Chapter 2

The boiling soup was about to splash onto my stomach.

Instinctively, I scrambled backward.

The bowl crashed onto the hardwood floor, shattering into pieces.

The sharp, piercing screech of breaking ceramic exploded in the living room.

My pupils dilated. My breathing stopped.

My PTSD flared up.

My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor, tightly covering my ears.

My entire body began to shake violently.

Hearing the commotion, Ethan rushed out of the kitchen like a gust of wind.

He didn't even look at me curling on the floor.

Instead, his first instinct was to rush over and pull the completely unharmed Lily into his arms.

"Lily! Did you get burned? Are you okay?"

His voice was thick with panic and concern.

Lily leaned into his chest, shaking her head tearfully.

"I'm fine... but Chloe..."

Ethan snapped his head toward me, his eyes burning with disgust and fury.

"Chloe! Lily was nice enough to bring you food, and you pushed her?!"

"Do you have any idea how hot this soup is? What if she got scarred? She's just a young girl!"

I raised my trembling head.

My ears were still buzzing loudly, and the man's face before me blurred.

This was the man I had loved for five years.

He was the one who once ran home through a thunderstorm just to hold me close and cover my ears.

He had said:

"Don't be scared, Chloe. As long as I'm here, I'll never let anything frighten you."

Now, for another woman, he was spitting venom at me.

I bit my lip and forced myself to stand up against the wall.

I dug my nails deep into my palms, using the physical pain to claw back my sanity.

"I didn't push her," I rasped, my voice raw. "She dropped the bowl herself."

Hearing this, Lily's tears flowed even faster.

"Chloe, how can you say that?"

"I know you don't want me staying here. You think I'm stealing Ethan's attention."

"But you didn't have to do this just to kick me out."

She sobbed, shrinking further behind Ethan's back.

Ethan was entirely livid now.

He took a step forward and gripped my wrist with crushing force.

"Chloe, when did you become so malicious?"

"Lily is only twenty. What does she even know?"

"You're about to be a mother. How can your heart be this filthy?"

Suddenly, I found it hilarious. And I actually laughed out loud.

"Ethan, whose heart is the filthy one here?"

"Do you dare to swear that your feelings for her are strictly charity?"

Ethan froze.

Guilt flickered in his eyes, which only fueled his explosive rage.

"What nonsense are you talking about?! You are completely unreasonable!"

I yanked my hand back with all my might.

"Since you think I'm so unreasonable, let's get a divorce."

The living room fell into a dead silence.

Ethan stunned for a moment, then let out a mocking laugh.

"Divorce?"

"Chloe, you can't even support yourself without me. What are you going to survive on?"

"Don't think you can threaten me with divorce just to get your way. I'm not humoring your tantrums anymore."

He irritably pulled out a cigarette, then turned to Lily.

"Lily, go change your clothes."

"Some people have ruined the air in here. Let me take you out for French cuisine."

Lily nodded obediently.

The front door slammed shut.

I didn't clean up the mess on the floor.

Instead, I walked into the bedroom, packing my clothes and legal documents into a suitcase, one by one.