Chapter 3

But this time, the family was prepared.

Before I could even reach the ballroom doors, Ethan's sister, Victoria, caught up to me in her high heels.

"Natalie, I know you're hurting, but Ethan has sacrificed a lot for you over the years, too. Don't make a scene today."

Just last month, she was teasing us about when we would get married, promising a massive wedding gift.

Beside her, Ethan's best friend, Tyler, blocked the door.

"Natalie... look, Ethan is a total jerk for this, but all the guests are watching. Do you really want to ruin his entire life?"

Last month, when his mother was sick and he was short on cash, I lent him ten thousand dollars.

He had literally cried, telling me that if Ethan ever treated me wrong, he would be the first to stand up for me.

Now, more and more people blocked my path.

Former friends, subordinates I had promoted, colleagues I used to grab lunch with...

I tried to push through them, screaming and crying like a wounded animal.

"Enough!"

A sharp voice cut through the chaos, and the crowd parted.

Ethan stood three paces away, looking dashing as ever in his tailored suit.

Meanwhile, my hair was a mess, my collar torn, and my dress covered in dirty footprints from the scuffle.

He stared at me in silence for a few seconds. His throat bobbed, and his voice sounded raw.

"Natalie, you can ruin me however you want later. But Chloe has a weak heart. She can't handle stress. Please, I'm begging you, don't do this in front of her."

It was the first time I had ever seen Ethan bow his head.

Once, when a client tried to humiliate him by forcing him to drink a table full of hard liquor, he drank until his stomach bled rather than apologize.

But now, for another woman, he was begging me.

The pain in my chest was suffocating.

With tears streaming down my face, I choked out the words:

"Ethan, you are a disgusting piece of trash!"

I grabbed his collar and slapped him across the face three times.

The sharp cracks echoed down the hallway.

Ethan's face was whipped to the side, swelling instantly. He wiped a trace of blood from his lip. "Are you done? If not, you can keep going."

His tone was almost indulgent, like he was comforting a throwing-a-tantrum child.

Looking at his confident face and the calm, enabling crowd behind him, those three slaps suddenly felt like they hit nothing.

They were absolutely sure I still loved him. They were sure I wouldn't actually ruin him, and that once I threw my tantrum, I would quietly leave.

My heart grew colder by the second.

I let go of his collar and stepped back.

A flash of surprise crossed Ethan's eyes, his brow furrowing. "Natalie..."

"Ethan, these five years, I'll just pretend I..."

Before I could finish, the ballroom doors swung open, and a soft, fragile voice called out, "What... what's going on here?"

Chloe stood at the doorway, looking like a fragile porcelain doll.

The coldness in Ethan's eyes melted instantly, his voice softening.

"Why did you come out? It's cold out here. You shouldn't catch a chill."

Seeing the bruises on his face, Chloe gasped, covering her mouth. "What happened? Ethan, who did this to you?"

Ethan quickly turned his face away. "Nothing, I just bumped into something. I'll have the makeup artist touch it up."

Chloe clenched her fists, her eyes darkening for a split second before she suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Natalie, right? Since you're here, why don't you come in and have a drink with us?"

She dragged me into the ballroom before I could resist.

At that moment, the giant projector screen was playing a slideshow of their love story.

On March 21st, when I worked three consecutive all-nighters just to fly back for our anniversary and ended up hospitalized from exhaustion...

They were watching the sunrise on a beach, kissing in the warm morning light.

On June 7th, when a massive storm hit New York and my flight faced such severe turbulence that I wrote Ethan a final love letter in terror...

They were stargazing on a mountain peak, making vows under a shooting star.

On August 19th, on Valentine's Day, when I was eating instant ramen and spending my last dollar to buy him an apology gift because I couldn't be there...

Ethan was holding 999 roses, proposing to Chloe surrounded by cheering friends and family.

Each picture felt like a burning dagger, slicing my heart to pieces.

I bit my lip so hard I could taste copper, refusing to let them see me cry.

"Natalie, now you know what it looks like when Ethan actually loves someone," Chloe whispered.

I looked at her in shock.

A sinister, smug smile played on her lips.

The next second, the ballroom speakers suddenly blasted a loud, embarrassing moan.

On the giant screen, my face appeared—flushed, looking at the camera, doing something private while calling out Ethan's name.