Chapter 4

For a solid thirty seconds, the living room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Scarlett looked utterly bewildered. "What did you just say?"

"I said, I agree to the divorce."

The divorce papers Zach drafted were right in my bag.

Just as I was about to pull them out, Scarlett suddenly let out a condescending laugh.

"Playing hard to get? Ethan, your tricks are too pathetic. I'm not falling for it!"

With that, she slammed the door and left.

For the next month, she didn't step foot in the house.

During that time, her best friend called me. "Scarlett got into a minor car accident and is in the hospital. You need to come see her."

I replied, "I'm not a doctor. Seeing me won't cure her. If she needs care, hire a nurse. Or, I'm sure Christian would be more than happy to do it."

I was stepping aside for them. Scarlett should have been thrilled.

But surprisingly, right after I hung up, Scarlett rushed home. The cold aura radiating from her was enough to freeze the room.

She didn't speak to me, but she silently prepared my breakfast and washed my clothes with a sullen face.

On top of that, she brought home a collectible mystery toy box every single day.

That was one of my few hobbies.

In the past, whenever I got one, I would take dozens of photos and show off our "sweet life" on my Instagram.

Now, those unopened boxes were just tossed into a corner, gathering dust.

Scarlett saw them but pretended nothing was wrong.

She seemed to have completely forgotten about the divorce.

Zach advised me not to rush things, so I didn't bring it up again either.

We lived in this tense, silent stalemate.

Seeing my low mood, Zach suggested we go out to clear my head, and I agreed.

We planned to meet at a newly opened country resort.

But the moment I got out of my car and walked through the entrance, someone grabbed my shoulder.

"Ethan? Are you stalking me again?"

The evening glow illuminated the clear delight on Scarlett’s face.

"I won't hold it against you this time. My friends are over there. Come join us. You know all of them."

Without giving me a choice, she dragged me into their private dining room.

Indeed, they were all familiar faces—including Christian.

When he saw me, his face stiffened before he put on a shocked expression. "Ethan? What are you doing here?"

Someone replied, "Ethan is Scarlett’s husband. Of course he can come."

Scarlett chimed in, "Don't offer me any drinks tonight. I have to drive."

The crowd teased her immediately.

"Oh, look who’s talking!"

"I guess having your husband around changes things."

"Who knew Scarlett could be so whipped?"

Scarlett didn't deny it. She just looked at me with a soft, smiling gaze.

Christian's face darkened. He looked at me provocatively. "It’s good that you're here, Ethan. I actually bought a gift on my way over. Why don't you help me take a look?"

Without waiting for my response, he pulled a velvet box from his pocket and opened it in front of Scarlett.

"Valentine's Day is in a few days. I had this custom-made. Scarlett, do you like it?"

Inside the box was a pair of matching couple rings.

He claimed he wanted my opinion, but his eyes were locked entirely on Scarlett.

His intention couldn't have been more obvious.

Finding this incredibly tedious, I stood up to leave. "I don't know anything about jewelry. I have somewhere else to be. Excuse me."

Scarlett bolted upright, panic washing over her face.

But Christian was faster. He ran to block my path, looking tearful and terrified.

"Ethan, please don't get the wrong idea! I just bought these for fun because they looked pretty. Scarlett and I really aren't what you think!"

As he spoke, he made sure to tilt the rings so the inner engravings faced me.

*Scarlett & Christian.*

And right between their names was a tiny heart.

The custom brand was the exact jewelry company Scarlett worked for.

Meeting Scarlett’s panicked eyes under the gaze of everyone in the room, I did something completely unexpected.