The Moment I Let Go, I Found Love

Ethan’s expression froze, and his face turned pale in an instant.

“Ava, listen to me explain…”

Before he could get the words out, his phone rang.

Lately, someone had been calling him at this exact time every day.

Thinking about it now, it probably had nothing to do with work.

Without even lifting my head, I said, “Put it on speaker.”

The ringtone went on for a full half minute.

Finally, he swiped to answer and turned on speakerphone.

“Ethan, I made roast chicken today. When are you coming over?”

Ethan broke out in a cold sweat, and even his lips were trembling slightly.

In the end, he said hoarsely, “I’m not coming.”

Then he hung up in a panic.

That woman was Ethan’s exgirlfriend of ten years, Chloe Bennett.

I couldn’t help letting out a scoff.

“After all this going in circles, it’s still her.”

I picked up the car keys on the table and walked toward the door on my own.

“Come on. Let’s go have roast chicken.”

After a twentyminute drive, we finally arrived downstairs at what was supposed to be our marital home.

The house had only been renovated last month.

I was someone who cared about rituals and timing.

I had even planned to move into the new house only after Ethan and I got our marriage license.

The bed in the new house had been specially custommade by someone I found, and it cost over sixty thousand dollars.

I had never even lain on it once, yet another woman had slept in it first.

A sick feeling spread through my chest.

I really wanted to throw up.

“Ava… Chloe just got laid off, and then her landlord scammed her out of money. She really had nowhere to go, so she came crying to me. We were all old classmates… I only let her stay here temporarily…”

During the few minutes we waited for the elevator, he kept explaining to me.

But I couldn’t be bothered to listen.

The moment the door opened, even though I had already mentally prepared myself, my heart still hurt.

I had been too busy with work lately, and Ethan had said the newly renovated house had formaldehyde and was bad for my health.

So I had never come to check on the new house at all.

When I looked at it again, I no longer recognized my own home.

The sofa was covered with a pink slipcover.

Yellow and white roses and baby’s breath were arranged on the table.

The kitchen was fully stocked with cookware.

Beef soup was still stewing in the pot, bubbling and steaming.

It felt as if a giant hand had clenched around my throat.

I could barely breathe.

“Woof, woof… woof!”

A little Pomeranian suddenly ran out of the bedroom.

Chloe followed behind it.

The woman and the dog looked more like the owners of this home than I did.

I was so furious I almost laughed.

Chloe twisted her fingers awkwardly.

“Ava, I really had no other choice. Once I find a place, I’ll move out.”

Before I could explode, Ethan exploded first.

“Chloe Bennett, I’ve already done more than enough for you.”

“I’ll give you two more days at most! If you still can’t find a job, go back to your hometown and stop disturbing my life!”

He strode into the living room, grabbed the sofa cover and all the flowers on the table, and threw them straight into the trash.

“This is Ava’s and my home. I let you stay because I pitied you, so don’t push your luck!”

Chloe burst into tears because of his words.

She picked up the little dog, looking completely helpless.

“Ethan… please don’t be so harsh, okay?”

“Don’t call me Ethan. Do you think you deserve to?”

Ethan seemed extremely angry.

Anyone who didn’t know better would think Chloe had moved in without his permission.

He pointed at the roast chicken and beef soup on the dining table and said, “I didn’t want to eat any of this in the first place! You insisted on making it!”

The next second, he actually flipped the table over.

Chloe flinched as the hot oily soup splashed onto her.

Blisters immediately rose on her wrist.

Tears streamed down her face silently.

She looked at Ethan mournfully and asked, “Do you really not want to eat the food I made?”

“Or are you just afraid of Ava and saying the opposite of what you really mean?”

“Every time you came over, you were starving. Ava made things hard for you and wouldn’t even let you eat your fill. You insisted on torturing yourself, and I felt sorry for you, yet you bully me like this…”

She cried even harder.

“Back then, Ryan and I really had nothing going on. We were just drunk. I loved you so much, so how could I have betrayed you?”

“Shut up!”

A flash of intense pain crossed Ethan’s face.

