My Fiancé Left Me in the Rain for His Ex

On a miserably rainy day, while waiting for my boyfriend to pick me up, I scrolled past the fifty-first video of a relationship influencer trying to win her ex back.

The caption read: It's pouring today. If you don't come, I won't leave.

The attached picture showed a girl in a drenched white dress.

I clicked on her profile. Her bio read:

"The account name is your birthday. Every time I need you, I will post a video. If I post fifty-two videos and we still haven't gotten back together, I'll agree to the blind dates my parents set up, and forget you forever."

Seeing the digits that matched my boyfriend's birthday, I thought it was just a crazy coincidence.

I clicked on the comment section, ready to type: "Don't ruin your own health just to beg for a man's pity."

But right then, a message from my boyfriend popped up on Snapchat.

Ethan: Caught up in emergency overtime. Can't pick you up. Find a way home yourself.

Disappointed, I replied with a quick "Okay." When I went back to the influencer's profile, the page had already refreshed.

Video #52: I always knew you never forgot me. Thank God I waited.

Everyone, he came to get me. We are back together. This account will never be updated again.

And in the attached photo, the ragged cloth the man was using to wipe her wet shoes was the hand-crafted leather keychain I had spent days making for him.

The comments section was flooded with "true love wins" and "so happy for you guys." Each word felt like a needle stabbing into my eyes.

The photo of their locked fingers made my heart stop.

The faint scar on the back of that broad hand was from last night. Ethan had burned himself while cooking oatmeal for me. He had hidden it because he didn't want me to worry.

A wave of sheer absurdity washed over me. Before my brain could process it, my fingers instinctively dialed his number.

Ethan's voice was gentle as always.

"Did you get an Uber, Chloe? Share your live location with me."

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Not yet. What are you doing right now?"

He paused for a second.

"Working overtime at the office."

Just as the words left his mouth, a woman's soft voice whispered in the background.

"Do you want to take a shower? Your clothes are soaking wet."

At that moment, it felt like an invisible hand squeezed my heart.

"What are you doing, Ethan?"

He rushed to explain.

"A pipe burst at the office. Don't overthink it. Go home, okay?"

The line went dead.

I waited in the rain for an hour before finally getting an Uber home.

When Ethan got back, it was already 1:00 AM.

"Why are you still up? Didn't I tell you not to wait for me? Remember, you said you wanted to be the most beautiful bride. No staying up late."

He carried a faint scent of gardenia. It was a perfume I never used.

Looking at his genuinely concerned face, I couldn't believe this was the same man.

I didn't answer. I just stared at him.

"Where is the keychain I made for you?"

He stiffened slightly.

"The rain was too heavy. The leather strap got soaked and ruined. I sent it to a leather repair shop. I'll get it back in a couple of days."

To prove it, he showed me a screenshot of his chat with a local repair shop owner.

That keychain was something I made after running through dozens of stores to find the perfect leather strip when he got into a car accident two years ago. Even when the ring got loose before, he never let anyone else touch it. He always fixed it himself.

I took a deep breath, telling myself it might just be a coincidence.

After all, he had told me his breakup with his ex was toxic and messy. He said they would never speak again in this lifetime.

"You still remember we're trying on wedding dresses tomorrow, right?"

He stroked my hair.

"Of course."

But the next day, halfway to the bridal shop, his phone rang.

I didn't hear what the person on the other end said, but his expression instantly turned tense.

He hung up and looked at me seriously.

"A colleague has an emergency and needs my help. Go ahead and look at the dresses first. I'll join you later."

I grabbed his arm instinctively.

"But it's impossible to get an Uber here. What's so urgent that you have to leave right now?"

He frowned, looking annoyed.

"I really have to go, Chloe. Stop throwing a tantrum."

He practically pushed me out of the car. It was the first time he had ever abandoned me like this.

In the past, no matter how urgent work was, he would always make sure I was settled before leaving.

Watching his car speed away, I opened my phone.

The Instagram account had just updated.

Amber: My parents kept setting me up with men, but thank God he showed up.

The screenshot of the call log she attached showed a phone number. The last four digits were identical to Ethan's.

My chest throbbed with agonizing pain.

