Chapter 5

Ethan stared at me in shock, then let out his signature gentle chuckle.

"Silly girl, what are you talking about?"

"Have you been overthinking things because we've been apart for too long?"

Looking at him now, I finally realized what an incredible actor he was.

"Chloe is just my sister-in-law, Nora. I only care about her because of you. I don't have any feelings for her."

"Come on, stop being dramatic."

He reached out to ruffle my hair.

"I'm going to run to the 7-Eleven down the street to grab some food. I'll stay here and keep you company for a few days."

He turned and left the apartment.

Like a possessed woman, I opened Instagram and searched for the account that had streamed the proposal.

Their "epic love story" had already gone viral. I had been branded as the toxic, obsessed ex-girlfriend.

The comments were flooded with hate directed at me.

As I scrolled, one comment caught my eye:

"No need to waste your energy hating her. Karma got her. Word is that Nora Evans actually passed away last night."

My heart stopped.

I quickly replied with a burner account: "Do you have any details?"

The user replied almost instantly.

"Ethan hated her. After they put her in the psych ward, he refused to pay for her care or even visit. Her mental health deteriorated rapidly. My friend who works at the facility said she watched the proposal video, went to sleep, and never woke up. The nurses heard her crying and whispering about how unfair it all was before she passed."

Reading this, my breath hitched. Pure, icy terror gripped my throat.

I forced myself to take deep breaths to stop my hands from shaking.

Once I calmed down, I opened my airline app and rescheduled my flight to London for the very next morning.

I had to run. I had to rewrite this ending.

Just as I put my phone down, Ethan returned with a bag of snacks.

He sat down next to me on the couch, and I instinctively flinched away.

His eyes flashed with confusion, but he quickly opened a bag of chips.

"Here, Nora. These are your favorite. I bought a bunch and put them in the pantry."

"Don't be mad at me anymore, okay? I promise to spend more time with you from now on."

Right then, his phone vibrated.

He tried to turn away, but in the quiet room, I could clearly hear Chloe's sobbing voice from the speaker.

"Ethan... I'm so scared here by myself..."

Ethan stood up quickly and locked himself in the bathroom. Five minutes later, he came out with a helpless expression.

"Nora, I'm so sorry. My advisor just called. There's an emergency with my thesis, and I have to fly back immediately."

"I can't stay with you right now."

"But I promise, I'll make it up to you during the holidays."

In the past, I would have begged him to stay, tears streaming down my face.

But now, I simply nodded.

"Go ahead."

A flash of doubt crossed Ethan's face, but he brushed it off.

Before sunrise, he was ready to leave.

At the door, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Don't worry, Nora. I will marry you. I promise."

His eyes were slightly red. For a split second, I couldn't tell if he was acting or if there was a shred of sincerity left in him.

I just nodded to get him to leave.

Before boarding my flight, I checked Instagram again and found Ethan’s personal account.

Someone had left a comment on his post: "I heard Nora passed away."

His reply was a simple: "Thank you."

The plane took off, and I switched my phone to airplane mode.

When we finally landed in London, I nervously turned my phone back on.

I let out a massive sigh of relief.

The video, the account, the comments... they were all gone. The timeline had shifted.