Oh, right, I had almost forgotten that they hadn’t broken up because their feelings faded.

They had broken up because Ethan believed Chloe had cheated on him.

Ethan and Chloe had gotten together in high school.

They were each other’s first love.

From high school to their PhD years, their relationship lasted a full ten years.

It was so long that the other person had already grown into their flesh and blood.

If Ethan hadn’t caught Chloe and his best friend Ryan Cole lying in the same bed, the two of them might have already been married by now.

After the breakup, Ethan took a year to recover from the darkness.

He was my father’s favorite student.

With my father’s matchmaking, the two of us officially started dating.

After Chloe found out about it, she even attempted suicide.

She posted online, condemning me as the other woman in their relationship.

All of their mutual friends treated me like an intruder in their circle.

They refused to accept me, and some were even hostile toward me.

It was Ethan who had always stood firmly on my side.

I thought that at least there was no problem with our relationship.

But I never expected that after so much time had passed, he and Chloe were still entangled.

If a mutual friend hadn’t sent me the social media posts he had hidden from me, I would still be kept in the dark.

My heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly, twisted until it hurt.

Chloe’s choking sobs pulled me back to reality again.

Looking at the mess in front of me, I didn’t want to stay there for even one more minute.

I turned and left directly.

“Ava!”

Ethan chased after me and left with me.

When he left, he still didn’t forget to toss Chloe a few bandages so she could treat the burns on her wrist.

It looked heartless, but it was actually awkward concern.

“Ava, Ava… slow down and listen to me explain.”

“I really never meant to let her move into our marital home, but she’s insane. If I ignore her, she screams that she’s going to die…”

“She was already this extreme back in school. She was hurt by her original family. Her dad was abusive, and her mom ran off with someone else… She wasn’t born lucky like you, and she doesn’t have anyone backing her up. She’s kind of pitiful.”

I almost laughed from anger again.

“So it’s my fault that I was born lucky?”

Ethan scratched his hair in frustration.

“No, that’s not what I meant… I’ll handle this immediately, I swear. Please forgive me.”

His eyes were red with anxiety, as if he might cry in the next second.

Just then, his phone began vibrating nonstop again.

One call came after another.

Ethan hung up every single one.

He answered the last one and roared into the phone, “Chloe Bennett, you lunatic! Stop calling me!”

Then, as if proving his loyalty, he blocked Chloe.

“Ava, you’re the only one I love… Really, don’t leave me, okay?”

I admit that in that moment, my heart softened.

We had been together for three years, and it would be a lie to say there were no feelings.

Besides, our families were well matched, and marrying him was my best option.

I said nothing.

Silently, I drove back to the old apartment.

Until that night, Ethan was especially attentive toward me.

“Ava, from now on, I’ll fix my attitude and draw a clear line with that lunatic… Before the wedding, I’ll definitely lose weight and get back to a healthy weight!”

“If I ever go to her again, may I die a horrible death!”

He made his promises with absolute conviction.

But when I woke up in the middle of the night, I found that he was gone.

When I called him, he said something had come up at the company and he had to work overtime at the last minute.

But I clearly heard the faint sound of a woman crying on the other end of the phone.

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of my mouth.

He really did take me for a fool.

I hung up and sent him two words: break up.

The call came back immediately, one after another.

The messages followed one after another.

[Ava, answer the phone! Are you trying to make me lose my mind?]

[Baby, please don’t do this, okay?]

[I’m begging you, answer the phone…]

But even by dawn, he still had not come home.

I packed my luggage and left the love nest where we had lived together for three years.

Today happened to be my father’s birthday.

I didn’t want him to worry, so I forced down my sadness and acted as if nothing had happened.

Most of the guests had already arrived.

Before the banquet began, Ethan actually showed up with a gift.

When he saw my father, he kept calling him “Dad” with a sweet tongue.

I didn’t want to fall out with him in front of everyone, so I could only suppress my disgust and act along with him.

Halfway through, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and showed off our affection in front of relatives and friends.

He leaned close to my ear and said in a voice only the two of us could hear, “Ava, don’t be mad.”

