Chapter 4

I went home and threw out every single thing Ethan had ever given me.

The necklace he gave me for my coming-of-age ceremony—I had only worn it once before I saw it on Lily’s neck.

She had smiled and said, "Ethan said good things should be shared."

The limited-edition teddy bear—he said he liked my perfume on it and took it. The next day, it was sitting on Lily’s desk.

And the heels, the scented candles...

I used to think I was special to him.

Now I realized I was just his free supplier.

I thought about how protective he was of Lily, always putting her first.

I let out a dry laugh.

None of this trash mattered anymore.

I finalized my route to the advanced training camp for the next morning.

Before leaving, I went to the camp’s bulletin board, ripped down my name card from the third-place spot, and tossed it into the trash can.

Then, I went back to my place to spend my last quiet night.

At 2:00 AM, my phone rang.

I answered it half-asleep. The other end was silent for a few seconds. Just as I was about to hang up, Ethan’s voice came through.

"Grace, I’m sorry."

I woke up instantly. I thought he was finally going to tell me the truth.

But then he said, "Lily got hurt. I can't leave her alone. I’ll sign the dropout papers once she’s better..."

My heart leaped into my throat, then crashed violently to the ground.

I wanted to scream: *What about me? What about the bruises and beatings I took for you this past month? Did they mean nothing?*

Ethan’s voice kept going. "Just apologize to her."

I thought I misheard him. "What did you say?"

Ethan’s voice was firm. "Grace, you really need to apologize to Lily."

"Are you going to tell me her getting hurt had nothing to do with you?"

I was completely speechless.

I finally realized that as long as Lily was around, every breath I took was a crime in his eyes.

Ethan spoke again, his voice as cold as ice. "Grace, you’re really disappointing me."

"If you apologize, I can pretend none of this happened."

"Are you really going to let your pride ruin our years of friendship?"

I heard the threat in his voice.

But instead of pain or anger, I felt nothing but disgust.

I hung up, blocked his number, and deleted his contact.

I didn't want to think about him anymore.

The scenery at the advanced training camp was fresh and beautiful. Someone immediately took my bags.

I looked up and locked eyes with the heir of the Taylor Pack. "Grace, long time no see."

I smiled and reached out. "Long time no see, Daniels."

My phone buzzed, interrupting our greeting.

I looked down and saw it was a call from one of Ethan’s friends.

Confused, I answered. Ethan’s frantic voice came through the speaker.

"Grace, where the hell are you?"

"Why is everyone in the basic camp saying they haven't seen you?"