I was supposed to meet Ethan at the hospital at 9:00 a.m.<\/p>\n
He promised he\u2019d be there \u2014promised he\u2019d hold my hand before I went in for surgery.
\nBut as the clock kept ticking, all I had was silence. No Ethan. No text. No missed call.
\nJust me, sitting alone in the back of a cab, calling his number over and over again.
\nOnly to hear the automated voice say:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number you have dialed is currently busy.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the time I checked into the hospital, he had finally called.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia, I\u2019m so sorry\u2026 I really wanted to be there, but\u2026 something happened. Leah, she\u2014she called me this morning and said she was crying and going to hurt herself. I didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t even argue. I simply hung up. Because I already knew\u2014she did it on purpose.<\/p>\n
=====<\/p>\n
vid<\/p>\n
Let me tell you how I met Leah.<\/p>\n
She was my colleague. Bright, charming, and a little too friendly at times.<\/p>\n
One lunch break, she invited me out. Her boyfriend came along. So did Ethan. Somewhere between appetizers and dessert, Leah decided she\u2019d play matchmaker.
\n\u201cEthan\u2019s single, you\u2019re single. You two should totally go out!\u201d she giggled.<\/p>\n
I smiled politely but felt awkward. Still, a few days later, Ethan messaged me. And before I knew it, he was pursuing me\u2014earnestly.<\/p>\n
Leah, of course, was always around to \u201chelp.\u201d She told him what flowers I liked. What I hated. How I took my coffee. She was everywhere in the background, orchestrating things.<\/p>\n
At first, it seemed sweet. Then it became suffocating.<\/p>\n
Every date Ethan and I had\u2014Leah found a reason to show up. She clung to Ethan like static. Whispered into his ear. Gave him orders, disguised as \u201cfriendly advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
If I frowned, I was being oversensitive. If I questioned their closeness, I didn\u2019t \u201cunderstand their friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was exhausting.<\/p>\n
Then came Ethan\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n
He rented a beach house and invited a crowd.
\nWhile I was sweating in the kitchen with a few girls trying to prep dinner, Leah strolled in like a queen.<\/p>\n
She leaned toward me and whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan doesn\u2019t like pepper. Only eats shredded potatoes, not cubes. And he\u2019s allergic to peanuts, by the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
I paused. Put down my knife.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why don\u2019t you cook for him?\u201d<\/p>\n
She grinned. \u201cOh no. I\u2019m just the best friend. You\u2019re the girlfriend. This is your time to shine.\u201d The sarcasm dripped off every syllable.<\/p>\n
We were mid-argument when Ethan walked in. He pulled me aside and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cCome on, babe. Don\u2019t be mad. Don\u2019t take her seriously. She\u2019s like a dude in a girl\u2019s body.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leah burst into crocodile tears and punched him lightly in the back.<\/p>\n
\u201cEthan! Even if you begged, I wouldn\u2019t be your friend anymore!\u201d<\/p>\n
And just like that, she ghosted him.
\nBut he\u2026 changed.<\/p>\n
He became distant, distracted. He couldn\u2019t even tell a dress from a jacket. Poured vinegar into noodles without thinking. I confronted him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you still want to be with me? Or are you just mourning your precious friendship with her?\u201d<\/p>\n
He denied it, of course. Claimed he was just upset about losing a 20-year friendship. Asked me not to make him choose. Said I was overthinking.<\/p>\n
====<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, I was diagnosed with uterine fibroids. It wasn\u2019t life-threatening, but it wasn\u2019t nothing either. I was scared. I needed support.<\/p>\n
Ethan promised he\u2019d be with me on surgery day. But when Leah cried wolf\u2014he disappeared.<\/p>\n
After his sorry excuse of a phone call, Leah called me next.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia, let\u2019s get something straight. We are closer than family. You wouldn\u2019t even know him if it weren\u2019t for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never slept together, okay? Never even kissed. But you still can\u2019t compare. You don\u2019t belong in his world.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hand shook with rage.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re right, Leah. You\u2019re different. So special. So\u2026 pure. You\u2019re the only woman I know who can latch onto someone else\u2019s boyfriend and still claim moral high ground! Congratulations. You win. Tell Ethan we\u2019re done. And that he should stay as far away from me as you do from self-awareness!\u201d<\/p>\n
I went into surgery alone.<\/p>\n
Well, not quite alone.<\/p>\n
Just as they were wheeling me in, someone ran up, out of breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia! Wait!\u201d<\/p>\n
It was Thomas. A mutual friend of Ethan\u2019s. Though not a close one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard about your surgery\u2026 I wanted to make sure you were okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Ethan send you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. I came on my own.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen think of it this way\u2014I\u2019m not helping Ethan. I\u2019m helping you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen prove it. Cut ties with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDone.\u201d<\/p>\n
He took out his phone, called Ethan, and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not friends anymore. Don\u2019t contact me again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Click.<\/p>\n
Thomas stayed by my side for the next two weeks.<\/p>\n
Ethan didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Well\u2026 that\u2019s not true. Leah used a fake account to send me a photo of her in bed with Ethan.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, sis! Guess he just couldn\u2019t resist. Should\u2019ve known better than to try dating a guy I handpicked for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart didn\u2019t even ache anymore. It was numb.<\/p>\n
I started opening up to Thomas. He was kind. Gentle. Never once brought up Ethan unless I did.<\/p>\n
Then, one night, Ethan called.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia\u2026 can we talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
I smirked.<\/p>\n
\u201cSure. I\u2019m in bed. With your best friend. Just wanted to see what all the \u2018nothing ever happened\u2019 fuss was about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait\u2026 what?! Who is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas calmly took the phone from me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t call her again.\u201d And hung up.<\/p>\n
Moments later, the doorbell rang like a fire alarm. I opened it to find Ethan, looking heartbroken.<\/p>\n
\u201cMia, please. I\u2019m sorry. Are you done being mad? Can we talk?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re done, Ethan. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tried to grab my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll prove to you how much I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kicked him away.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you show up here again, I\u2019ll send that bed photo to everyone you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas stepped into view.<\/p>\n
Ethan\u2019s face turned red.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas! I trusted you!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you should\u2019ve valued her instead of whining over your \u2018friendship.\u2019\u201d
\n\u201cYou lost her. Now deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And just like that, I was free.<\/p>\n
No more Ethan. No more Leah.<\/p>\n
No more pretending their toxic \u201cfriendship\u201d was some kind of noble bond I had to tiptoe around.<\/p>\n
Now, it\u2019s just me and someone who actually shows up when it matters.<\/p>\n
And honestly?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all I\u2019ve ever needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I was supposed to meet Ethan at the hospital at 9:00 a.m. He promised he\u2019d be there \u2014promised he\u2019d hold my hand before I went in for surgery. But as the clock kept ticking, all I had was silence. No Ethan. No text. No missed call. Just me, sitting alone in the back of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29828,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29827\/revisions\/29828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}