His Toxic Fairness, My Final Farewell

My boyfriend obsessed over "fairness," especially when it came to his adopted sister. He was always preaching: "To be fair, whatever you have, she should have too." When I brought back designer skincare from a business trip, he made me give half of it to her. When we talked about buying a house for our marriage, he insisted on buying another apartment under her name. Even on our anniversary, when he bought ninety-nine roses, he handed forty-five of them to her. Holding the remaining forty-four roses, I looked at him in disbelief. "Didn't you say you wanted to be fair?" "Why does she get one more rose than I do?" Ethan just frowned and sighed at me. "Nothing in this world can ever be truly equal." "I just do what lets me sleep at night with a clear conscience." So his "fairness" was just a cheap lie. It was merely an excuse to always put me behind his adopted sister. Looking at his self-righteous face, I suddenly burst into bitter laughter. Without hesitation, I tossed every single rose into the trash can. "I don't want a single one anymore." "To be fair, you should throw away her forty-five roses too." Watching forty-four roses slam into the garbage bin, Ethan's face darkened instantly. "Elena, can you not be so childish?" "Throwing a tantrum over one stupid flower?" I didn't say a word. I just stared at the bouquet in his arms. I waited to see if he would make the "fair" choice. Throw them away. Give me a single reason to still hold onto hope for him. He didn't. Instead, Ethan pulled the bouquet tighter against his chest. As if terrified I would lose my mind and snatch them from him. Just then, Hailey came bouncing over, blinking playfully at the flowers in Ethan's hands: "Wait, only one bouquet?" "Did you forget all about your sister the second you got a girlfriend? Where are my flowers!" Ethan's lips curved as he gently placed the roses into her arms: "How could I ever forget yours?" Hailey beamed, instantly showering him with hugs and sweet thank-yous before shooting me a sidelong glance. A subtle smirk flashed across her eyes: "I bet Ethan was just too busy to buy you flowers, right, Elena?" She was always like this. Ever since Ethan and I started dating, she competed with me over everything. I worked as a translator at a multinational corporate firm, so she begged Ethan to pull strings to get her a job there. I bought luxury makeup on a business trip, and she whined until Ethan bought her the exact same set. When we planned to buy a home, she claimed she needed her own property to be independent. And Ethan, hiding behind his banner of "fairness," catered to her every whim. Just like today. A sharp, stinging ache pierced my chest, but I kept my face indifferent and nodded: "Of course he got me flowers." "I didn't like them, so I trashed them." Hailey pouted immediately, about to whine about how ungrateful I was. Ethan quickly stroked her hair in a pampering gesture, reassuring her that I was just talking nonsense. "I knew it! There's no way she'd throw away anything you gave her!" Hailey giggled. "She kept that cheap pen you lent her over a decade ago like it was sacred treasure." Then, she put on an innocent, wide-eyed look: "Ethan, do you think Elena is what people call a desperate simp?" Ethan told her to stop talking nonsense, but he didn't correct her. He silently agreed. The suffocating pain in my chest spread quietly. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I was sick of Ethan's hypocritical fairness, and sick of their disgustingly blurred "sibling bond." I stopped in my tracks: "I'm not hungry anymore. I'm going home to rest." Hailey looked ready to celebrate out loud, but Ethan frowned in disapproval. "Stop making a scene. You reserved this place three months in advance." I stared at him in complete silence. Realizing I was dead serious, Ethan stepped closer. He took my hand and whispered, "I'll secretly make it up to you tomorrow with a full bouquet of ninety-nine roses. More than Hailey got." "Today is our three-year anniversary. Let's not ruin it." The warmth from his hand seeped into mine. My eyes burned with tears. Right. Our anniversary. I had loved Ethan for ten years, and we'd been together for three. Was I really going to throw it all away right here? Slowly, I squeezed his hand back.Naturally, for our anniversary, I had booked an intimate romantic restaurant. When Ethan suddenly announced this morning that Hailey was coming along, I was already upset. Yet Ethan had justified it with pure righteousness: "Hailey's parents died saving my life. All she wants is for me to treat her fairly. It's such a small request." "Elena, you need to learn to be more generous." Even after hearing that guilt-trip