Chapter 4 No.4

Amy Hayes POV:

Chloe stayed with me at my apartment that night.

She fussed over my bandaged hand, made me tea, and tried to distract me with mindless TV.

"He's a monster, Amy," she said, her voice tight with anger. "I always knew he was selfish, but this... this is something else."

She tried to make excuses for him, sort of. "Maybe he was just freaked out about Bella, he really cares about her, you know, in his own twisted way."

I looked at her.

The old Amy might have clung to that, a sliver of hope that he cared, even misguidedly.

But I wasn't the old Amy.

"Chloe," I said, my voice flat. "He didn't care that I was hurt. He didn't even look at me. He believed Bella instantly, without a single question."

The memory of his indifference was sharper than the pain in my hand.

"He chose her. He always chooses her."

I pulled out my phone and showed Chloe a photo I'd managed to snap at the farmers market before Ethan saw me.

It was Ethan and Bella, laughing together, looking very much like a couple.

"This is them, Chloe. This is his reality. And it's not mine. Not anymore."

Chloe looked at the photo, then at me.

The fight went out of her.

"You're right," she said softly. "You deserve so much better, Amy."

She hugged me carefully.

"I'm done with him, Chloe. And I'm done with anyone trying to make me feel like I should still care about him or his drama."

Chloe nodded. "Okay. I get it. No more Ethan talk from me. I promise. My loyalty is to you, always."

The next day, the doctor cleared me for light activity. My hand was still sore, but healing.

Chloe insisted on throwing a small "moving on" party for me that weekend.

"Just a few close friends," she said. "To celebrate your new chapter. And your escape from my idiot brother."

I hesitated, but she was so enthusiastic.

"Okay," I agreed. "But low-key. Very low-key."

The party was at Chloe's apartment.

It was small, as promised. A few of our mutual friends.

We were chatting, laughing, and for the first time in days, I felt a sense of lightness.

Then the doorbell rang.

Chloe opened it.

And there stood Ethan Cole.

And Isabella Rossi.

My stomach dropped.

Chloe looked horrified. "Ethan! What are you doing here?"

"We were in the neighborhood," Ethan said, his eyes finding me across the room. That same cold, assessing look.

Bella smiled sweetly. "Chloe, darling, you didn't tell us you were having a party."

Chloe looked at me, her expression a mix of apology and anger.

I took a deep breath.

"It's okay, Chloe," I murmured, trying to reassure her, and myself.

He means nothing to me. They mean nothing.

Ethan and Bella made their way into the small living room.

The atmosphere instantly chilled.

Ethan walked over to Bella, put his arm around her waist, and kissed her temple.

A public display. For my benefit, no doubt.

Bella leaned into him, her eyes flicking towards me with a triumphant glint.

They were a unit. A team.

And I was the outsider. The forgotten ex.

I watched them, and a strange thing happened.

I felt... nothing.

No jealousy. No pain. Just a distant observation.

The amnesia was truly a shield. This man, this woman, they were just actors in a play I no longer had a script for.

Later, someone suggested a game. Truth or Dare.

When it was my turn, I chose Truth.

"Amy," one of Chloe's friends asked, "what's the craziest thing you've ever done for love?"

I thought for a moment. I didn't have my own memories of crazy love.

But I had Chloe's stories. I had the heartbreak box.

"Well," I began, my voice calm, almost academic. "There was this guy. I was completely obsessed with him for years. Wrote him poems he never read. Baked him his favorite things, even though he rarely said thank you. Followed him around like a lost puppy."

I glanced at Ethan. His face was unreadable.

"I guess you could say I based my whole life around him for a while there. Pretty crazy, huh?" I finished with a small, detached laugh.

The room was quiet.

Ethan's jaw was tight.

He spoke, his voice harsh, cutting through the silence.

"Don't flatter yourself, Amy. There was never anything mutual. You were always the one chasing. I made it very clear I wasn't interested in that way."

His words were like a slap.

Even without the memories, the public humiliation stung.

Chloe gasped. "Ethan!"

Bella just smirked, looking pleased.

I met Ethan's cold gaze.

"You're right," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "It was all me. My mistake."

And for the first time, I think he saw that I actually meant it.

That the chase was truly over.

The party wound down quickly after that. The remaining guests made their excuses, murmuring goodbyes and slipping out the door. Chloe looked at me, her face still flushed with anger, her phone clutched in her hand.

"I'm calling my brother," she said. "He has to answer for this."

I placed my hand over hers. "Don't, Chloe. This is between him and me."

She hesitated, seeing something in my eyes that gave her pause. Finally, she nodded.

"Thank you for being angry for me," I said. "But from now on, I handle my own affairs."