Chapter 3

At first, we were simply landlord and tenant.

We truly became close after a terrifying incident.

One night, I finished my last yoga class and returned to the apartment building after eleven.

After getting off the bus, I felt as if someone was following closely behind me, maintaining a distance that was neither too near nor too far.

My heart tightened.

Reason told me not to panic.

So I quickened my pace toward the apartment building and hurriedly pressed the elevator button.

A man wearing a hat and mask drew closer and closer. My heart pounded, and fear rose into my throat.

When the elevator arrived, I hurried inside, closed the doors, and pressed every button above the middle floors.

When the elevator reached the fourth floor, I ran out.

As I reached the corner of the hallway, I collided with Ethan, who was carrying a ladder.

“Help me! Someone’s following me!”

I grabbed Ethan’s arm and cried out for help in a panic, as if he were the last lifeline left in my life.

Ethan gave me a steady look.

Before he could even answer, he chased after the man, grabbed him, and punched and kicked him while shouting, “You sick freak! If you ever follow her again, I’ll break your legs!”

At six feet tall, Ethan looked incredibly strong and handsome.

At that moment, my heart seemed to stop.

I developed a special feeling for him.

Standing by the entryway, I looked at the empty apartment and down the hallway filled with memories, then let out a deep sigh.

“Six years of your youth, and a partner with such great conditions. Are you really giving him up just like that? You won’t regret it?”

My coworker, Mia, couldn’t help sighing when she heard that I had broken up.

“I won’t regret it. Even if we kept dragging things out, we wouldn’t have had a future.”

I answered calmly while stirring instant coffee.

“Even without Victoria, we would have broken up eventually. He’s always been rational and clear-headed.”

“If he had a better option, of course he wouldn’t choose me. I can understand that now.” I lowered my head after finally accepting reality.

“Look at Victoria’s Instagram. She’s showing off again.”

Mia sounded agitated, as if she had just discovered the juiciest gossip.

Although I had no intention of looking, I somehow opened Victoria’s latest post.

One picture showed Ethan and Victoria with their cheeks pressed together, and another showed the opening of a flower shop.

The caption read:

【My husband finally agreed to show his face.】

People teased them and offered their congratulations in the comments.

【You’re already calling him your husband. Does that mean the wedding is coming soon?】

【I’m so jealous. You found someone handsome who matches your background.】

【Your fiancé spoils you so much. He knows you love flowers, so he opened a flower shop for you.】

【Congratulations! We’re waiting for the wedding feast!】

Heh.

I pulled my lips into a stiff, mocking smile.

What a perfect, well-matched couple.

So Ethan’s business venture was opening a flower shop for Victoria.

I thought about my former self, who had stayed up all night writing a business plan to encourage Ethan to start his own company.

I never expected that he had no interest in that at all. The business venture he had talked about couldn’t compare with his desire to pamper his wife.

From beginning to end, I had only been an immature supporting character.

“Chloe, why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Don’t be sad. Come out for a drink. They say alcohol makes all your troubles disappear!”

After Mia repeatedly urged me, I went to a bar with her.

The interior was colorful and dazzling, and music thundered through the room.

I hadn’t been to a bar in years, and every cell in my body felt out of place.