Lucky to Miss - Chapter 3

Before Daniel asked, I’d had a recurring dream about Ethan. He’d sneered at me, telling me not to flatter myself. It stung, but as time went on, the dreams stopped. Those six years felt like a distant memory.

Olivia sometimes asked if I ever thought about Ethan. I’d pause, then shake my head. “I hope he and Olivia are happy together,” I’d say. “It’s best we forget each other.” At least I was trying my best to forget.

But a few days later, Daniel and I ran into one of Ethan’s college friends at a restaurant. He rushed over, “Dude, why didn’t you call when you got back-?” He stopped dead, staring at Daniel in shock.

Daniel looked a lot like Ethan, except for the scar on his forehead and the fact that he carried himself with a quiet strength, not Ethan’s careless swagger.

Ethan’s friend looked back and forth between Daniel and me. “Avery, is this-?” He seemed to struggle for words. “Did you cheat on Ethan?”

I shook my head. “We broke up.”

He looked even more surprised. “Ethan said you were still waiting for-”

I cut him off. “This is my fiancé. We’re getting married soon.”

He was stunned. He stared at our clasped hands, then turned and hurried away, muttering into his phone. I started to explain to Daniel, but he just laughed. “It’s in the past. Why bother talking about it?”

He brushed my hair back from my face. “I can’t expect you to wait ten years just because I was gone for ten years.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. I suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. For the first three years after Daniel disappeared, I clutched my phone, waiting for news. It never left my side, 24/7. Every unknown number made my heart leap.

The first year, I hoped for a call telling me he was injured, but coming home. The second year, I just prayed he was alive. By the third, I was terrified of every phone call, but I had to answer.

When Ethan appeared, I was officially diagnosed with severe anxiety and panic disorder. His face was the only thing that kept me going. Being his backup plan wasn’t easy, but I couldn’t stay away from that face. I needed it to survive.

Did I love Ethan? I didn’t know. But I was grateful to him, so grateful that even when everyone mocked me for being his second choice, I didn’t care. For six years, in my eyes, he was a good person, someone who saved me.

I thought I’d left a good impression on him, that he’d at least remember me as being understanding. I never expected him to call me a liar, his voice laced with bitterness and betrayal.

Ethan called late at night. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Daniel. I figured he wanted to pick up the stuff he’d left at my place, but the moment I answered, he spat out, “Liar,” his voice tight with barely controlled fury.

“You said he was your cousin! You lied to me!”

His voice was rough, low, stripped of its usual casual arrogance. He sounded hurt, almost childishly so.

I sighed, lowering my head. “I’m sorry.”

The apology came easily. It was a habit from those six years. I was always apologizing to him. For looking at him too much when Olivia was around, for trying to hold his hand in front of her friends, for calling him when he was with her.

Each time, I’d apologize, looking at his face, saying I was sorry. At first, he would hesitantly pat my head like a child. “Just try to be better next time.”

Later, he’d watch me with an amused smile. “You’re so cute when you apologize.” Eventually, the rules stopped, but the apologies didn’t.

He paused, then gritted out, “An apology isn’t enough this time, Avery. I’m really angry. I should have left your boyfriend in that war zone. Why did I bring him back, just to get played for a fool?”

My face went cold. He didn’t seem to notice, pressing on. “Did he touch you? Tell me, Avery, did he touch you?!”