“I promise this is the last time. I’ve already made that lunatic Chloe leave our house.”

He was seriously making promises to me, completely unaware that the lunatic he was talking about had actually found her way here.

Chloe’s eyes were red, and her whole body looked like it might collapse at any moment.

When she called Ethan’s name, her throat was so hoarse it sounded like she was holding a blade in it.

Ethan froze.

His body stiffened, and his helplessness was mixed with collapse.

“Why are you here? Chloe Bennett, are you trying to ruin me?”

“You and I broke up a long time ago. If you keep pestering me, I’m calling the police!”

“Get out right now!”

He pulled me behind him and warned Chloe with a cold face.

Chloe cried until she was convulsing, already in a hysterical state.

She grabbed Ethan’s sleeve tightly. “No! I’m going to keep pestering you. You won’t be able to get rid of me for the rest of your life!”

“I’ve already figured it out. I still love you. I can’t live without you. The thought of you marrying another woman makes my heart hurt so badly I could die.”

“You can call me cheap, or shameless, or whatever you want, but I won’t let go!”

Ethan’s face turned red, then white.

As for me, I wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the floor and crawl inside.

All around us were friends and relatives who had come to attend my father’s birthday party.

Noisy whispers poured into my ears.

In that instant, I only felt dizzy and unsteady, as if my head were heavy and my feet were light.

Using my last shred of reason, I said to Ethan, “If you two want to make a scene, go outside. Ethan Parker, take this crazy woman and get out of my house.”

Chloe gave two cold laughs.

“Ava Mitchell, don’t act like you’re above all this. Who do you think drove me crazy?”

“Ethan and I were together for ten years. If it weren’t for you, we’d already be married by now!”

“Do you really think he loves you? He only took a fancy to your family background!”

“If you were like me and lived in the mud, would he even give you a second look?”

“Chloe Bennett! Shut the hell up!”

Ethan panicked so badly his hands trembled, and he clamped down hard on Chloe’s arm before dragging her out of my house.

Looking at the backs of the two of them as they left, I could no longer hold it in and turned to run into the bathroom.

I threw up until the world spun.

The feelings of these three years were like a rotten piece of flesh growing on my body.

If I wanted to cut it out, it was bound to hurt.

Only after I had thrown up everything in my stomach did I stagger out of the bathroom.

That was when I discovered that all the relatives and friends attending the birthday party had already left.

Only my parents were waiting at the door.

I could no longer hold it in and cried until my heart felt torn apart.

“Dad, Mom, I don’t want to marry him anymore.”

Mom held me in her arms and gently squeezed the back of my neck to comfort me, just like she did when I was little.

“Okay. Then don’t marry him.”

“Sweetheart, your father and I only want you to be happy.”

I cried so hard I could barely breathe, my head throbbed dully, and even breathing felt exhausting.

The next second, I actually fainted.

My fever reached 104 degrees.

When I was sent to the hospital, my whole body was burning like a ball of fire.

It felt as if I had a long, endless dream.

When I woke again, it was already nighttime.

My parents had gone out to buy me food.

I was the only one left in the hospital room.

Finally, I could properly catch my breath.

But the door was suddenly pushed open.

I nearly broke down.

It was Ethan again.

“Ava, I couldn’t reach you, so I had to contact your parents. They said you were hospitalized. I was really worried…”

I smiled bleakly. “We’ve already broken up. I don’t need your concern. Leave.”

He shook his head desperately.

Like a child who had done something wrong, he halfknelt beside my hospital bed.

“Ava, I won’t break up with you.”

His voice trembled, and he gripped my hand tightly, refusing to let go.

It was as if he was truly terrified of losing me.

I looked at him calmly and said, “If you stay with me, what happens to Chloe?”

Like a madman, he slammed his fist into the wall.

“I broke up with her a long time ago. Even if she dies, it has nothing to do with me!”

I clearly caught the way his gaze dodged as he spoke.

His stubborn attempt to say the opposite of what he meant was honestly laughable.

“Fine. Then call Chloe over, and we’ll make things clear.”

