Chapter 3

"Valerie."

Ethan stood at the bedroom door, fastening his cuffs as he reminded me.

"Don't you have plans at nine?"

I quickly checked the time.

8:40 AM.

I had barely slept last night, and I had actually forgotten to set my alarm.

I didn't have time to look at my phone anymore. I jumped out of bed.

Today, I had planned to visit his grandmother at nine to help her with some gardening.

I had a strict sense of time and was never late.

Except for once in high school.

It was a Monday. There was a massive pile-up on the highway, and traffic was deadlocked.

I had jumped off the bus halfway and run all the way to the classroom, gasping for breath.

The teacher for that class was extremely strict and hated tardiness.

There was only one minute left.

Ethan was walking ahead, staring at his phone, his pace leisurely.

Just one step away from the classroom door, he suddenly stopped.

He squatted down and began to tie his shoelaces slowly.

It looked like he was waiting for something.

He could have easily made it inside, but instead, he got locked out of the classroom with me.

It wasn't until I saw Serena panting as she ran up from behind us that I finally understood.

He was waiting for her.

In the living room, I looked back at him.

Ethan was sitting at the dining table, sipping his coffee.

An impulse suddenly took over me, and I wanted him to drive me.

"Ethan, I'm running late. Are you busy?"

In our seven years of marriage, this was the first time I had ever asked him for a favor like this.

If he just said, "I'll drive you."

I think I would have been happy for a very long time.

But he just glanced down at his watch.

"I'll have my driver take you."

I froze for a moment.

"Okay. Thank you."

"Thank you" was a phrase we used all the time in our daily lives.

Thank you for the gift. Thank you for grabbing my coat.

We were as polite as roommates who had lived together for years. We didn't look like a married couple at all.

Thanks to his driver, I wasn't late.

Grandma Evelyn was already waiting for me in the garden.

She wore a sun hat, bending over to prune the roses.

We had met in a community garden years ago.

She loved flowers, but her children and grandchildren were always too busy to keep her company, so she always went alone.

I went to that garden often too.

She always said that even the most beautiful flowers needed patient care.

Slowly, we got to know each other.

We became close friends despite the age gap.

Back then, I didn't know she was Ethan's grandmother.

During our casual chats, she would only mention that she had a rebellious, troublesome grandson.

Until one day, Ethan came to pick her up.

"Valerie,"

Grandma Evelyn waved her hand in front of my face.

"What's wrong? You seem distracted today."

I had cut several wrong branches.

I snapped out of it and shook my head with a smile.

She noticed my unusual behavior and asked,

"Did you and Ethan have a fight?"

I shook my head.

Let alone fighting, we had never even had an argument.

"Ethan is a bit emotionally clueless. I'll give him a piece of my mind later."

Hearing the word "clueless" used to describe Ethan was almost funny.

In high school, he was the crush of countless girls.

He came from a wealthy family and was incredibly handsome.

More than that, he was an absolute romantic.

Before the winter formal, he had the entire lobby filled with white roses just because Serena once said they were her favorite.

On New Year's Eve, he didn't go home just so he could set off fireworks outside the classroom window while she was studying.

I had received white roses and watched fireworks before.

But it was always because of Serena.

My thoughts were a mess.

Later, I married him.

But I never saw that passionate side of Ethan again.

As the breeze swept through the garden, a sudden realization hit me, explaining my unusual behavior since last night—

I was afraid.