He Gave Me a Pull-Tab Ring and Bought His Ex a Yacht

Chapter 4

After the gala ended, David drove me home.

Rain poured down outside, pounding violently against the windshield.

I sat in the passenger seat, using my phone to confirm the final details of my lease with my landlord in Valenza.

David stopped the car two blocks from our apartment.

"We're out of gas."

David pulled the key from the ignition.

"To conserve fuel and reduce carbon emissions, we'll walk the rest of the way. You can push the car from behind."

It was a direct order.

I looked out at the pouring rain.

"I'm not pushing it. If you want it pushed, do it yourself."

I refused without hesitation.

David froze.

He slapped the steering wheel angrily.

"Chloe, you're being incredibly selfish! You won't even do something as environmentally responsible as helping push the car home!"

I ignored him. I opened the door and walked back to the apartment through the pouring rain.

When David returned home, he pushed open the door, drenched from head to toe.

He was carrying a cardboard booklet soaked by the rain.

He tossed it onto the table.

"This is our wedding program. I bound it using old newspapers."

David pointed to one of the pages.

It showed a strange wedding dress made entirely from discarded black plastic bags stitched together.

"Elena looked over our wedding plans. She thinks an ordinary wedding dress would be too unoriginal."

David looked extremely excited.

"Elena suggested that you wear this wedding dress made from discarded plastic bags. It's artistic, and it also represents our commitment to never wasting anything."

I stared at the trash-bag wedding dress.

He was only doing this to indulge Elena's desire to humiliate me.

He actually wanted me to wear a wedding dress made from trash bags and become the object of everyone's ridicule.

I let out a contemptuous laugh.

"Fine. That works. I'll wear this one," I replied expressionlessly.

David nodded in satisfaction.

With unmistakable superiority, he reached out and stroked my hair.

"You've finally stopped chasing all that meaningless vanity. Elena was right. With proper guidance, you can still change."

David walked smugly into the bathroom to shower.

I pulled out a tissue and scrubbed the hair he had touched.

I did not stop until my scalp was red.

At two in the morning, the phone on David's nightstand suddenly rang shrilly.

He bolted upright and answered it.

Elena's terrified scream came through the receiver.

"David! The power is out at the villa! I'm afraid of the dark! I'm so scared!"

David, who had always placed great importance on the quality of his sleep, immediately panicked.

Without even putting his shoes on properly, he ran barefoot out of the bedroom.

He grabbed his car keys and rushed straight into the howling wind and torrential rain.

At that moment, he forgot all about environmentalism and conserving fuel.

Whenever Elena was afraid, he was willing to abandon every principle he claimed to have.

I leaned back against the headboard.

I opened social media.

It did not take long for me to see the post Elena had just uploaded.

In the photo, a massive diesel generator roared in the villa's yard, spewing thick black smoke.

The caption read:

David braved the storm to rent me a generator because he couldn't bear to see me afraid of the dark. With him by my side, I'll never be afraid.

In one corner of the photo, David could be seen holding Elena tightly.

He had wrapped her in his suit jacket and was gently comforting her.

I looked calmly at the photo.

I tapped the screen and liked the post.

David did not return all night.

At six in the morning, the first light of dawn appeared.

I zipped up my suitcase.

Then I walked over to the table.

I placed the notice confirming the closure of our joint account beside a glass jar filled with the ashes of the soda-can tab.

I took one last look at the shabby, drafty secondhand apartment that had made me feel so suffocated.

I opened the door and left without looking back.

When I reached the airport departure lounge, I opened my social media account.

I posted a public statement: I regret to inform everyone that David and I have officially canceled our wedding. David's commitment to minimalism and environmentalism is admirable, but my way of life is incompatible with his. Attached are the bills showing that he used money from our joint account to purchase a private yacht and a property on Silverpine Mountain. I wish him and the registered owner, Elena, a lifetime of happiness.

I tapped the post button.

I watched the screenshots of the bills appear on my screen.

Then I switched off my phone.

The boarding announcement sounded right on time.

I handed my boarding pass to the flight attendant and walked into the jet bridge.

From that moment on, my relationship with David—and with that miserable life—was over for good.