I knew Ethan didn’t want to break up with me, but he also wanted to keep entangling himself with Chloe.

Then I would call Chloe over and let everyone end this properly.

I would leave, and they could rot together.

After hesitating, Ethan still called Chloe.

After hanging up, he promised me with absolute confidence, “Ava, don’t worry. When she gets here, I’ll make her give up in front of you.”

He gently wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

His body still carried the woody perfume scent that belonged to Chloe.

I only found it ironic.

Ten minutes later, Chloe arrived.

She stumbled into the hospital room and, without saying a word, threw herself into Ethan’s arms.

“Ethan, I was already standing by the river just now. If you hadn’t called me, I would have jumped by now.”

Ethan’s eyes nearly split with rage, and he gripped her shoulders hard.

“Can you fucking stop making a scene? Do you want to die that badly?”

His tone was full of helplessness, and also heartache.

Chloe bit her lip tightly, and tears the size of beans kept falling.

“What do you think? You’re about to marry someone else. What’s the point of me staying alive?”

“I can swear that Ryan and I really had no affair. I’ve lived thirty years, and you’re the only man I’ve ever had!”

Ethan let out two bitter laughs and glared at Chloe viciously.

“Who the fuck are you trying to fool? When I pulled back the blanket, neither of you had clothes on! Ryan was my best friend, and you were the woman I loved most! The two of you teamed up to cheat on me! Do you fucking know how badly I wanted to die back then?”

Chloe was already sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

“I know. I know you hate me. Even dating Ava was your way of getting revenge on me.”

“Do you still remember? The first time you two slept together, you sent me a photo of the two of you in bed. You asked me if it hurt… It did hurt, but I hate even more that you’re marrying a woman you don’t love just to get revenge on me!”

Chloe swayed unsteadily, and her bloodshot eyes turned toward me.

She staggered to my bedside and said through sobs, “Ava, we’re the ones who wronged you.”

“The two of us tortured each other, and we dragged you in as collateral damage.”

With trembling hands, she took out her phone and handed it to me.

“Look. The first time you held hands, the first time you kissed, the first time you slept together, he messaged me every time.”

“He only found another woman to get revenge on me…”

It felt as if a huge hole had been dug out of my heart.

Those countless messages were like countless needles, stabbing me until I was riddled with wounds.

[I kissed her. It felt much better than kissing you.]

[She’s more obedient than you. She does whatever I want in bed, unlike you, always so delicate and crying pain the moment I use a little strength.]

[We’re getting married, you little lunatic. Stay far away from now on. Don’t let me see you again, and don’t make my heart hurt again.]

Chloe tugged on my sleeve. “Do you see it now? He never loved you.”

“So, Ava, I’m begging you, be generous and let him go… Do you really want to be my substitute for the rest of your life?”

She pleaded bitterly with me, as if I were the third party in this relationship.

…A substitute?

The pain in my chest reached its peak.

I didn’t want to see this pair of “starcrossed lovers” for even one more second.

I got up to leave, but Chloe grabbed my arm tightly.

“Ava, I’m begging you. Let us go. Stop clinging to Ethan…”

I could no longer bear it and pushed her away.

“Stay away from me!”

I clearly hadn’t used much force, yet she fell backward, clutching her waist with both hands as tears streamed down her face from the pain.

“My waist…”

“Chloe!”

Before I could react, a violent pain suddenly came from my back.

My whole body lost balance, and someone slammed me hard onto the floor.

My head hit the sharp corner of the table, and blood flowed from the back of my head into my collar, staining my hospital gown red.

I covered the wound and struggled to turn back, only to meet Ethan’s fierce gaze.

“Ava, you can do whatever you want to me because I owe you, but can you not touch her?”

After saying that, he gently helped Chloe up, then picked her up in his arms and walked out.

Even after he left the hospital room, he never looked back at me once.

Trembling from the pain, I staggered and crawled to the bedside, then called the police first.

Then I called Ethan’s PhD advisor, my father.

“Hello… Dad, I was beaten by Ethan Parker and his mistress.”