My Bestie Stole My Childhood Love, I Married a Billionaire Novel – Chapter 1 The line for the skyride crept forward. Two seats left. Ethan Hayes turned to the tourist next to him, all politeness. “Sorry, but the girl next to you is my friend. She’s terrified of heights. This is her first time on a gondola—she’s here to pray for good luck on her grad school apps. Would you mind switching seats with me? I want to sit next to her.” The tourist glanced at Chloe Young’s flushed cheeks and grinned. “Sure, man. That’s how I got my wife back in the day.” His eyes slid past Chloe to me, standing behind them. “She with you guys too?” Ethan, already settled in the carriage, seemed to remember I existed. His real girlfriend. He flicked a glance at me through the door. “Nope.” I stood there, watching the tiny car climb toward the peak. Seven years. Seven years of trailing behind him and Chloe. Chasing their laughter. Chasing their train. Chasing those art-house films I couldn’t care less about. This time, the path ahead was pitch black. And for once, I didn’t have the energy to follow. I turned around.
Downhill might be easier. *** Workers pulled red caution tape across the entrance. A loudspeaker announced: Last ride of the night. Ethan knew. That’s why he was so desperate to swap seats for Chloe. I stood frozen in the visitor center, scrolling our group chat. Two photos. Just them. [Made it to the top safe and sound! Vivian, hurry up!] [This dumbass actually waited in that whole line for those little good-luck charms. I told him it was stupid, but would he listen?] [A thirty-year-old man buying into this crap? So pathetic. Like I’d ever marry someone that desperate.] In the photo, Ethan stood at the end of a long queue, totally out of place. Before we left, I’d posted in the chat: The love charms and career charms here are supposed to be super lucky. Would be great for good vibes. I’d begged him to come with me. He’d replied cold: [Boring.] Now he was standing in line without a word. Chloe sent a video a moment later. [Bought them! Vivian, this one’s yours.] The green charm said Career Advancement.
But I caught a flash of something in Chloe’s hand at the edge of the frame. But I caught it. The pink one. The love charm. The one I wanted most. I didn’t know what to feel. One was my boyfriend of four years. The other, my best friend of eight. And somehow, neither of them ever actually heard me. I locked my screen and found a corner of the lobby to wait. Three hours. Three hours I sat there until my phone buzzed violently in my pocket. The shuttle driver’s voice exploded through the line. “Seriously? You said eleven on the dot. Look at the clock! I run a route—I don’t do hourly. I got another fare booked for tomorrow. You think you can just ghost me and not cover my loss?” The accusations hit me like bricks. I checked the time. Midnight. I apologized profusely, then dialed Chloe. No answer. I tried Ethan. Six, seven, eight times. On the ninth, he picked up. “Where are you? Are you still on the mountain? Did something happen?” A light laugh came through the speaker. “Told you! Pay up, loser.” Ethan’s voice, resigned, “Chloe bet me you’d come looking.
We’re behind the Sunrise Overlook. Come find us.” Sunrise? Hide and seek? I blinked. “We said we weren’t staying for sunrise. You have a train tomorrow, and I have work—” “Vivian.” Ethan’s voice went cold. “We finally get a break. Can you not kill the mood for once?” My throat closed up. I pressed my nails into my thigh, forcing my voice steady. “Ethan. I missed the last gondola.” “Figure it out yourself.” In the background, laughter. Music. None of it for me. A year ago I would’ve screamed. Thrown a fit. But now I just stared at the empty hall, and my chest felt hollow too.
What else was there? I wasn’t like Chloe—brilliant, ruthless, willing to hide from her family for years just to retake the GRE. Me? I took the teaching job in Oakhaven. Stable. Fine. The only thing I’d ever fought for was Ethan. That high school crush carried me through year after year, chasing his shadow. But every step I took pushed him further away. The road to his heart had always been a dead end. I closed my eyes. My voice came out quiet. “Ethan. We’re done.”