a thousand times, this time, he still left me no room to say no. Once we entered, Hailey darted ahead. She claimed a seat and called out in a sugary voice: "Ethan, come sit next to me!" Without hesitation, Ethan let go of my hand—the hand he'd held all the way here—and walked over to her with a smile. By the time I reached the table, the two-seater booth was completely occupied. Seeing me standing there alone, Hailey gasped, covering her mouth in faux shock: "Oh no, there are no more seats?" "Maybe I should just leave. I don't want to ruin your date, Ethan." She made a show of getting up. Ethan pushed her back down, glaring at me in frustration: "If there's no room, just ask the waiter for an extra chair." "Why are you standing there playing the victim?" Swallowing the bitter lump in my throat, I dragged over an extra wooden chair and sat at the edge. An elegant, romantic booth meant for two, awkwardly crammed with an out-of-place wooden chair. It looked utterly ridiculous. Even the waiter's eyes widened when he came to take our order: "Sir, ma'am, I believe you booked the romantic couple's dinner?" "Don't be so rigid," Hailey giggled intentionally. "You're going to make Elena feel so awkward." On the surface, she sounded like she was defending me. In reality, she was deliberately framing me as the third wheel crashing their date. Watching the waiter glance at me with subtle disdain, my nails dug deep into my palms until they drew blood. "I pre-ordered a bottle of red wine. Please bring it out first," I said, showing him the reservation on my phone. Realizing his mistake, the waiter blushed furiously and rushed off to fetch the wine. "Elena, you're always so competitive," Ethan said, frowning when he saw Hailey's pouting face. See? It wasn't that he didn't understand Hailey's manipulative mind games. He just didn't care. He didn't care if strangers humiliated me. He didn't care if her petty tricks shattered my heart. He took me for granted simply because I had loved him for so long. I tilted my head back, fighting to keep my tears from falling. The wine arrived quickly. I poured myself a full glass and downed it in one gulp. I wanted the alcohol to numb the chaos raging inside me. Seeing this, Hailey immediately reached for the bottle, determined not to be outdone. Panicking, I tried to stop her. The alcohol content was strong; she had zero tolerance. "Hailey, you're not used to this. Don't drink it!" Ethan snapped at me instantly: "I told you, we keep things fair!" "If you're drinking in front of her, of course she gets a glass too." Hailey had already swallowed it whole. Her face flushed red as she giggled drunkenly: "Exactly! I'm not a kid anymore." "Remember that time Ethan kissed me..." Shatter. The wine glass slipped from my hand, smashing against the floor. Apart from Hailey's drunken babbling, the air froze. My eyes burned red as I stared at the silent man across from me. "I want an explanation." "Tell me that was an accident."Ethan didn't say a word. His silence was a confession. Hailey grew bolder, humming a tune while eating her dinner. She even demanded that Ethan feed her. Ethan indulgently cut a piece of steak and popped it into her mouth, scolding her softly: "You little drunkard." I sat there, unable to swallow a single bite. My chest felt like it was being crushed in a vice; even breathing felt numb. Hailey's words replayed over and over in my mind. Suddenly, a piece of steak landed on my plate. I looked up to see Ethan's warm, smiling eyes: "One piece for each of you." "Completely fair this time, right?" I didn't answer. I just pushed the steak aside, sick to my stomach. Ethan froze. He finally realized that I was genuinely furious. For the rest of the meal, he didn't touch Hailey once. The silence stretched between us all the way to the car. Even when Ethan bridal-carried Hailey into the front passenger seat—my designated seat—I didn't say a single word. I didn't want to fight. I didn't want to scream. Ten minutes into the drive, my phone buzzed violently. It was an urgent message from work. A major flaw had been discovered in an international contract, and I needed to get to the office immediately to fix it. The client was pushing hard. I typed out a quick reply saying I was on my way. The moment I hit send, my screen went pitch black. Dead battery. I sighed and looked at the front seat. "Drop me off at my office first." Ethan glanced into the rearview mirror with a cold smirk: "Finally decided to talk to me?" I had zero energy to bicker with him. "Just drive faster. It's an emergency." Ethan didn't reply, but he took the exit toward my office. That sudden turn woke Hailey up. She started whining and sobbing: "Ethan... I want to go stargazing." Ethan