Chapter 4

Having just come out of major surgery, I had zero strength to fight back. I was terrified Ethan would actually suffocate me to death for Hailey’s sake.

I weakly grabbed his wrist. "No... I just wanted to... to know if that was the one from my personal safe."

Ethan slowly released his grip.

I gasped for air like a drowning person suddenly pulled to the surface, coughing violently.

"So what if it is? Hailey actually likes it. At least it has some value now!"

"Every time I get close to another woman, you get so paranoid and passive-aggressive! Do you know what my business partners say about me? They say I’m henpecked! It's humiliating!"

In the past, I would have argued with him until we were both blue in the face.

But now, with all the love drained from my heart, none of it mattered anymore.

I would just get my things back, piece by piece, and watch them burn.

Once Ethan finished his rant and fell silent, I looked at him calmly. "If you're done, please turn off the light on your way out. I need to sleep."

His face flushed red with anger. He spat out, "Only dead people sleep in the dark," before slamming the door and storming out.

He was clearly infuriated by my complete lack of reaction.

For the next few days, Ethan never showed his face at the hospital.

The next time I saw him was on his friend Marcus’s Instagram story.

They were at a private indoor pool party. In the photo, Ethan’s hand was wrapped snugly around Hailey’s bare waist.

I went to scroll past it, but my finger accidentally tapped the screen, leaving a like.

A second later, Ethan's call came through.

"Are you at home? I'll pick you up in a bit. Come hang out with us."

When I didn't answer, he added, "It'll be good for you to relax. Stop moping around the house like some miserable hag."

"Okay," I replied, keeping my voice level.

My divorce was already in motion. There was no need to make a scene right now. If I angered him too early, he might try to hide his assets, and I would be the one losing out.

Ethan arrived shortly after to pick me up. Surprisingly, Hailey wasn't in the passenger seat.

When we arrived at the venue, his friend Marcus walked over to greet me. "Chloe! Hey, about Hailey's promotion party last week... I chose the venue and forgot to send you an invite. My bad. Let me buy you a drink to make up for it."

Marcus downed his shot.

I just smiled and said nothing.

But Marcus kept pushing, trying to act familiar. "By the way, I saw you at a cafe the other day chatting and laughing with the CEO of Bennett Enterprises. Are you guys close?"

Ah. So that was why he was being so nice. He had an agenda.

"The thing is, our company has been trying to land a contract with Bennett Enterprises lately. But a massive conglomerate like them won't even give us the time of day. We can't even get a meeting with their VP. If you have a connection, could you help a brother out?"

"I always knew you were smart, Chloe. A top graduate from Wharton Business School must have a crazy network compared to us."

He was lowering his own status just to flatter me.

But before I could speak, Ethan walked over. "Her? Know someone at Bennett Enterprises? She's just a housewife who cooks and cleans, and she can't even do that right. Honestly, mentioning Wharton and her in the same sentence is an insult to the school!"

I turned my head to look at his mocking face.

The air around us went dead silent.

Marcus quickly tried to smooth things over. "Come on, Ethan, don't say that. You can't get into Wharton on luck alone. Chloe clearly has talent."

"Don't ruin my chances here! I'm relying on your wife to help me make my fortune!"

Ethan rolled his eyes and playfully kicked Marcus’s shin. "Get back to work!"

They had rented an outdoor pool area with a private barbecue tent. Marcus quickly ran off to help with the grill, reminding me to keep his request in mind.

Once he was gone, Ethan looked me up and down.

"Do you really know the CEO of Bennett Enterprises?"

I shook my head. "Marcus probably needs glasses. He got the wrong person. I have no idea what Bennett Enterprises is."

Ethan chuckled, relaxed. "Figures. If you knew someone like that, pigs would fly."

### 0