Chapter 3

At the charity gala tonight, half of Hollywood was present.

I held Ethan's arm, a polite smile plastered on my face.

"Pick whatever you like later," Ethan whispered, leaning in close.

Following his gaze, I saw the cameras aimed at us. I widened my smile, but my eyes remained icy.

To anyone looking, we were the perfect loving couple. Chloe couldn't stand it.

As soon as I walked into the restroom, she followed me in.

"Mrs. Vance, you really are incredibly generous! Your husband is practically sleeping around in broad daylight, and you still act like nothing's wrong." She emphasized "Mrs. Vance" with dripping sarcasm.

I grabbed a paper towel and replied calmly, "Don't you want to be in my shoes?"

She blinked, confused. "What?"

"The title of Mrs. Vance. Ethan adores you so much. Why don't you ask him if he's willing to give you this spot?"

Chloe's face flushed red, then pale. She knew that despite Ethan’s endless flings over the years, no woman had ever managed to replace me.

"Even if you keep the title, you still can't hold onto his heart!" She sneered when I remained silent, then strutted out.

I watched her leave and smiled bitterly.

The highlight of the auction tonight was the "Angel’s Tear," a stunning sapphire necklace symbolizing eternal love.

"Nine million going twice, nine million..."

"Ten million," Ethan raised his paddle, drawing gasps from the crowd.

"Mr. Vance bids ten million! Any other bids?"

Silence.

"Ten million, going three times. Sold!"

All the women in the room looked at me with envy. I smiled bitterly. They were envying the wrong person.

Chloe turned back, her eyes filled with affection.

“Baby, it’s yours.”

I stared at Ethan's silent mouth movements. He was mouthing those words to Chloe. My heart throbbed with a sharp, unbearable pain.

The following week at the film festival, Chloe showed up wearing that very necklace. Ethan held her hand as they walked the red carpet together.

Under the guise of movie promotion, they flirted openly in front of the cameras.

Ethan won the Best Actor award that night. He stood on the stage, looking tall and handsome.

"To win this award, the person I want to thank most is my wife. She is also here tonight."

He scanned the crowd, his eyes finally landing on Chloe's direction.

"Chloe, thank you!" Ethan blew a kiss.

The usually reserved man was confessing his love in public. The surrounding guests and audience turned to tease me, but I felt like I had been plunged into an ice cellar.

Everyone thought he was saying "Harley," my nickname. But I knew better. He always called me by my full name, Harlow. He never used sweet nicknames for me anymore.

The camera panned to me. I pinched my thigh hard, forcing a tight, painful smile.

Once the camera moved away, I glanced at Chloe. She had a smug grin on her face, looking at me defiantly.

I couldn't understand how Ethan could be so cruel as to use me as a prop for his public flirtation with Chloe.

In the middle of the roaring crowd, my heart felt like it was buried under freezing ice.

I didn't want to join the final group photo on stage, but Leo dragged me up.

I stood on Ethan's left, and Chloe stood on his right.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. The stage scaffolding collapsed.

Before I could even react, I fell through the gaps. The last image I saw was Ethan shielding Chloe tightly in his arms.

Even though I had given up on him a thousand times, a tiny, foolish part of me had still hoped.

I closed my eyes and let the darkness take me.