gently told her he would take her tomorrow, but she threw a tantrum. "I miss Mom and Dad!" "They must have turned into stars up in the sky. I want to go see them!" It was pure drunken nonsense. I couldn't stand it, but terrified Ethan would actually entertain her, I urged him: "My company's contract is in jeopardy. I have to be there." "Ethan, it's a multi-million-dollar deal. I can't afford to miss this!" Ethan opened his mouth, but nothing came out. The car kept moving forward, and I let out a breath of relief. Until Hailey burst into tears again. Then, Ethan called my name. "Last Valentine's Day, I chose to stay with you instead of taking Hailey to the amusement park." I froze. Back then, I had demanded that Hailey stop tagging along on every single date. I told him she was an adult. She couldn't keep clinging to her foster brother forever. It wasn't fair to me, and it looked inappropriate for her. Ethan had reluctantly agreed and told her no. But afterward, he gave me the cold shoulder for three entire days. "You know fairness matters most to me," he said coldly. "This time, I'm going to fulfill Hailey's wish and take her stargazing." With that, he yanked the steering wheel. My face slammed hard into the back of the front seat. Sharp, blinding pain exploded across my nose and forehead. Tears spilled over my cheeks. I screamed at him, my voice cracking: "Then what about me?!" Ethan's answer was pulling the car over to the curb. "You're an adult, Elena." "Learn to solve your own problems." Before the words even faded, the car sped off, kicking up dust in my face.With no phone and no ride, I ran all the way to the office. By the time I stumbled in, the backs of my ankles were raw and bleeding, throbbing with every step. My boss gasped in shock when she saw me, asking if I was okay. I waved a hand dismissively: "As long as we didn't blow the deadline, I'm fine." That night, my team and I pulled an all-nighter fixing the contract. At dawn, the client's final approval came through. A multi-million-dollar deal. Secured. The entire office erupted into cheers, everyone hugging each other. I forced a smile, but underneath the relief was a bottomless void. The stinging pain in my heels was a sharp reminder of the humiliation from the night before. I plugged in my phone and turned it on. The first thing that popped up was a new Instagram post from Hailey. "Got drunk for the first time because of someone's malice, but waking up next to the person I love most made it all okay." Two photos were attached. One was the starry night sky—breathtakingly clear. The other was Ethan, still fast asleep beside her. They were lying in the same bed, wrapped together in suffocating intimacy. The breath caught in my throat. I stared blankly at the screen. A tear rolled down my cheek. It fell directly onto my phone. And accidentally clicked "Like." Panicking, I quickly wiped my screen and unliked the post. Too late. Ethan called almost immediately, his voice sharp with accusation: "Did you intentionally like her post just to make Hailey feel guilty?" I was left speechless. My heart had turned to ash, yet the numbness still stung. No explanation for the intimate photo. Not a single word asking if I was safe. His first reaction after dumping his girlfriend on the side of the road on their anniversary was to defend his adopted sister. Ethan's tone grew colder: "Hailey woke up crying her eyes out. She feels terrible about what happened last night." "I finally got her calmed down, and now you're provoking her again." He sighed heavily, as if being immensely generous: "Tell you what. I'll arrange dinner tonight so you can apologize to Hailey." "That way, you two can move past this." I laughed out loud. A raw, mocking sound that made Ethan scowl over the line. "You're dreaming, Ethan." "I will never apologize for your disgusting behavior." Sniffling and muffled sobs came through the speaker. Hailey grabbed the phone: "It's all my fault... Elena, please don't be mad at Ethan because of me." She sniffled again. "If it helps, I can just stay far away from you both..." "No way!" Ethan cut in fiercely. Even through the phone, I could picture him desperately pulling Hailey into his arms. Just like every other time she cried. "Hailey, your parents are gone, and my parents don't like you," Ethan said softly. "If you leave me, who else do you have to rely on?" Hailey let out a soft, smug chuckle and asked, "Then what about Elena?" Ethan's voice was dismissive: "That's her problem." Then, he turned back to me: "Elena, if you still want to be with me, stop throwing these childish tantrums." "Apologize to Hailey right now, or we're over." There were no tears. No pleading. No dramatic apologies. "Let's break up."