Chapter 2

Looking at Chloe’s arrogant face, I almost laughed out loud.

Did Julian’s so-called "success" not come from the estate Sarah left behind?

He had taken control of his late wife’s entire fortune while loudly claiming he was just pursuing his "lost true love." Did he not find himself pathetic?

I ignored them both and turned to leave, but Chloe grabbed my arm again.

Her voice was sharp with annoyance. "Stop playing hard to get. If you want to extort us, just say it. I want to see just how shameless you can be."

But as she spoke, her eyes fell on the brand-new wedding band on my ring finger. Her face paled instantly.

She grabbed my hand. "This isn't our wedding ring. Why are you wearing a ring?"

I yanked my hand back, my voice freezing cold. "That is none of your business."

Years ago, I had personally designed a wedding ring for Chloe. She had mocked it for looking cheap and outdated, and she never wore it once. Yet, I had worn mine every single day of our five-year marriage.

The moment we walked out of the court with our divorce finalized, I threw that ring into the trash.

The ring I was wearing now was placed on my finger by the woman who truly loved me.

Julian glanced at my hand and let out a mocking laugh.

"Drop the act, Ethan. If we weren't related, I wouldn't even waste my breath on someone like you. Since he wants to play the proud victim, Chloe, let’s just leave him."

He was practically radiating arrogance. It was as if he had completely forgotten how his family went bankrupt years ago. It was my parents who took him in and paid for his college tuition.

But instead of studying, he hung out with local gangs and secretly hooked up with Chloe, who was my childhood sweetheart.

Later, he only married Sarah because he had gotten her pregnant.

Back then, Chloe and Julian weren't officially together, and I was so focused on my studies that I didn't notice any of the red flags.

I still remembered the night Julian married Sarah. Chloe had stood beneath my apartment building in the freezing rain.

Worried she’d catch a cold, I rushed down with a jacket to wrap around her.

She had stood on her tiptoes, kissed me, and said with tears in her eyes, "Ethan, I’ve always known how much you love me. I want to be with you. Will you be my boyfriend?"

When we went to college, I majored in aviation, and she became my classmate. We were the golden couple in everyone's eyes.

For her eighteenth birthday, she made a wish to always be my co-pilot.

I had been living in that beautiful dream until Julian returned with his wife and daughter. That was when everything between Chloe and me began to rot.

She started comparing everything we had to Julian’s family.

She said Sarah had a five-carat diamond ring, so she demanded one too. I spent all my savings to buy her one, but she never wore it.

She said Sarah's outdoor garden wedding was beautiful, so she made me change our venue from a luxury hotel to an outdoor lawn last minute.

I thought she was just insecure. But the moment Sarah died in that accident, Chloe couldn't wait to hand me the divorce papers.

I remembered it was her birthday. I had cooked a table full of her favorite dishes and bought a beautiful gift. But all she brought home was a divorce petition.

"Ethan, Julian is so lonely and miserable. How is a single man supposed to raise a little girl? You'll understand me, right?"

"Julian’s life has been so hard. He deserves to be happy."

She just wanted a noble excuse to abandon me.

That was the moment I realized I was nothing but her second choice—a safety net.

So, in this life, I chose to let go. I wanted to live my own life.

But fate loved to play jokes.

Seeing my silence, Julian’s smirk grew wider. He turned to the crowd, trying to spin the narrative.

"Tell you what, Ethan. Since you're my brother, if you get down on your knees, apologize, and promise never to bother Chloe again, I can use my connections to find you a job."

"At least you won't have to live like a beggar."

The crowd, thoroughly manipulated by his words, began pointing fingers at me, calling me a pathetic loser who couldn't let go of his rich ex-wife.

Several people even pulled out their phones to record, threatening to post it on TikTok.

But my face remained completely calm. "No, thanks."

"I work for the airline. Being here today is purely work-related."

Hearing this, Chloe's face shifted. She blurted out, "But your hand... how can you still—"

She stopped herself, then let out a cold laugh.

"Ethan, you really are a pathological liar. Your right hand was severely injured in that car accident years ago. The doctor said you'd never fly a plane again. Why are you still lying just to save face?"