He’d Marry Me Only If His Friends Gave Me a Perfect Score, So I Quit the Game Chapter 06
Ethan started ringing me constantly.
Whenever I blocked one number, he used another.
I never answered.
Eventually, the calls stopped.
After that, he only sent the occasional short email to my university address.
I never replied to those either.
A few days later, I went back to the hospital for a follow–up appointment.
It was pouring outside.
When I walked out, I saw Ethan standing at the bottom of the steps.
He had an umbrella in his hand, but he hadn’t opened it.
He was soaked through.
The moment he saw me, he came straight over.
“I brought you an umbrella.”
I shifted my bag and showed him the folded one inside.
“I’m fine.”
It was a habit I’d picked up years ago.
Whenever it rained, everyone naturally squeezed under the same umbrella with Claire.
I was always the one left without anyone to share one with.
After it happened often enough, I learned to carry my own.
Ethan’s expression stiffened.
He held out a wooden box.
“This is for you.”
Inside was a newly made silver chain, with the two rings fixed onto it exactly as they had been
before.
had somcone recreate it from the photos. Have a look. See if it’s close.”
I studied it carefully.
It really did look almost identical. Even the little details matched.
But I still pushed the box back towards him.
“Thanks, but I can’t take it.”
Ethan caught my wrist, then let go almost at once, clearly afraid of hurting me.
“I know you’ve put up with far too much. Just give me one more chance. I swear, I won’t let anyone
lay a hand on you again.”
I looked at him and laughed, though there was nothing funny about it.
“Are you here because you still want me to drop the complaint?”
Ethan stared at me.
“No. This isn’t about them. Not the umbrella, and not the necklace.”
I stopped listening after that.
It didn’t matter anymore.
The police completed their investigation using the security footage, witness statements, and physical evidence.
The people involved in snatching my necklace, shoving me, and chasing me faced consequences from both the police and the school.
The school also took disciplinary action against the students involved.
Some players were suspended from games. Others lost their positions in student organisations.
Claire, who had been the first to suggest they “have a look” at my necklace, was suspended as cheerleading captain and required to attend a disciplinary hearing.
She also had to cover the related costs and submit a formal written apology.
The once tight–knit group fell apart almost immediately.
They started blaming one another.
Some blamed Claire.
Some blamed the person who had first grabbed my
necklace.
More of them blamed me for “refusing to let it go.”
Outside the police station, someone muttered under their breath,
“Do you have to ruin everyone before you’re satisfied?”
For the first time, Ethan stepped in front of me.
“Enough.”
He turned and tried to cover my ears.
“Don’t listen to them. Nothing they say now matters.”
I pulled his hands away.
“I can hear them. And I can handle it.”
I’d heard far worse before.
Words like that didn’t get to me the way they used to.
Later, whenever it rained or the weather turned cold, my shoulder would still ache.
Every so often, I would still dream about that staircase.
I’d wake with a start and have to sit there for a long time before my heartbeat finally slowed.
The sadness didn’t disappear just because I’d left Ethan.
But it no longer got to decide how I lived my life.
