Chapter 3

The next morning, the smell of food woke me up.

I walked out of the bedroom and saw breakfast laid out on the table.

"Eat something," Ethan said.

I stood there, stunned. In our five years together, the times Ethan had bought me breakfast could be counted on one hand.

He probably felt a shred of guilt for staying out all night, so he brought food as a peace offering.

"What? I bought you breakfast, and you're still giving me that face?"

My knee had kept me up all night. I was exhausted, and I didn't have the energy to argue with him.

I sat down and picked up a fork.

"Does your leg still hurt after taking the meds last night?" Ethan asked half-heartedly.

"It's fine."

"I figured. It's been years. It should be fully healed by now."

My breath caught. Looking at his indifferent face, my heart turned to ice.

Years ago, Ethan had lost control of his car and crashed into a concrete barrier.

He was trapped inside. I had risked my life to pull him out before the engine caught fire. In the chaos, a sharp piece of metal had sliced deep into my knee.

I almost passed out from the pain. Since then, the chronic pain had never left me.

But I never complained to Ethan. I didn't want him to feel guilty.

Now, I realized how incredibly stupid I had been.

Ethan didn't care about my pain. He didn't care about me at all.

"Chloe wasn't feeling well last night. I was too worried to leave, so I couldn't make it back."

"Okay," I murmured, keeping my eyes on my plate.

Ethan stared at me for a few minutes, clearly unsettled by my lack of reaction. Usually, I would have yelled, cried, and made his life miserable.

"You're acting weird today."

I looked up. The faint outline of a lipstick mark on his collar was glaringly obvious.

Sensing my gaze, Ethan quickly got up and went to the bathroom. When he came out, the collar had been wiped clean.

"When I left the hospital this morning, Chloe tripped and fell. I caught her. Her face must have brushed against my shirt."

"I know. It was an accident."

Ethan smiled, relieved. "You've really matured, Lily."

Hearing the word "matured," a sharp, sudden cramp hit my lower abdomen.

Suppressing the pain, I said, "Isn't that what you wanted? You should be happy."

Ethan nodded. "If you had been this sensible before, we wouldn't have fought so much."

His smile felt like a knife twisting in my stomach. The pain was intensifying rapidly. Cold sweat began to bead on my forehead, and I pressed my hands against my abdomen.

"Ethan..."

I was about to ask him to take me to the hospital when his phone rang.

The screen lit up: Chloe.

"Ethan, the doctor said I can go home now. Can you come help me with the discharge paperwork? I can't do it all by myself," she whined.

Ethan’s face softened instantly. "Of course. I'll be right there."

He hung up and looked at me. "Chloe needs me."

"Can you take me with you?" I gasped. My stomach was in excruciating pain, and since he was already going to the hospital, it made sense to go together.

"I'm going to help Chloe. Why would you come along?" Ethan’s tone snapped back to its usual coldness.

"I told you nothing happened between us. Why can't you just trust me? And here I was, just thinking you had finally grown up!"

The pain was so intense I could barely breathe, let alone argue. "My stomach hurts, Ethan. Just drop me off at the ER. It's on your way."

Ethan’s face darkened completely.

"Lily, are you serious right now? Chloe’s stomach hurts, so now your stomach hurts too? Are you seriously faking an illness to compete with her? Can you stop being so childish?"

"Ethan, I'm pregnant! I'm not playing games, and I'm not trying to win some petty competition with Chloe!"

"Lily Vance!"

Ethan raised his voice, on the verge of a full-blown outburst. "I can't believe you would use something like pregnancy to lie to me! This is sick!"

"We’ve been married for years, and you’ve never gotten pregnant. Suddenly, the moment Chloe gets sick, you're pregnant and your stomach hurts? I didn't know getting pregnant was that easy."

"I didn't realize you were such a good actress."

"Fine," I whispered, my voice shaking. "If you won't take me, I'll call an Uber."

Ethan sneered. "Go ahead. Keep playing your little drama. But let me warn you, Lily: you better actually be sick. If I find out you went to the hospital just to harass Chloe, I will divorce you!"

I let out a weak, hollow laugh.

Divorce. How wonderful. For the first time in years, Ethan and I finally agreed on something.

"I've been meaning to tell you anyway. Divorce sounds perfect. I’ve already had my lawyer draft the papers. Just tell me when you're free to sign them."

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "You already had them drafted?"

"Yes!"

"Fine! If that's what you want, Lily! Let's see who will ever want a washed-up, pathetic woman like you. Don't come crawling back to me crying!"

Ethan slammed the front door so hard the walls rattled.

Outside, the engine roared to life, and the sound of his car faded into the distance.

I fell to my knees, shaking uncontrollably. I looked down.

The chair beneath me was covered in blood.