Chapter 2

I had just brought Ethan through the front door.

Suddenly, the bedroom door clicked open.

Bianca rushed out, completely naked.

Acting as if she had absolutely no idea there was a guest in the living room, she crashed straight into Ethan's chest.

"Oh my gosh!"

She gasped, hurriedly covering her chest, her eyes welling up with tears instantly.

"I'm so sorry... I forgot we had company."

She looked up, her wide, misty eyes staring helplessly at Ethan.

That naive, innocent look—I had seen it way too many times.

That was exactly how my first five boyfriends had fallen into her trap.

"What the hell?! Do you keep a naked psycho in this house?!"

Ethan closed his eyes instantly. Relying on his years of Taekwondo training, he delivered a swift, powerful kick that sent Bianca flying onto the floor.

A loud thud echoed through the hallway, hard enough to shake dust off the walls.

The air in the hallway froze for two seconds.

Then came Bianca's sharp, hysterical crying.

"What happened? What's going on?"

My mother, Eleanor, rushed out of the master bedroom wearing an apron, still holding some half-folded laundry.

My father, Richard, also poked his head out from the balcony.

Ethan hid behind me, keeping his eyes squeezed shut, not daring to open them.

"I'm fine. I just kicked a crazy exhibitionist. But that crazy chick might be in bad shape," Ethan said, his voice cold as ice.

On the floor, Bianca held her chest with one hand and covered her lower body with the other, sobbing uncontrollably.

She bit her lower lip, her eyes filled with tears, looking utterly pathetic and helpless.

"Ethan, you kicked me... It hurts so bad."

Her voice was soft and sweet, trembling just the right amount.

"I just have a bad memory. I forgot we had a guest over. Please don't be mad at me, okay?"

As she spoke, she shrunk back like a frightened little rabbit.

Eleanor immediately rushed over to hug her protectively, wrapping a coat around her.

"You silly girl, why are you running around naked again? And Chloe, you are to blame too! You know your sister is forgetful. Before you brought an outsider home, why didn't you go to her room and check on her first?"

The first wave of moral gaslighting had landed precisely on me.

I looked at Eleanor's face, which took it all for granted.

As usual, she blamed me for everything.

Bianca was always the pure, innocent one who just made silly mistakes.

And I, as the younger sister, was expected to clean up her messes and prevent her disasters at all times.

"Mother, I told her three times before I came home," I stated flatly.

Bianca's tears spilled over.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to. I was just thinking about something else and got distracted..."

She looked up at Ethan, her eyes shimmering like water.

"Ethan, please don't blame Chloe. It's all my fault for being so stupid."

A textbook "pick-me girl" performance.

First admit guilt, then show vulnerability, and finally, "defend" me to highlight her kindness and my pettiness.

My first two boyfriends had died under this exact combo.

I turned to look at Ethan.

I wanted to see if his eyes, which were usually as clear as mountain springs, could see through this bitch.

Ethan looked at her.

There was no warmth in his eyes. He looked at her as if he were watching a poorly acted comedy show.

"You really are stupid," Ethan said. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear.

Bianca froze.

Eleanor froze, too.

They probably never expected anyone to step right on her face when she offered herself up as a "clueless beauty."

"Since you knew there was an adult male coming over, and you still managed to 'forget' to wear clothes... that's not being forgetful. That's a severe lack of basic life skills," Ethan said, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets and looking down at Bianca.

The silence in the room was deafening.

Bianca's face, which was wearing a delicate "no-makeup" makeup look, instantly lost all color.

She froze on the spot, even forgetting to shed her tears.

"How dare you speak to her like that!" Richard couldn't hold back anymore. He marched over and pointed a finger at Ethan.

"This is my house! What's wrong with my daughter not wearing clothes in her own home? You're an outsider. You got a free show, and now you're throwing a tantrum?"

"Let me correct you," Ethan said, meeting Richard's gaze without flinching.

"First, I didn't look. That flat body of hers is nowhere near my type."

"Second, she opened the door herself, and the hallway is a common area. If you think it's good parenting to let your daughter run around naked in common areas, then I seriously question your family's values."

He turned to me.

"Chloe, where is your coat?"

I pointed to the coat on the sofa.

Ethan walked over, picked it up, and draped it over my shoulders, gently fixing my hair.

"Let's go. The air in here is making me sick."

I looked at my parents' livid faces and Bianca, who looked like she was about to collapse.

Instead of the panic I used to feel, a wave of unprecedented satisfaction washed over me.

"Okay."

I put on my coat and followed him out.

Eleanor was shaking with rage behind us.

"Chloe! If you dare to walk out of this door with him today, don't you ever call me Mother again!"

I stopped walking.

But I didn't turn around.

"Whatever."

Ethan pulled the door open, and a gust of cold winter wind rushed in.

"Chloe, Mother's just saying that because she's angry! You know she has a soft heart!" Bianca screamed from behind. Her voice had lost its soft, sweet tone and was filled with obvious panic.

Ethan let out a low chuckle.

"Hear that?" he whispered to me, looking down. "Even a cornered rat will show its teeth when it's desperate."