After what felt like an eternity, the manager of the bridal shop called.

"Hi, Chloe. Your appointment time has passed. Are you still coming in today?"

My throat felt blocked by a heavy stone.

I choked out, "No, we're not."

She hesitated. "In that case, we need you to come by and sign the cancellation form."

I took a cab to the bridal shop. But before I could walk in, I spotted a familiar figure through the glass window of a caf across the street.

Ethan was sitting next to Amber. Opposite them sat a couple of middle-aged people.

They were laughing and chatting, looking incredibly intimate.

I had seen that girl in his old cloud drive photos. She was his ex, Amber.

The anxiety that had kept me awake all night finally settled. It was all true.

I opened our chat. My hands shook violently as I typed and deleted a dozen messages. Words couldn't even describe the void in my chest.

Finally, I snapped a photo of them through the window and sent it to him.

Ethan checked his phone, and his head snapped up instantly. His eyes locked with mine.

He whispered something to the table, rushed out of the caf, and ran toward me. His face was a mask of panic.

"Chloe, it's not what you think! Her parents are forcing her to marry someone else, and I was just helping her out as a friend. You"

Before he could finish, a middle-aged woman rushed out of the caf, grabbed my hair, and yanked it hard.

"So you're the homewrecker trying to steal my daughter's fianc? I knew you looked like trouble!"

I screamed in pain, trying to pull away.

"Get off me! I'm his actual girlfriend!"

I looked at Ethan, who was frowning and trying to pull the woman off me.

The next second, Amber ran over with tear-filled eyes and clutched Ethan's sleeve tightly.

"I know you're his ex, Chloe! Even if you guys only broke up a few days ago, you're still his ex! You trying to ruin our relationship makes you a disgusting side chick!"

With that one sentence, the onlookers around us began to whisper, casting dirty looks at me.

My eyes welled with tears as I looked at Ethan.

"Ethan... did we break up?"

He looked at me in pure panic.

Before he could speak, the older woman, Brenda, slapped me hard across the face.

"You shameless bitch! Still trying to seduce him right in front of us? I'll teach you a lesson!"

My cheek burned with sharp pain. No one in the crowd stepped in to help. My attempts to explain were drowned out by another slap.

Ethan finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Brenda, stop! Please. You know I only have Amber in my heart. Let's not waste our energy on irrelevant people. Come on, let's go eat."

My heart stopped for a second.

Brenda was pulled back. Before she left, she glared at me and spat on the ground.

"You cheap trash! If I ever see you near Ethan again, I'll ruin your face!"

I collapsed onto the pavement, watching their retreating backs.

Ethan turned around to look at me once. A fleeting look of pity crossed his eyes.

Nobody helped me. I dragged myself up by leaning against the cold brick wall.

As I reached the street corner, my phone buzzed with a message from Ethan.

Ethan: Go to the urgent care and get cleaned up first. I'll explain when I get home. Amber has severe depression and can't handle any stress. Her mom was just being protective. Don't take it personally.

The man who once couldn't bear to see me get a paper cut, the man who would have called the police or fought back if anyone dared to touch me, was now telling me to "don't take it personally."

At this moment, I finally understood how much his ex actually meant to him.

My lips trembled as I typed back:

Chloe: We are done. Break up.

After sending the message, I went to the ER. The doctor diagnosed me with a mild concussion.

When I finally dragged myself back to our apartment with the medical report, I found my suitcases and boxes thrown outside the door.

I tried to scan my fingerprint, but the lock was disabled. The passcode had been changed too.

Just as I was about to bang on the door, it swung open.

Ethan stood there, frowning. He lowered his voice, looking incredibly annoyed.

"Amber's parents insisted on seeing where we live. I had to bring them here. You'll have to find a hotel for a few days."

"I packed your stuff. I transferred some money to your PayPal."

Before I could speak, Brenda's loud voice echoed from inside.

"Ethan? Who's at the door this late?"

Ethan hastily pushed me away, his face instantly turning cold and indifferent.

"No one. Just the garbage collector asking for plastic bottles."

With that, he slammed the door shut in my face.

The thunderous bang shook the stack of my luggage, and a framed photo sitting on top slid off.

