Chapter 4

Ethan let out a sigh of relief.

"Babe, see? I made her leave. Can you stop being mad now?"

There wasn’t a shred of actual remorse in his voice.

I didn't even have the energy to fight him. I brushed past his hand and went back into the room.

I climbed into bed and pulled the duvet over my head.

He thought I had fallen asleep.

After some time, the buzzing of a phone woke me up.

It was Ethan’s phone, sitting right on the nightstand.

The screen lit up with a notification from "Little Raindrop."

[Ethan, did your wife make things difficult for you again?]

I picked up his phone. There was no passcode.

Wow, he really trusted me, didn't he?

I opened Snapchat and scrolled up.

The screen was filled with messages between him and Serena from while I was supposedly asleep.

Serena: [I’m so sorry, Ethan. I caused another fight between you and Chloe.]

Ethan: [Don't overthink it. That's just how she is. She’s dramatic, petty, and narrow-minded. Just ignore her.]

Dramatic, petty, and narrow-minded.

So that was what I was to him.

Serena: [It’s all my fault. I shouldn't have insisted on coming.]

Ethan: [It’s not your fault. I’m the one who wanted you here.]

Ethan: [You’re still the best. Not like some people who only know how to ruin the mood.]

It felt like an icy hand was squeezing my heart, making it impossible to breathe.

They even started reminiscing about their college trips together.

[Those were the days. Just the two of us.]

It turned out I was the third wheel all along.

With a cold face, I grabbed my own phone.

I took clear photos of every single line of their chat history.

Then, I placed his phone back exactly where it was.

A short while later, Ethan walked back into the room.

He forced a smile. "Babe, you’re awake?"

I flinched away from his hand. That hand had probably just been stroking Serena’s hair moments ago.

I asked, "Where are you going?"

"Zach and the guys invited me to the hotel bar. They said they wanted to apologize to me."

His eyes darted away guiltily.

I locked my gaze onto his. "Ethan, we are on our honeymoon."

He glared back at me, losing his patience.

"Honeymoon, honeymoon! Can you give me a break?"

"What’s wrong with hanging out with friends? Do we have to be glued to each other's faces 24/7?"

With that, he slammed the door and stormed out.

I waited two minutes, then quietly followed him.

At the hotel's outdoor lounge bar, I spotted them immediately.

They were playing Truth or Dare.

The bottle spun and pointed directly at Serena. Zach cheered, telling her to pick Dare.

"I dare you to unbuckle Ethan’s belt!"

Serena giggled coyly. "You guys are so bad!"

Yet, she was already kneeling right in front of Ethan.

Ethan casually wrapped his hand around her waist.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, she reached out, parted his unbuttoned shirt, and let her fingers slide provocatively across his abs.

Then, her hand slid lower, unbuckling his belt.

Ethan stared down at her the entire time, a self-satisfied, indulgent smirk on his face.

I waited until she was completely finished before walking straight over to their booth and sitting down.

The smirk on Ethan’s face froze. He instinctively let go of Serena, scrambling to put some distance between them.

He clearly hadn't expected me to follow him.

The atmosphere turned painfully awkward for a few seconds before Zach laughed it off.

"Hey, Chloe’s here! Come join the game!"

I didn't say a word. I just picked up a glass of alcohol in front of me.

Someone nervously spun the bottle again to keep the game going, asking Serena: "Who's your favorite person here?"

She shot a shy, longing glance at Ethan.

"My favorite is definitely Ethan."

With that, she buried her face right into Ethan's chest.

Ethan looked at her with pure adoration, reaching out to gently ruffle her hair.

The table erupted in cheers and catcalls.

Then someone else asked, "And who do you dislike the most?"

Serena put on an innocent face, her voice dripping with mock sadness as her eyes locked directly onto me.

"Oh, I don't dislike anyone! I’m just a little scared of people who are miserable and want to make everyone else miserable too."

The people at the table laughed along.

Just then, the bottle spun and landed on Ethan.

"Ethan! Dare! Kiss Serena!"

Serena protested weakly, "But his wife is watching..."

Yet she pressed her body even closer to Ethan, tilting her face up, her eyes full of anticipation.

Everyone’s eyes locked onto him.

Ethan picked up his glass and took a sip.

He didn't move.

His buddy Zach stepped in to smooth things over. "Okay, let's change it. Truth instead."

He stared at Ethan, drawing out his words.

"Ethan, if you weren't married, would you have married Serena?"