2025-03-10 14:05:13Ethan stood awkwardly by the wall, Henry's sarcastic voice cutting through the room.
"Hey, Ethan, you forgot to shine my shoes again."
The laughter around the table erupted, but Henry didn’t even glance his way.
“How am I supposed to enjoy my birthday if you can’t even do the basics?”
Ethan forced a smile, though it felt tight and uncomfortable. "Sorry, Henry. I didn’t realize."
Helen, his mother-in-law, chimed in, sipping her wine with a superior smirk.
"Honestly, Ethan, how Sophia puts up with you is beyond me. You’ve been in this family for two years, and still, you can’t manage to do anything right."
Max seized the moment, not missing the chance to take his usual shot at Ethan.
"She must be a saint. I mean, being married to someone who can’t even hold down a decent job? No offense, Ethan, but what is it you do again? Oh, that’s right… nothing."
Heat crept up Ethan's face, and his hands clenched at his sides. No matter how hard he tried, he always felt like the outsider, the one who wasn’t good enough for Sophia or her family.
"I manage… different projects,” he mumbled.
Max rolled his eyes. "Different projects? Sounds like a fancy way of saying unemployed."
Laughter once again filled the room. Ethan shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flicking toward Sophia, who was silently slipping out of the room.
Helen leaned forward, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "It’s just such a pity. Sophia could’ve had anyone, you know. She’s beautiful, smart… successful. But instead, she chose you. You're lucky, Ethan, really lucky. Not every woman would settle."
"I know," he said quietly, swallowing the bitterness rising in his throat.
"Do you?" Max shot back. "Because from where I’m sitting, it doesn’t seem like you do. You're just taking up space."
Ethan's fists balled under the table, but he forced himself to stay calm. There was no point in arguing with them. It was always the same, nothing he did would ever be enough.
He was just the burden, the man who wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place.
Henry raised his glass lazily, barely acknowledging Ethan.
"To my son-in-law, who does his best to fit in, even though we all know he never will."
The laughter grew louder, filling the room. Ethan tried to keep his face neutral, but it was getting harder.
After a while, Helen's sharp, condescending voice cut through the noise again.
"Oh, Ethan, why don’t you go check on Sophia? She’s probably tired of hiding from all of this. It might be nice for her to have a husband who actually looks after her, don’t you think?"
The laughter followed him as he stood up, grateful for an excuse to leave. His heart pounded in his chest, but not from anger he was exhausted. Tired of trying, tired of hoping they would see him differently. He headed down the hall, searching for Sophia, desperate for anything to remind him why he was putting up with all of this.
He passed by several empty rooms before hearing something from down the hall a voice, familiar, laughing. Sophia's voice. His stomach twisted as he quickened his pace, following the sound until he reached a half-open door at the end of the corridor.
Ethan froze.
Sophia was there, leaning into someone Brian, one of Max’s rich friends. Brian's hand gripped her waist, and their lips were locked together in a passionate kiss, the sight tearing Ethan's heart apart.
"Sophia?" His voice cracked.
They pulled apart, turning toward him. Sophia's eyes widened for a moment, but then her expression hardened. She didn’t look guilty or ashamed, just... annoyed.
"Ethan," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Ethan's chest tightened as he stepped into the room. "What are you doing? With him?"
Brian smirked, straightening his jacket like nothing had happened. "Relax, man. You're making this a bigger deal than it is."
"Are you serious right now?" Blood rushed to Ethan's head. "You're kissing my wife, and you're telling me to relax?"
Sophia folded her arms, her eyes cold.
"Oh, don’t act all surprised, Ethan. What did you expect? You thought I was happy? Stuck with a failure like you?"
"A failure?" The word stung, deepening the ache inside. "I thought..."
"That's the problem," she interrupted, stepping closer, her eyes narrowing.
"You thought. You thought I actually cared. I married you because you were easy to control. A spineless man who does whatever he’s told. I never loved you, Ethan. Never."
The room spun around Ethan. His chest felt heavy, like someone had punched him in the gut. "You… you never loved me?"
She scoffed, shaking her head. "How could I? You're nothing. A man with no ambition, no drive. You can't even make it through a birthday party without embarrassing yourself. I was going to send the divorce papers anyway."
Brian stepped forward, his smirk turning into a sneer. "You should leave, man, before this gets ugly."
"Ugly?" Ethan’s fists clenched, his body shaking with rage. "You think you can just..."
Brian cut him off, stepping closer. "Yeah, I do. You want me to make you leave?"
Ethan stared at him, his pulse racing. For a moment, he considered hitting him, but what would it solve? They weren’t worth it.
Sophia crossed her arms again, her expression smug.
"You're pathetic, Ethan. You can’t even stand up for yourself. No wonder my family can’t stand you."
His heart shattered beyond repair, but there was no anger left, only a deep, numbing emptiness. "I loved you," he whispered. "I thought we had something real."
Sophia laughed cruelly. "You thought wrong."
He looked at her one last time, shaking his head. "You're not the person I thought you were."
Without waiting for a response, Ethan turned and walked out. Her laughter followed him down the hall, but he didn’t look back.
As he descended the stairs, the sound of the party grew louder. Helen spotted him first.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry, Ethan? Did you finally realize you're out of place here?"
Henry's booming voice followed from across the room.
"You better not be leaving, Ethan. It’s my birthday. You still haven't done your part."
Ethan kept walking, heading for the door. But Max blocked his path before he could make it out, grabbing his arm roughly and yanking him back.
"Are you stupid or something? Where do you think you’re going?"
Ethan stared at him, his jaw clenched. "Let go of me, Max."
Max scoffed, refusing to release him. "You don’t get to leave yet. You need to help clear the tables. You know, pull your weight for once."
Ethan pulled his arm free, his voice low. "I’m done."
Max blinked, momentarily taken aback, then his expression twisted into a sneer.
"What did you say?"
"I said, I'm done." Ethan shouted, pushed Max aside, turned away and headed straight for the door, ignoring the shouts behind him, the insults thrown like daggers.
"Yeah, keep walking, you useless idiot!" Max called out in embrassment.
"You think Sophia's the only one who's sick of you? We all are." He said drinking five more shots of wine.
Ethan didn’t turn back. Let them say what they wanted. None of it mattered anymore. This was over.
His hands trembled slightly as he reached for his phone and texted his driver:
"Pick me up. Now.”
***
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