With a sharp shatter, the glass broke. It was our picturethe one Ethan used to keep proudly on the top shelf of the bookcase.

A shard of glass grazed my cheek, leaving a thin, bleeding cut.

Our smiling faces in the photo were now split in half.

As I knelt down to pick up the broken glass, the door opened again.

A plastic bag full of empty soda cans was thrown at my feet.

Amber's sweet, mocking voice drifted down.

"Don't come knocking on our door again. Stop bothering decent families."

I froze.

But this was my home. This was the apartment we bought together for our upcoming wedding.

I was the one whose life had just been shattered.

But I didn't have the strength to fight back.

The man who promised he would always shield me, who promised to always keep the porch light on so I'd never feel lost, had personally kicked me out.

As I dragged my heavy suitcase out of the apartment complex, my phone buzzed. It was a text from my mother.

Mom: Chloe, if you really love him that much and can't live without him, your father and I won't stop you anymore. We looked at the calendar, and next month is a great time. You guys can go register your marriage then.

Tears finally spilled over, blurring my vision.

For years, my parents had opposed our relationship because they didn't want me to move across the country.

I had spent years praying for them to give us their blessing. I never expected that when they finally did, it would be the exact moment I chose to let go.

I looked back at the lit window of the apartment.

The shadows of their "happy family" were reflected on the curtains.

I wiped my tears and typed a short reply.

Chloe: No need, Mom. We broke up.

My mother called immediately. Fearing she would worry, I made up a quick excuse and hurriedly hung up.

On Monday morning, the moment I walked into the office, everyone stared at me with weird, judging eyes.

I was completely confused until my boss, Mr. Vance, called me into his office.

On his desk lay a letter and his phone.

The phone screen was playing the viral TikTok video of me being beaten and called a homewrecker in front of the caf. It had already been shared hundreds of thousands of times.

"Mr. Vance, it's not like that! This is a huge misunderstanding!"

He didn't say anything. He just pointed to the envelope on his desk.

I opened it. Ethan's familiar handwriting felt like a blade slicing through my chest.

I never could have imagined that the man who had written me hundreds of love letters would personally write an anonymous complaint to HR, accusing me of "moral turpitude" and "damaging the company's reputation by homewrecking."

Mr. Vance sighed.

"Chloe, I know you moved all the way here to marry your fianc. I actually felt bad for you, and I was planning to give you a promotion and a raise this week. But look at this mess. Pack your things and leave. HR will wire your severance."

My fingers felt numb, and the letter slipped from my hand onto the floor.

I called Ethan with shaking hands.

He declined my calls repeatedly.

Finally, he sent a text message.

Ethan: They forced me to write that HR complaint. Just wait a little longer, okay? Once I'm done playing along with her family, I promise I'll explain everything. Just go back to your parents' place to avoid the drama for now.

I shut off my phone and blocked his number.

When I checked into a hotel, I was shocked to find my parents waiting in the lobby. They had heard about the breakup and rushed over, terrified that I was hurt.

I didn't want them to worry, so I lied and said it was just a mutual decision.

All I wanted now was to pack up and leave this city forever.

But just as we were about to check out, Amber and Brenda burst into the lobby, filming us with their phones.

"Look, everyone! This is the homewrecker! She's using my future son-in-law's money to hide out in a fancy hotel! I'm telling you, they're getting married soon. Return his money right now, or I'll make your life living hell!"

My father immediately stepped in front of me, shielding me.

"What are you talking about? Who is your son-in-law? What does he have to do with my daughter?"

Amber sobbed, her eyes red.

"Sir, you seem like a good father. How could you raise a daughter who sleeps with other women's fiancs?"

My father's face turned pale with anger.

"That's a lie! My daughter was with her boyfriend for five years, and they are already broken up! Stop harassing us and put that phone away! You are violating our privacy!"

With that, he pushed Amber's phone away.

She lost her balance and tumbled to the floor.

Brenda's eyes went wide.

"Assault! They're assaulting us! Look at how violent these people are! Like father, like daughter! They support homewrecking and beat up innocent people! There is no justice!"

Just then, a figure broke through the gathering crowd and rushed over.