Dumped at a Rest Stop, I Ruined My Cheating Ex's Life

I had waited a whole year for this road trip. It took forever for Ethan to finally clear his schedule to go with me.

I started prepping a week in advance. I bought cute outfits, stocked up on snacks, and downloaded a bunch of movies on my iPad so we wouldn't get bored on the road.

The day before the trip, I spent eighty bucks to fill up the gas tank, packed all our luggage into the trunk, and went to bed with a huge smile on my face, excited for the next morning.

The drive from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe takes about three hours. To make sure neither of us got too tired, Ethan and I agreed to split the driving halfandhalf, with a quick break at a rest stop.

But I never expected that a fiveminute bathroom break would end with my car completely disappearing.

I walked around the rest stop three times. No sign of Ethan. I started to panic, thinking he might have accidentally driven off and forgotten me. I quickly called his phone.

It took four or five tries before he finally picked up. His voice sounded annoyed. "What is it? Don't you know I'm driving?"

My temper flared. "You know you're driving, but do you know where I am?"

Hearing my tone, his annoyance softened slightly. "Chloe, look, Lily has a fever. It’s 104 degrees. I had to rush back to take her to the ER."

Lily was his childhood best friend. Every time we argued about her, Ethan would always say, “If anything were ever going to happen between us, it would’ve happened years ago. Why would I even be with you?”

I let out a cold laugh. "Lily has a fever? Is she paralyzed? Why can't she call an Uber? Or 911? Does she not have other friends or coworkers? Why does she need my boyfriend to drive three hours back to play doctor?"

Ethan’s tone turned accusatory. "Chloe, why are you so heartless? A 104degree fever can cause seizures! She’s all alone in the city. Of course I had to go back!"

"Oh, really? So you didn’t even bother to tell me? You just stole my car and drove off? Did you even consider how I'm supposed to get back?"

"Chloe, babe, be reasonable. The rest stop isn't that far from the city. You can just call an Uber or something. Figure it out."

Before I could scream at him, he cut me off. "Be good, okay? I need to focus on the road. Bye." He hung up.

I stood there clutching my phone, my hair blowing wildly in the chilly autumn wind. We were supposed to go enjoy the warm sunshine, but his precious bestie had ruined everything.

A year of waiting. A week of excitement. All gone in a second.

I hadn't even touched the snacks I bought.

The angrier I got, the clearer my head became. I tapped three digits into my keypad. "Hi, I'd like to report a stolen vehicle. The license plate is..."

The highway patrol doesn't mess around. Less than five minutes after I hung up, Ethan called me back.

The moment I pressed answer, his furious voice blasted through the speaker. "Chloe, are you out of your mind?! Reporting me for grand theft auto?! Do you have a brain? I'm driving on the freeway! You could have gotten me pulled over and arrested!"

"I told you! Lily is sick! I had to get her to the hospital! What are you throwing a tantrum for?!"

Wow. He actually had the nerve to blame me.

I was the one who looked forward to this trip, only to be abandoned at a rest stop without a word, told to "figure it out."

"Ethan, I never realized how incredibly shameless you are until today."

"Lily has a fever, so you steal my car to drive her, leaving me stranded?"

"You told me to figure it out, right? Well, this is my way of figuring it out. I'm giving you exactly thirty minutes to drive my car back here. Otherwise, enjoy spending the night in a jail cell." I slammed the phone down.

Just to be safe, I also called 911 and reported a medical emergency at Lily's apartment, telling them a woman was suffering from a lifethreatening fever.

I didn't want them blaming me for "delaying her medical care" when I forced Ethan to turn around.

Terrified of the police, Ethan actually drove back.

The car pulled up in front of me, and the passenger side window rolled down.

Ethan’s face was dark. "Get in. Lily is still waiting. We need to get back right now."

It was honestly hilarious. Where did he get the audacity to think I would go with him to rescue his damsel in distress?

If she was sick, she should go to the hospital. If she couldn't move, she should call an ambulance. Spending her life relying on someone else's boyfriend was pathetic.

