Chapter 3

Daisy stood in front of Ethan with red eyes, speaking defensively on his behalf.

"Chloe, in front of the police, how could you not leave Ethan any dignity?"

Even Ethan spoke in a dark, warning tone. "Chloe, I don't care how much of a tantrum you throw at home, but don't cause trouble in public. Otherwise, I won't tolerate it anymore!"

I slammed the car door shut, walked over to the police officer who was watching the drama, and insisted on filing a formal report.

This time, I wouldn't let things go.

My decision to resign from my job back then was entirely Ethan's fault.

It wasn't just because he criticized me for neglecting the home, but because he had taken the financial project data I was responsible for and given it to Daisy for her graduation thesis.

Because the data was leaked ahead of schedule, I was almost arrested as a corporate spy.

While I was locked in a holding cell for an entire night, Ethan was busy sending Daisy off at the airport.

Every single time, he chose to blame me unconditionally.

"Daisy is my mentor's daughter. Is it wrong for me to look after her? Learn your place!"

But why did his gratitude have to be paid with my suffering?

Ethan and Daisy were both taken to the police station to give their statements, while I went home to pack my bags.

Standing at the entrance of our apartment complex, watching the bustling traffic, I felt a sudden wave of emptiness.

Eventually, Lily rushed over, cursing the entire way. If I hadn't stopped her, she would have driven straight to the police station to run them over.

I said nothing, went inside her apartment, and fell asleep immediately.

By the time I woke up, the sky was already dark.

I saw a text from Lily. She had ordered dinner for me and said she would be back late.

So, when the doorbell rang, I thought it was the food delivery.

But when I opened the door, Ethan was standing there.

Before I could slam the door, he forced a bouquet of red roses into my arms, his tone placating.

"Chloe, I came to apologize. I didn't expect Daisy to lose the necklace. Please stop being mad, okay?"

"The police are already checking the security cameras. We'll find it. But do you have any idea what your little stunt this morning did? The job Daisy worked so hard to get was canceled."

"Let's be reasonable. You went too far this time. Daisy came back to the country specifically for this job, and now years of her hard work are ruined because of you."

My movements froze. I slammed the door shut with all my strength.

The heavy security door collided with Ethan's shin. He let out a painful groan and bent over, clutching his leg.

"Chloe, how did you become so unreasonable?"

In his eyes, I was always the unreasonable one, the one making a scene out of nothing.

The bouquet of roses slipped from my hands and hit the floor, a card sliding out from the petals.

I recognized the familiar, elegant handwriting on it.

"Hope my princess Daisy is always happy."

It was signed by Ethan.

I felt like my hands had been contaminated.

"Ethan, I'll have my lawyer draft the divorce papers and mail them to you in a few days. We're done."

"What do you mean we're done? If we don't resolve this today, I'm not leaving."

Ethan propped his arm against the doorframe, his face dark.

I knew this was the prefix to his temper, but before I could do anything, his phone rang. It was Daisy.

Ethan's face changed instantly.

He turned slightly away, his voice dropping into a soft, comforting whisper. "Don't cry. I'm coming right now."