Chapter 3

I stared at him in disbelief, my heart racing with pure fury. I couldn't believe those disgusting words had actually come out of Ethan’s mouth.

Seeing him lean in to kiss me, I fought with everything I had. I finally managed to break free.

But as I ran out, I saw Ethan at the other end of the hallway, holding Chloe’s waist intimately.

"Ethan!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

The man at the end of the hall didn't even flinch. He kept his arm around Chloe’s waist and walked away.

As Chloe left, she looked back at me. Her eyes were filled with pure, mocking triumph.

Even she could hear me. There was no way Ethan didn't. He just chose to ignore me.

That night, Ethan came home very late, his face dark with anger. He immediately demanded, "Why did you hit my friend at the hospital today?”

“ Just because I didn't go with you, you took your anger out on Tyler? Clara, you are completely out of your mind."

Faced with his roaring anger, I brushed my hair back, exposing the red, swollen side of my face.

Tyler was a grown man, and the physical difference between us was huge. I couldn't even touch him.

He had twisted the story completely.

"Did you go to the hospital today and not get your meds?"

He didn't even ask how I got the bruise on my face.

I took a deep breath and told him everything that had happened in the stairwell.

The more he listened, the uglier his expression became. "What kind of lies are you telling now?"

"I know Tyler way better than you do. Are you making up stories about my friend just to get my attention?"

"Using something like this to get back at me... you are unbelievable!"

"You're not even his type. I must have been blind to marry such a paranoid, jealous woman."

A five-year crush, two years of dating, and three years of marriage. So this was who I was in Ethan's eyes.

Ten years of devotion, and I couldn't even get a shred of his trust.

Every single word he said sliced through my heart.

I didn't say another word to him that night. I went straight to the guest room.

The next morning, he bought breakfast and apologized to me.

He said he was sorry, and that he shouldn't have said those harsh words.

I used to think a simple breakfast could heal my broken heart, because Ethan rarely admitted he was wrong.

But I was wrong.

When I saw how Ethan ran around serving Chloe at the hospital, my heart still burned with pain and unfairness.

I clenched my fists and sent a message to my college mentor, Ryan. "Is your associate Jessica free? I want her to help me draft a divorce agreement."

The next time I woke up, it was because Ethan was making noise in the room.

He stood by the bed, looking down at me. "Are you feeling better?"

His tone was cold, completely devoid of any real concern.

I pulled the blanket tighter around myself. "I'm fine."

Seeing my movement, he frowned. "Why are you hiding? Is there any part of your body I haven't seen? Get up. I'm taking you out to eat."

I bit my lip and said nothing.

I didn't want to fight with him anymore, so I changed my clothes and followed him downstairs.

"We'll eat first, then buy some medicine to keep at home."

"No need. The wound is mostly healed. It doesn't hurt unless I apply pressure."

Ethan stared at my face for a few seconds before speaking. "True. It’s been so many years. It should have healed by now."

"It’s much better when you don't play the victim. I might actually respect you a bit more."

A mocking smile touched my lips. So all these years, when my scar hurt, he thought I was just "playing the victim."

Back then, I had pushed Ethan out of the way and took three stab wounds for him. I almost died on the operating table. How could it not hurt?

Seeing that I was quiet, Ethan started the car and began explaining why he didn't come home last night.

"I was planning to come back, but I couldn't just leave Chloe alone at the hospital. She’s just a young girl."

"Of course. She really needs you to look after her."

Ethan suddenly made a sharp turn and slammed on the brakes. I lurched forward, almost hitting my forehead on the dashboard.

"We're here."

I murmured an agreement, opened the car door, and prepared to step out. Suddenly, a ring rolled out from under the passenger seat.