I walked over to the driver's side, yanked the door open, and unbuckled his seatbelt. Before he could react, I dragged him out of the driver's seat.

"Chloe! What the hell are you doing?! Are you crazy?!" Ethan screamed as he stumbled onto the asphalt.

I didn't waste a breath on him. I hopped into the driver's seat and locked the doors.

He began slamming his fists against the window, yelling a stream of profanities.

I rolled the window down just an inch, looking at his pathetic, raging face. "The city isn't that far, Ethan. You can just call an Uber. Figure it out. Be good!"

"Oh, and by the way, I called an ambulance for Lily. Don't worry, she won't die."

"Also, we are done. We're broken up. Go live happily ever after with your precious Lily. Don't ever call me again."

I stepped on the gas and left him in a cloud of dust.

To say I wasn't hurt would be a lie. Ethan and I had been together for three years. You don't just erase three years of feelings overnight.

We met when I was an intern. He was already a fulltime employee, a year senior to me.

Back then, I was young and easily intimidated. When our manager, Marcus, told me to join them for a client dinner, I didn't know how to say no.

The dinner table was filled with sleazy corporate men. They drank heavily and cracked crude, offensive jokes without a care in the world.

One of the clients, Mr. Vance, got drunk and started putting his hands on me. He laughed, saying if I was there to entertain him, I should drink with him. If I did, he’d sign the contract.

His hand slid onto my shoulder. I looked at Marcus, pleading with my eyes, but he just smiled. "Mr. Vance likes you, Chloe. Just have a drink. Keep him happy, and we'll get plenty of deals in the future."

I wanted to run, but I was terrified. I needed this internship certificate to graduate. I choked down the tears and took the drink.

That only made Mr. Vance bolder. His hand started sliding down toward the hem of my skirt.

Suddenly, Ethan stood up. He walked over with a glass in his hand, pulled me behind him, and blocked Mr. Vance’s path.

"Mr. Vance, she’s just a kid. She can’t drink. Let me drink with you tonight. I promise I’ll keep you company!"

The client looked annoyed, but with so many eyes on him, he couldn't make a scene. He just let out a cold laugh and started downing shots with Ethan.

Because of that night, I fell hard for Ethan. When he asked me out shortly after, I said yes immediately.

Tears blurred my vision on the drive back, and I almost lost control of the wheel a couple of times.

I forced myself to pull over. I couldn't lose my life over a trash man.

When I finally made it back to Lake Tahoe, I checked into a hotel room and cried my eyes out into the pillows.

When I was done crying, I sat up and gave myself a pep talk. "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Chloe, and most of them are better than a bottomfeeder like him. I don't need a man to survive."

I had never traveled alone before, so I decided to make the most of it.

I followed my itinerary, visited the trendy cafes, took photos by the lake, and even asked some friendly tourists to take pictures of me.

It took me just five days to go from a shy girl who was afraid to ask for directions to someone who could chat easily with strangers.

My phone was filled with beautiful photos of me smiling. I realized that traveling alone was actually amazing.

When the trip ended, I drove back home. Exhausted, I reached my apartment door, only to find my smart lock passcode didn't work.

I tried entering it several times, but the red light kept flashing: Incorrect Passcode.

I was so confused. It’s a huge pain to get locked out. Just as I was about to call a locksmith, I heard footsteps inside.

The door opened. Lily stood there, wearing my favorite silk pajamas, her messy hair draped over her shoulders.

She smiled sweetly. "Oh, Chloe, you're back! I'm so sorry, I couldn't remember the passcode you set, so I changed it. I'll send you the new one in a bit."

Excuse me? She changed the passcode to my apartment?

I was too exhausted to argue. I dragged my suitcase past her, heading straight for my master bedroom.

But when I opened the door, the sight made me freeze.

Two massive suitcases were sitting by my bed, overflowing with my clothes. My bedding had been replaced with a cheap Hello Kitty set, and the framed photo of me on my nightstand was replaced with a photo of Lily.

