Chapter 4

Ethan's breath hitched, and he froze.

"Chloe, are you insane? I worked so hard on this wedding, and you treated it like a sick joke?"

Lily stood behind him, looking timid but still chiming in.

"Chloe, how could you hurt Ethan like this? He loves you so much. He just said he would plan an even bigger wedding for you."

He loves me?

For a second, I felt a wave of daze.

Five years ago, Ethan had traveled to over ten cities with me just to accompany me for my exams. He had set off fireworks for me at midnight on my birthdays. He had made so many promises when he loved me most.

Now, hearing the word "love" from their mouths felt incredibly cheap.

I pulled a used pregnancy test out from behind my back.

"Then explain this."

Lily's face turned as white as a sheet.

I locked eyes with her. "I found this in the trash can. Lily, you don't even have a boyfriend, do you?"

Ethan snatched the pregnancy test from my hand and snarled,

"Chloe, who gave you the right to dig through the trash? This is her private business. What does it have to do with you?"

Lily sobbed, her voice pleading.

"Chloe, I'm an adult. Can you stop interfering in my life?"

"So you admit it's yours?"

I pulled out my phone.

"Fine. If you don't want me to interfere, I'll let Mom and Dad handle it."

Ethan slapped the back of my hand, sending my phone flying across the room.

"I slept with Lily."

A sudden wave of dizziness hit me, and my ears rang.

"Ethan... how could you?"

Hearing this, Lily looked at me in panic.

Ethan grabbed her hand.

"I got drunk at that gala last month and mistook her for you. We slept together."

He pointed at the silk pajama set on the bed. "She was wearing that."

My fingernails dug deep into my palms, but I couldn't feel any physical pain.

Just as I raised my hand to slap Lily, my mother burst through the door.

She violently pushed my hand away.

"Chloe! How dare you try to hit Lily!"

Ten minutes ago, I had caught a glimpse of my parents standing outside the door.

They had been quietly watching everything.

They only rushed in to stop me the moment I raised my hand against Lily.

My parents fussed over Lily, wiping her tears with tissues.

I was left standing there like an outsider.

After a long silence, my mother walked over and sighed.

"Chloe, since what's done is done, stop being so petty."

"Go sign the papers with Ethan. Let Lily have the baby, and you can raise it as your own."

Ethan chuckled, a playful smirk on his face.

"Babe, once we're married, we'll be family. You can't honestly be jealous of Lily, can you?"

I looked down and opened a video on my phone.

It was security footage showing Ethan and Lily passionately kissing the moment they stepped out of the elevator, all the way until they unlocked the apartment door.

He looked perfectly sober. He even shielded her head with his hand so she wouldn't bump into the doorframe.

Below the video was a text from a friend:

"Don't let them gaslight you. I pulled the hallway security footage for you."

I saved the video and sent a quick reply to Julian.

"See you at City Hall on Monday morning at 8:00 AM."