Chapter 3

I didn’t respond to what Ethan said at the end.

I also didn’t act cute like before and say, “Fine, I forgive you this time, but next time I’m really adding a star!”

Instead, I quietly hung up.

Then I went back to our home and smashed both glass jars.

After I finished packing, I sent Ethan one message: “This ends here.”

After sending it, I deleted every way he could contact me.

It was time for me to start over.

Only after I returned to my own little place did I finally feel truly relaxed.

At last, I didn’t have to keep up a perfect image on purpose, and I could be myself without holding back.

After showering, I put on a red bodycon dress and did a soft, innocent-but-sexy makeup look.

I bought this dress and never wore it. It had just sat at the bottom of the closet.

That was only because Ethan said he liked me best in white dresses, looking pure and innocent.

So I kept up the whole sweet, innocent-girl image.

But after pretending for so long, I was tired too.

Once everything was ready, I called a friend and asked, “Want to go to a bar?”

“I’m in. That’s a first!”

“Lily, do you know how long it’s been since we went out together?”

When she said that, I felt guilty and bit my lower lip.

Ever since I got together with Ethan, I had centered my whole life around him.

I spent every day worrying about whether he slept well, whether work was tiring, and whether he had eaten.

And I had neglected my friends.

We only chatted online. Meeting in person felt like ages ago.

I was just about to apologize when she suddenly got excited.

“Hurry up and come out. I haven’t even taken off my makeup yet. Same old place!”

I smiled and agreed.

She was still the same as always, not changed at all.

When I got to the entrance of the bar, I lowered my head and played on my phone while waiting for her.

All of a sudden, someone slapped my butt from behind, and I jumped and turned around.

“Sophie! I knew it was you!”

“હીehee, you finally stopped acting like a sweet little innocent girl. Do you know you look amazing like this?”

“Come on, strike a pose. I’ll take a picture of you.”

I complained with my mouth, but my body honestly pretended to fix my hair.

Only after seeing the photo did I realize how beautiful and captivating I looked in this style.

Sophie pulled me inside, and once we sat on the couch, she ordered a ton of stuff from the server.

Then she took out her phone and showed me her Ins.

She had posted the photo she just took of me on Ins.

In just five minutes, it already had over a hundred likes.

Most of them were compliments from girls.

There were also old classmates.

“Haven’t seen Lily dress like this in so long. She looks seriously stunning!”

There was also one especially annoying comment.

It was from Ethan.

“Tell her to call me back.”

He was still acting all superior.

I cursed him in my head: What an asshole.

Before long, everything arrived.

Snacks, alcohol, and male models.

I stared at her in shock.

She only draped an arm over my shoulder and said, “Your boyfriend finally let you out today, so shouldn’t we have some real fun?”

“We broke up,” I said casually, spearing a piece of fruit and putting it in my mouth.

“He dumped you?” Her voice got so loud it nearly drowned out the music.

“I dumped him.” I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

“Nice. You finally woke up.” She looked at me like a proud mother whose daughter had finally grown up.

“So now I want to find someone rich,” I said, pushing her face away.

“Love can be fake, but money is real,” I joked.

“I think I’m pretty rich.”

A deep male voice rang out.

Sophie and I both turned to look.

The man had his legs crossed and was lightly swirling the wine glass in his hand.

It was Ethan’s brother, Adrian.

“So, how about considering me?”