Chapter 3

Ethan looks at me like I am filth.

But his face is pale.

Under his jacket, I can still see the edge of a hospital gown.

The anesthesia has not even fully worn off, but he still rushes back to protect Chloe from me.

Two years ago, when I collapsed from overwork and ended up in the ICU, the hospital called him because they needed family consent.

On the phone, Ethan only said, "Once she's rested, tell her to get back to work."

The two days I took to recover later became his excuse to cut my bonus.

The second Chloe sees Ethan, her eyes turn red.

Ethan sees her wounded face, then glances at the broken glass on the floor. His expression sinks into something ugly.

He takes out his phone.

"Olivia Reed tried to cut my fiancée. I want to press charges for attempted assault."

The taste of blood spreads in my mouth.

I don't get one chance to explain before the officers lead me out.

The moment I step outside, dozens of cameras flash in my face.

"Mrs. Blackwell, is it true you've been stalking and investigating your husband for three years?"

"Is it true you tried to hurt his fiancée while Mr. Blackwell was in surgery?"

People shove toward me.

I can barely stand.

A camera hits my forehead and splits the skin.

When Ethan comes downstairs and sees it, he frowns.

For one stupid second, I think he will stop them.

Instead, he steps forward and says in a deep voice, "This is my family matter. Stay out of it."

It sounds like he is protecting me.

But he has just confirmed everything they accused me of.

Beside him, Chloe lowers her head like a victim.

A tiny laugh slips from her throat.

The last bit of expectation in me disappears.

At the police station, Ethan looks down at me.

"Apologize to Chloe."

"What if I don't?"

His voice turns colder. "Then I'll pursue the trespassing charge to the end."

"Trespassing."

I close my eyes and laugh.

When we bought that house, Ethan was so happy he pulled me around the garden again and again.

He said I would always be the woman of that home.

So forever only lasts three years.

Ethan frowns and starts to speak, but Chloe cuts in with wet eyes.

"Maybe we should just let it go. I mean, I was scared, but Olivia is only acting this way because she's jealous…"

Ethan's face hardens at once.

"Apologize."

When I stay silent, his warning drops lower.

"If you still want your father safe in the hospital."

My mind goes blank.

My father has been recovering from a stroke for three years in a private hospital owned by the Blackwell family.

I used to think that was love.

Now I understand every kind gesture has a price.

I look at Ethan, and suddenly I lose the strength to argue.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I shouldn't have entered your home. I shouldn't have bothered your fiancée. Is that enough?"

Ethan's brows pull tighter instead.

After two seconds of silence, he takes out a document.

"As long as you stop harassing Chloe, you'll get your fair share of the assets."

I grip the divorce papers.

"As for your position at the company, Chloe has already taken over."

"She's young and smart. She's adapting well."

His face softens when he says her name.

My pen pauses over the paper.

I am the one who stood beside him and helped build Blackwell Group from nothing.

I am the one who handled every dinner, every investor, every room full of men who wanted drinks before numbers.

More than once, I drank until my stomach bled.

During the busiest stretch, I barely went home. I slept on the office couch for over a month.

But now, he has forgotten all of it.

The winter wind cuts straight through me.

I breathe out a cloud of white air.

Under Ethan's stare, I sign my name.

When he sees how fast I do it, one brow lifts.

"You don't want to check the asset split a few more times? If I say I want the house back, will you give it to me?"

Ethan goes quiet for a long moment.

"Everything except that."

My lips part.

Then I suddenly feel tired.

Fine.

It is only a house.

If he won't give it back, then I don't want it.