As I stood there in shock, Lily walked up behind me with a meek, apologetic look. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. Ethan said this room gets the best sunlight, which is good for my recovery, so he let me move in."

She quickly added, "But don't worry, I'm the only one sleeping here! Ethan is sleeping in the guest room. Nothing happened between us, I swear!"

I looked at her, smiled, and quietly pulled out my phone to call Ethan.

He picked up almost instantly, his voice dripping with arrogance. "What's up, Chloe? Finally realized you were wrong? It's been five days. You must have cooled down by now."

"Just give me a proper apology, and I'll forgive you. We're together, after all. I'm not going to hold a grudge forever just because you dumped me at a rest stop."

I literally laughed out loud. The audacity of this man.

"Ethan, did your brain stop working? We broke up."

"Not only did you not pack your trash and get out of my apartment, but you actually let Lily move in? If shamelessness were an Olympic sport, you’d win gold."

"I am giving you twentyfour hours to pack all your crap and get the hell out. If I see either of you here tomorrow, I am calling the cops for trespassing."

Ethan snapped. His voice escalated into a yell. "Chloe Miller, that is enough! I already let it go, and you're still throwing a fit?!"

"I only let Lily stay here to recover! We are sleeping in separate rooms! Nothing is going on! Do you have to turn every little thing into a massive drama?!"

"Are you capable of doing anything besides calling the cops? Let me tell you, I do not agree to a breakup. Lily is still sick, and we are not moving out!"

Ethan slammed the phone down. I turned to look at Lily, who was watching me with a smug look, though she quickly masked it with tears.

"Chloe, Ethan and I really didn't do anything. Please don't fight because of me..."

"You heard what I told him," I cut her off. "Ethan and I are done. Since he brought you here, I won't kick you out in the middle of the night. But you both have twentyfour hours. Tomorrow, if your things are still here, don't blame me for what happens next."

I grabbed my suitcase and walked out. Out of sight, out of mind.

I stayed at a hotel that night. The next morning, as soon as I got to the office, my work bestie, Hailey, dragged me into the breakroom. "Hey! Weren't you supposed to be on a romantic road trip with Ethan? Why was he back at work early? And I saw your Instagram stories—he wasn't in any of them!"

I sighed and took a sip of my coffee. "We broke up."

"What?! Broke up?!" Hailey’s jaw dropped. She had witnessed our entire relationship.

I nodded, not wanting to get into the messy details.

She touched her chin thoughtfully. "Well, they do say a road trip is the ultimate test of a relationship. Note to self: always go on a road trip before getting serious with someone."

During lunch, Ethan walked over to my desk with a Starbucks cup, a practiced smile on his face. "Chloe, still mad at me?"

I looked at him, then at the coffee. "Take it away."

"Chloe, please—"

"I said, take it."

I looked him dead in the eye. "Ethan, I told you, we are broken up. The moment you drove off and left me at that highway rest stop, we were over. If you have any dignity left, pack your things and get out of my apartment."

Ethan's smile vanished. He grabbed the coffee cup and sneered, "Fine, Chloe. Have it your way. Just you wait."

When I went back to my apartment after work, I was surprised to find that the passcode had been changed back to my original one.

I walked in. The place had been cleaned, and all of Ethan and Lily’s belongings were gone.

At least they had enough brain cells to leave voluntarily. Saved me the trouble of calling the police.

I slumped on the couch for a bit to recharge, then went to inspect my master bedroom. Everything was back in its place. I walked over to the guest room to make sure Ethan hadn't left anything behind—I didn't want him using "forgotten keys" as an excuse to come back.

I pulled back the comforter on the guest bed. As I did, the pillow shifted slightly, revealing the corner of a familiar bright pink plastic wrapper.

I reached out and picked it up. A cold, cynical laugh escaped my throat.

An empty condom wrapper.

And they claimed they slept in separate rooms? "Clean and innocent," my ass. They didn't even bother to hide the evidence of their little "extracurricular activities."

Thank god I broke up with him, or my head would be practically glowing green with how hard he was cheating on me.