Chapter 4

"I've already read the notebook in your study."

"Can you stop being so hypocritical? It makes me sick."

Ethan's face turned instantly pale. He clearly hadn't expected me to crack the lock. He reached out to grab me, flustered.

"Chloe, listen to me. That was from years ago when Melody and I were dating. Don't misunderstand."

"You know we broke up. We're just friends now. I can't just ignore her when she needs help."

I let out a bitter laugh, my tears and anger finally exploding.

"So, you keep a beautifully wrapped notebook of a 'just friend' for eight years?"

He had even put a custom leather cover on the notebook, and every single photo of Melody was carefully laminated.

He was so afraid they would get damaged.

Meanwhile, the wedding anniversary gifts I bought him every year were thrown carelessly into some dusty corner of the house.

"You say she's just a friend. Fine. Throw that notebook into the fireplace right now."

At those words, Ethan's face darkened, and his remaining patience evaporated.

"Enough, Chloe! Be reasonable! Everyone has things from their past they keep. It's just a notebook, it doesn't mean anything!"

"Can you stop making a scene over nothing?"

Making a scene over nothing?

When Melody asked him to wear that ridiculous pink bunny headband, something he despised, he complied with nothing but indulgent smiles.

But when it came to me, all I wanted was an explanation.

An explanation from my husband, and it was labeled as "making a scene"?

I didn't understand, and honestly, I didn't want to understand anymore.

I let out a long sigh, feeling utterly exhausted.

I stopped arguing, turned away from him, and started packing my clothes into a suitcase.

Realizing what I was doing, Ethan panicked and rushed forward.

"Okay, Chloe, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I lost my temper."

"Stop packing. Melody is still downstairs. What will she think if she hears us?"

In his heart, everything I did was just a tantrum.

But Melody's manipulation was considered graceful and refined.

I slammed his hands away. My cold, hard attitude made him freeze.

"Don't touch me!"

Before Ethan could say anything else, Melody appeared at the doorway, limping and leaning against the frame.

Her eyes were red, looking incredibly pitiful.

"Ethan... my mom is pressuring me to get married again. She wants me to bring a boyfriend home today."

"Otherwise, she's going to force me to marry that creepy old businessman who's ten years older than me."

She looked so fragile, a perfect damsel in distress.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Ethan lost any desire to comfort me. He pushed me aside.

I lost my balance and fell hard against the ceramic vase on the balcony.

Ethan's mind was so consumed by Melody that he didn't even realize how hard he had shoved me.

He scooped Melody up in his arms and rushed downstairs, throwing a final warning over his shoulder.

"Chloe, stop throwing tantrums. My patience has its limits. Don't push me."

His patience with Melody was infinite.

But with me, every single word I said was a test of his limits.

I pushed myself up from the floor, my eyes burning red. I sprinted down the stairs, caught up to him, and slapped the divorce papers right onto his face.

"You're not leaving this house until you sign this!"

I grabbed his arm with all the strength I had left.

My eyes were filled with pure, unyielding resolve.

Ethan froze, unable to move forward.

Melody began to cry even louder.

Her weeping finally pushed me over the edge, releasing all the rage I had suppressed for years.

I glared at her, bypassed Ethan, and slapped her across the face with everything I had.

"Are you done acting yet? You and I both know damn well nobody is forcing you to marry anyone!"

"Ah! Ethan!"

Melody shrieked and hid behind Ethan's back.

"What did I do to make Chloe hate me this much?"

She cried hysterically.

Suddenly, a massive force struck my cheek. The impact sent me crashing to the floor.

My hands landed right on the decorative cactus by the door, the needles burying themselves deep into my palms.

"Have you lost your mind? You're pure evil! Melody is being forced into a marriage, and you have the audacity to hurt her!"

"You absolute monster!"

He pointed a finger at my face, screaming at the top of his lungs.

But then, he saw the trail of blood trickling down the corner of my mouth.

His voice died down. His eyes flickered with a brief moment of hesitation, but his voice remained harsh.

"This is a lesson for you. Keep your hands to yourself and stop bullying Melody."

The front door slammed shut.

The stinging pain in my palms reminded me of the brutal truth: Ethan, the man I had dated for three years and been married to for eight, had just laid his hands on me.

The last spark of hope in my heart died.

I looked at my phone. A Snapchat message from Sebastian was on the screen.

"Everything is ready. Just say the word, and the Miller Group is gone."

I let out a soft laugh.

"Do it. Destroy him. And Sebastian, do me one more favor. Send some reporters over."

...

On his way to the office, the image of Chloe's final, despairing look kept flashing in Ethan's mind.

His chest tightened with an uneasy, suffocating feeling.

Thinking about the slap he had impulsively given her, he pulled at his collar, feeling incredibly frustrated.

He pulled out his phone and texted her.

"Chloe, I bought your favorite strawberry cake. I'm sorry about earlier. Let's talk when I get home."

The moment he sent the message, a red exclamation mark appeared.

His mind went completely blank. Chloe had blocked him.

Before he could process the panic rising in his chest, Melody grabbed his arm anxiously.

"Ethan, why are there so many employees gathered outside the office?"

Then, his assistant's phone call came through, sounding like a death toll.

"Mr. Miller, we have a massive crisis."