairs without a word.

The house felt strangely empty with just Mrs. Triton moving quietly in the kitchen.

A moment later, Ethan followed me down, his face darkening as he realized I was still ignoring him. Normally, a cold shoulder from me would have set off a full-on silent war between us, but now, with Sylvia in the picture, he seemed more willing to tolerate my mood.

"Fine, fine. If you don’t want to talk, at least have some breakfast." He shoved a plate of maple pancakes toward me. "You always said you loved the ones my chef makes."

I pushed the plate away, reaching for the simple bowl of cereal Mrs. Triton had set out for me instead.

Ethan’s jaw tightened, his forced smile freezing on his face.

"What’s your problem?" he snapped, his voice sharp.

I let out a long, tired sigh. "I’m not upset. Why don’t you go hang out with Sylvia?"

Ethan scoffed, slamming the pancake plate onto the table, the sound of shattering porcelain echoing through the kitchen.

"So, this really is about Sylvia, huh?" he spat. "You think you have a right to act all hurt? Just because we slept together once, you think that gives you a say in my life?"

The shattered pieces scattered across the tile floor, and I flinched at the sound, my whole body trembling. Hot tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them.

Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting my sudden breakdown.

"Hey, hey. Don’t cry," he muttered, reaching out awkwardly. "Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to—"

However, before he could finish, his phone buzzed on the counter. He glanced at the screen, and his expression instantly hardened. Without another word, he straightened, clearly more interested in his phone than my tears.

"I have something important to take care of," he said, grabbing his jacket. "Just... calm down. Not everything is about you, alright?"

With that, he walked out, leaving me alone in the echoing silence of the empty kitchen.

Not long after Ethan left, Sylvia updated her Twitter.

"Mentioned pancakes in passing, and they showed up the next morning. Thanks for making it so easy to brag about you."

Attached was a picture of maple pancakes, exactly like the ones on my breakfast table. Ethan’s chef never used to make pancakes, but Ethan had him learn because I loved them. He had once promised me that his special maple pancakes were just for me.

I turned off my phone quietly, wiping away the tears that had welled up again.

Mrs. Triton was still struggling to clean up the damaged pancake pieces Ethan had angrily thrown to the floor. The sticky syrup had seeped into the rug, leaving a stubborn, dark stain.

"Just toss it out," I said, my voice flat.

Even that rug was a gift from Ethan. In fact, I went around the house, gathering every single thing he had ever given me, boxing them up to be thrown out. After all, every gift felt as carelessly thrown my way as those pancakes that morning.

Ethan didn’t reach out for days after that. Every other time we’d fought, it was always me who broke the silence first, but not this time.

I blocked him on Twitter and on my phone.

I changed the security code for the house and instructed Mrs. Triton not to let him in, no matter what.

Just as I finished packing, Ava called, inviting me to get away for a while.

I phoned my parents, who were on a business trip, and told them I was planning to head to the Arctic to see the Northern Lights. I figured if I stayed with Ava until the end of summer, I could go straight to college without ever crossing paths with Ethan again.

As I pulled my suitcase toward the front door, I ran into Ethan’s mom, Mrs. Luciano, at the entrance to the villa. She’d always been kind to me, completely unaware of the fallout between me and her son.

"Oh, are you going on a trip?" she said, eyeing my suitcase. "Where’s Ethan? Isn’t he coming to pick you up? He told me he was taking you to Switzerland for a summer trip, and I fully support it. You two should travel while you’re young."

I forced a polite smile, even as confusion stirred in my mind. Ethan had once promised to take me to Switzerland, but he’d always complained it was too far and too much hassle. He never actually agreed to go. Furthermore, given our current situation, how could he possibly plan a trip with me now?

I brushed it off, thinking it was just a misunderstanding, and continued to the airport.

However, as I approached the departure gates, I saw them: Ethan and Sylvia.

He was there, holding her bag with a casual, protective ease.

On a particularly exhausting day, I had once asked Ethan to carry my bag for me. He had flatly refused, saying I should handle my own stuff. He had even mocked my bag, saying it didn’t match his "tough guy" image.

So, it turned out those little things weren’t a bother at all when it came to someone you truly cared about.

I took a deep breath, trying to clear my mind of him.

Ava had arrived early and was waiting for me at the gate. I kept my distance, following Ethan and Sylvia from afar, not wanting to draw his attention.

Ethan seemed distracted, constantly checking his phone as if he was trying to call someone, but never quite succeeding. Sylvia spoke to him a few times, but he seemed too lost in his thoughts to even hear her.

Finally, I reached my gate and broke away from their path.

Just as I met up with Ava, my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

I hesitated but answered it.

"Cynthia," Ethan’s voice came through, thick with barely contained anger. "Fine, ignore me for a few days, but what the hell is with blocking me? What’s with the attitude? You’ve got some nerve. Just try and keep me blocked. Let’s see who you run to for help when you’re alone at college."

His voice was rising, the tone I knew all too well. They were the warning signs of an incoming blow-up.

Nevertheless, I didn’t say a word. There was no way I was going to tell him that I had secretly changed my college plans.

"I’m boarding now. Just take me off your block list," he snapped. "I’m going abroad for a few days, so don’t expect to hear from me."

I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to curse him out, and simply hung up.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ethan in the distance, his face twisted with frustration, gripping the phone like he was about to hurl it at the floor.

I grabbed Ava’s hand and kept walking toward the gate, never looking back.