Chapter 4

My phone rang. It was Ethan's number.

"Guess who I ran into in Savannah?"

"I don't care, and I don't need you to tell me."

Just as I was about to hang up, Ethan’s low, mocking laugh came through the speaker.

"Chloe, did you really believe Julian’s bullshit about love at first sight?"

"He deliberately approached you the moment you gave up on me. It wasn't love. It was revenge for his precious Melody."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" I was losing my patience.

"Chloe, during all those years you chased me, at least I never had anyone else in my heart."

"I didn't accept you because I wanted to test your sincerity. I wanted you to hold on a little longer. When Melody tried to seduce me back then, I didn't even give her a second glance. Unlike Julian..."

The old injury in my right hand began to throb. A sudden wave of fury washed over me.

"Ethan, you were the one who sent me that anonymous text, weren't you?"

"Even now, you still love playing with people's minds. Even if you did save me back then, my ten years of devotion have more than paid that debt."

"You should know by now—I never regret my choices, and I never look back."

The line went dead. A second later, he sent a video.

"Watch this. I'm sure you'll find it interesting."

The video was taken at a dark harbor late at night.

"What's wrong? Didn't have a good night?" someone teased in the video as Julian threw on his coat irritably.

"We need to leave now. I can't keep Melody waiting."

Austin hesitated before asking, "Julian, did you... leave a seed in her?"

Julian exhaled a cloud of smoke and said flatly, "Yeah. When I went to the UK last month, Melody was throwing a tantrum. I lost control for a moment."

My phone slipped from my hand, hitting the floor with a loud crash. But the audio kept playing.

My ears buzzed, and my stomach churned with intense nausea. I rushed to the bathroom and threw up violently.

On the shelf, a brand-new box of tampons sat unopened.

My period had always been like clockwork. But this month, it was a week late. I had been so worried about Julian's safety that I hadn't even noticed.

Last month, Julian claimed he had to go to the UK for a business trip. He barely replied to my texts, and I thought it was just because of the jetlag.

Two days later, he had sent me a long, emotional paragraph expressing his love.

"Chloe, I miss you so much. I wish I could be by your side every single second."

It turned out that right after sleeping with Melody, he still had the stomach to play the devoted fiancé just to string me along.

That late-night message wasn't love. It was guilt after cheating.

And to think I had actually cried, touched by his fake words. To think I had believed every single lie.

And when he slept in my bed after returning, did he whisper apologies to Melody in his heart?

I suddenly wanted to ask him: how does it feel to step straight out of one woman's warmth and wrap another in your arms without blinking an eye?