Chapter 3

It wasn't a negotiation. It was a statement.

Why waste another second on a man whose heart was never mine?

Before he could reply, I hung up.

The driver kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror, clearly dying to ask questions, but he held his tongue.

I leaned my head against the cool glass, feeling as drained as if I had just run a marathon.

When the car pulled up to my building, I dragged the heavy train of my wedding dress toward the lobby.

To my surprise, I ran into Ethan by the elevators.

He was holding a takeout bag, clearly heading out to toss the trash.

I caught a glimpse of the receipt: Deluxe Couple's Feast for Two.

A sickening knot twisted in my stomach.

This penthouse was a pre-wedding gift from my father last week.

Back then, wanting to surprise Ethan, I told him I bought it with my own savings.

When he first heard about it, he wasn't happy at all. He accused me of wasting money. Yet when it came to furnishing the place, he was unusually eager, picking out a bunch of cute, matching couple items.

I thought he was finally showing some romance.

Now I knew none of it was meant for me.

Noticing me staring at the takeout bag, Ethan instinctively shoved it behind his back.

"Alyssa? What are you doing here?"

"This is my apartment. Where else would I go?"

"That's not what I meant," he said, reaching out to grab my arm. "Look, since we're both here, let's find a quiet place to talk."

Alarm bells rang in my head.

He didn't want me going upstairs.

Because Vanessa was up there.

My fists clenched at my sides. I stared into his eyes and said coldly, "There's nothing to talk about. Since you never intended to marry me, let's stop wasting each other's time."

Ethan stepped in front of me, his expression darkening.

"Alyssa, stop overreacting! I didn't leave you at the altar on purpose today! Don't you know how much I care about you? Even though you're an orphan with no family, I never looked down on you. I genuinely wanted to spend the rest of my life with you! I know you're upset, but don't say stupid things about breaking up. Come on, let me take you out to eat."

I took a step back, dodging his hand.

"Eat?" I sneered. "You just ordered dinner for two. Aren't you afraid of choking?"

Ethan's face turned pale, then flushed with anger.

"Have you had enough? I said I'm sorry, what more do you want from me?"

Right on cue, the elevator doors slid open behind him.

Vanessa stepped out.

She was wearing my brand-new silk pajamas. Seeing me, she didn't show an ounce of guilt. Instead, she smiled like the lady of the house.

"Alyssa? Shouldn't you be at the wedding venue? What are you doing here?"

My gaze flickered between the two of them, landing on Ethan.

His face was full of concern as he rushed to her side.

"Didn't you say you had a headache from the draft? Why did you come down?"

Vanessa smiled sweetly, leaning her body softly against his chest.

"You were gone for so long. I was worried."

Watching their affectionate display made me want to throw up. As I turned toward the elevator, Ethan called out after me.

Seeing that the cat was out of the bag, he dropped all pretenses.

"Vanessa isn't feeling well, so I let her rest upstairs for a bit. You barely stay in this apartment anyway, Alyssa. Don't be so petty."

My apartment. Yet I wasn't allowed inside.

And if I didn't hand it over to his ex, I was the one being "petty."

What kind of twisted logic was that?

I glared at Ethan. "We're over. You're trespassing on my property. Leave right now, or I'm calling the cops."