Chapter 3

"Have you forgotten who bailed me out of jail?! Who paid for Mom's medical bills?! Go apologize to Mr. Vance right now!"

"Mark, I didn't cheat. He's the one who betrayed me."

"Be grateful for what you have, Elena! Mr. Vance has been more than generous to us. So what if there's a Sienna..."

He suddenly stopped himself.

I began to tremble, unable to believe what I was hearing.

"Mark... you knew about them? You knew this whole time?"

I desperately wanted him to say no.

I wanted to believe at least one person in my life hadn't lied to me.

But my own brother, the only family I had left, just sighed impatiently.

"Since you already know, why aren't you trying harder to keep Mr. Vance happy?"

"Everyone out there is calling you a whore! Who else is going to marry you if Mr. Vance dumps you? Cheating now is just stupid!"

I never thought I would hear such cruel words from him.

Just like Ethan's friends, he blamed me for everything.

"Just listen to me, Elena. Mr. Vance just hooked me up with a new job, and Mom's medical bills went up again this month. Just endure it."

I couldn't say a word.

After a long silence, I canceled the train ticket I had bought the night before.

In the beginning, Ethan was my savior. He funded my college education, took care of my family, and gave me a love I had never known.

But later, those favors came with a heavy price tag.

The first time he "lent" me out to his friend was right after he bailed Mark out of trouble.

The day he paid off my mother's massive hospital bill was the same day he brought Sienna into our home.

In Ethan's eyes, we were never equals.

My phone buzzed again. I picked it up.

"Did Mark talk to you? Stop throwing tantrums." Ethan's voice was cold.

I let out a mocking laugh.

"What do I have to pay with this time in exchange for Mark's new job?"

Ethan was silent for a second, his voice dropping a few degrees.

"You need to play plus-one for my friends for the next seven days. This afternoon, you're going with Connor. Don't embarrass me."

My face went pale. This was my "anniversary week" punishment.

That afternoon, Connor picked me up and took me to a high-end restaurant.

He and his family clearly looked down on me, but at least the dinner passed without anyone throwing things.

After the dinner, I was about to get into Connor's car to go home.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my hair and yanked me backward onto the asphalt.

"You bitch! I'm Connor's actual girlfriend!"

Before I could even speak, a hard slap landed squarely on my cheek.

My vision went black.

Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Connor's panicked voice.

"Chloe! What are you doing here?"

"You're having dinner with this cheap side piece and you expect me to sit out?"

Connor didn't even attempt to explain or defend me.

He stood by and watched as his girlfriend slapped me over and over.

She kicked me in the ribs, and I collapsed onto the pavement.

The wound on my forehead tore open, and blood began to trickle into my eyes, blurring my vision.

Through the crimson haze, I thought I saw a familiar figure standing not far away.

It looked like Ethan.

The shock and worry on his face were things I hadn't seen in years.

But as he took a step toward me, Sienna grabbed his arm and whispered something in his ear.

Ethan froze, looking at me with a complicated, conflicted expression.

I guess it wasn't a hallucination.

A hallucination of Ethan wouldn't just stand there and watch me get beaten.

Once Chloe had taken her anger out on me, Connor dragged her away.

Only then did Ethan walk over. He picked me up in silence.

He didn't explain anything.

Even though I was covered in bruises and bleeding, he only called a private doctor to patch me up.

I slept to escape the agonizing pain.

But my sleep was restless. At one point, I heard Connor's voice from the hallway.

"Ethan, my girlfriend didn't mean it. Just tell me how much I owe you for the damages."

But Ethan only consoled him.

"Don't worry about it. I was the one who asked you to take her out. If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't have been able to take Sienna back to the Vance estate without my parents noticing."

"That's true. Well, for the sake of your happiness with Sienna, we're happy to help."

I covered my ears, crying silently in the dark.

When I woke up again, Ethan was sitting by my bed, his face full of gentle concern.

"Don't worry. I won't let you go out again until your injuries are healed."

He leaned close to my ear, whispering with a strange, hidden excitement.

"Once you're healed, we'll get married."

I didn't ask who he was marrying.

Me? Or Sienna?

But before the wedding could even happen, Julian arrived.