Chapter 3

By the time I realized their relationship was unusual, it was already too late.

We had been under pressure and constantly on edge all these years, and Ethan could bring Lily a different world.

He could help her relax.

As for me, three years of experience had made me more mature, and I spent every day running from dawn to dusk trying to secure deals, so there was no way I could be as reckless as Ethan and not care about anything.

We talked less and less, and every conversation was about work.

The look in her eyes when she looked at me also changed from the heat it once had to coldness. I tried many ways to fix our relationship, but each time she rejected me by saying she didn’t have time.

Just when I thought our three-year marriage was coming to an end, Lily suddenly proposed that we hold the wedding again.

She said no one could control her decisions now, and she wanted to fulfill the promise she had made back then.

At the time, I was so moved I was almost in tears, and I also believed what she said, that she and Ethan were just friends.

After all, we had grown up together, and after three years of marriage, a relationship was not something that could be severed so easily.

That was until Ethan showed me their chat history:

— Everything Noah has now was given to him by me. What right does he have to interfere in my business?

— Of course I love you the most. It’s just that there are still a few projects in the company that are in his hands, so giving him the right amount of comfort is also important. After all, we still need him to make money to support you.

— I already have your baby in my belly, so we need to make plans for the baby too.

Along with those messages was an ultrasound report.

We had been married for three years, but because I had to take care of her illness and the company, I had never touched Lily.

She also promised me that on the day of the wedding, she would give herself to me completely.

I believed her.

But after seeing the messages Ethan sent me, I gave up too.

Lily’s depression started the year Ethan went abroad.

And from beginning to end, I had only ever been Ethan’s replacement.

Now that I thought about it, our marriage might have been wrong from the very beginning.

I found a hotel to stay in for the time being, planning to rest well before going to talk to Lily about the divorce.

Who would have thought I’d be woken up the next day by a call from Lily?

The moment I answered, a barrage of insults came through the phone.

“Noah, today is our wedding. What do you mean by disappearing? Do you want the entire Hart family to become a laughingstock to the whole world?”

“I’m warning you, the wedding is about to start. If I don’t see you within ten minutes, don’t blame me for being rude!”

I pulled the phone away from my ear and listened calmly to her shouting. After she stopped, I asked, “What part of this wedding has anything to do with me?”

The venue and decorations were all planned by her and Ethan, and the whole point of holding it was to attract sponsorship.

Not a single part of it was for me.

“Lily, I already made myself very clear yesterday. I want a divorce. Even if the Hart family loses face now, that’s your own doing. Don’t blame anyone else!”

That one sentence completely enraged Lily. “Noah, if you don’t come over, I’ll have no choice but to use force!”

Force? I let out a cold laugh and said disdainfully, “You, Lily Hart, think you have the ability to drag me away by force while going around the law?”

“Noah! Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink—”

Before Lily could finish, I hung up.

I couldn’t sleep tossing and turning in bed, so I decided to go downstairs for a walk.

I had only gone a few yards when Lily’s bodyguards surrounded me.

In broad daylight, they didn’t dare act recklessly, so they could only stay locked in a standoff with me.

Lily had a high status, and this wedding was being livestreamed for the entire city to witness her happiness.

I looked up at the giant screen in the mall. The wedding had already started, but I was still standing where I was.

A man wearing a mask appeared on the screen.

Lily even joked very casually that the theme of their wedding was a masquerade.

I looked at the man standing beside Lily, and with just one glance I recognized Ethan.

Just like that, I watched from outside as they exchanged rings, embraced, and finally kissed.

Their kiss was both passionate and sincere.

They were almost lost in it, as if they wanted to melt into each other’s blood and bones.

After the wedding, Lily took Ethan around to toast the guests.

A few of the business partners I knew well noticed something was off and tested the waters. “We’re all old friends. Why is he still wearing a mask?”

Lily stood to the side, trying to smooth things over, but before she could speak, Ethan’s mask had already been taken off.

After seeing his face, everyone froze. “What’s going on?”

“We all came today because of Noah. And now you’ve pulled this kind of magic trick on us?”

As soon as those words came out, the livestream comments also exploded.

— Who is this guy? He doesn’t look anything like the man in the wedding photos!

— I think the groom didn’t want to show up, so the bride just found someone else to stand in and finish the wedding.

— You can just replace the groom at a wedding? Did the two of them team up to kick the groom out on purpose? That’s way too embarrassing. The man just now was the head of a real estate company, and he said he came for Noah. Could it be that the original groom didn’t want to come, and the bride didn’t want to waste the venue, so she just went with it?

— No one can really say for sure. When rich families get messy, how many of them are actually clean?

Seeing that things were going bad, Lily quickly explained, “I’m sorry, everyone. I’m really sorry, but my husband had a sudden accident and couldn’t make it to the scene, so we had no choice but to take this approach.”

“Two days ago, that young Noah was still talking business with me.”

“Mr. Brooks doesn’t know, but it was just last night that he came back and accidentally collided with a big truck. He’s still lying in a hospital bed right now.”

I lowered my head and looked at myself, perfectly fine.

Then I looked at the bodyguards surrounding me and smiled. “Did your小姐 tell you to bring me to the wedding venue no matter what it took?”

The bodyguards nodded. “Yes, Mr. Grant. Long time no see.”

“Let’s go.”

Right now, I was really looking forward to what Lily’s reaction would be when she saw me unconscious at the wedding.