Chapter 3

The corners of my mouth curled into a cold smirk.

Ethan shook his head frantically, tiny beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Forget them! Today is our celebration. Work can wait. I’m not letting some petty bullshit ruin our mood."

He sounded so noble, like he was sacrificing a major deal just to prioritize our romance.

Meanwhile, the phone kept buzzing.

I genuinely couldn't wrap my head around it.

How did I end up in the middle of a cliché infidelity drama?

Ethan wasn't rich, but he was handsome enough, and for five years, I had treated him like royalty.

I gave him my heart and soul. I even argued with my own family just to help him pool money together.

How could he soak up all my love, turn around, and play the generous, wealthy sugar daddy for another woman?

I let out a soft sigh, leaned back against the headrest, and said in a tired voice,

"Ethan, something weird happened today."

Already on edge, his ears pricked up immediately. "What's wrong, babe? What happened?"

I tilted my head, looking directly into his eyes.

"A friend told me she saw you at the mall the other day. Said there was a girl with you, and you two looked pretty cozy."

Ethan’s face went paper-white in an instant.

He whipped his head toward me, raw terror in his eyes, nearly swerving the car off the lane.

"That’s impossible!"

His voice jumped an entire octave, trembling with desperate guilt.

"Babe, don't listen to those gossiping idiots! What girl?! I’ve been running myself into the ground at the shop all week, where the hell would I find time to hang out at a mall?!"

His face turned beet red, veins popping on his neck as he took a hand off the wheel to grab mine.

"You have to trust me, Nora! You know what I've been like for the past five years! Aside from you, I've never even looked at another woman!"

He sounded so heartbroken, so sincere. If I hadn't already seen the hard evidence, I might have fallen for his Oscar-worthy performance all over again.

"Is that so?"

I pulled my hand back, letting my eyes settle on his continuously buzzing phone on the center console.

"Well, since it’s nothing, your phone won't stop blowing up. Let me check it for you so you don't have to keep worrying."

I reached out to grab it.

"Don't touch it!"

Ethan suddenly bellowed. He lunged forward, snatching the phone into his fist and clutching it against his chest like his life depended on it.

The reaction was violently disproportionate.

Silence swallowed the car whole again.

He breathed heavily, his panicked eyes darting toward me. He seemed to realize he had lost his cool.

Swallowing hard, he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Babe... seriously, it’s nothing. Just annoying spam calls and promo ads. I’m driving, and I just didn't want you getting annoyed by garbage notifications."

"Come on, I told you not to worry about work. Why won't you trust me?"

He was still digging in his heels.

Looking at his pathetic, cornered expression, the very last shred of warmth in my heart evaporated into nothing.

"Ethan, do you have a guilty conscience?"