Chapter 3

He washed his face and went upstairs to tell my mom, "Guess what — the school scholarship came through."

That's where Ethan Ford came into it. He met me on that hallway.

He was visiting his grandfather. He passed hematology and saw me curled up on the bench.

Later he told me he stood there watching me for five whole minutes.

"You were smiling in your sleep," he said. "I wanted to know what you were dreaming about."

That was the first thing he ever said to me.

Seven years together, and I buried The Velvet Room deep.

Not because I was ashamed. Because I knew — nobody listens to your side.

You say "I only poured drinks," they hear "so you were a hooker."

I thought I'd buried it deep enough.

Until last night. The night before the wedding.

Ethan took a call in his study. His voice was low, but I could hear every word through the door.

"You saw something? Vanessa gave it to you?"

"…Just a few photos. I already knew she'd worked in a place like that. You don't need to remind me."

He hung up. Opened the door. Saw me standing there.

He said nothing. Just reached out and ruffled my hair.

"Get some sleep."

That was the moment my gut told me — tomorrow's wedding was going to blow up.

But I didn't ask.

Seven years, and I never asked him a single thing about The Velvet Room.

I was scared. One question, and everything would shatter.

Turns out it shattered anyway. In front of five hundred people. Into dust.

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By morning my head was still full of static.

Ethan hauled me over to his family's estate for the "welcome brunch."

His mother sat on a stiff-backed chair. A pretty girl stood next to her.

I'd seen her picture before. Vanessa. Vanessa Chiang.

When I knelt down with the traditional cup for her, Mrs. Ford didn't take it.

"Stay down there," she said, calmly fingering her pearls. "Ethan insisted on marrying you. Fine. I couldn't stop him. But we're setting some ground rules."

"One. Once you're inside this family, your past is dead. Nobody talks about it. If anyone asks, you keep your mouth shut. Can't manage that yourself? I'll manage it for you."

"Two. Vanessa is like a daughter to me. She and Ethan grew up together. You marry in, fine — but stay out of her way."

Stay out of her way?

The cup shook in my hands.

Vanessa let out a soft little sniff. "Auntie, what are you saying? She's my pure, innocent sister-in-law."

She bit down hard on *pure*.

Her eyes screamed the opposite.

Mrs. Ford patted her hand, doting.

I held that cup up for a full hour. My arm was on fire. Finally she reached for it.

I thought — thank God, she's finally going to drink it.

Next second.

Splash.

Right in my face.

"Brunch is over. You can leave."

In the car back, I didn't say a word from the backseat.

Ethan drove one-handed, glancing at me in the rearview.

"Cat got your tongue?"

I shook my head.

"You're mad over *that*? Baby, that's nothing —"

"I'm fine," I said.

I wasn't fine. I was thinking that maybe this whole thing needed to end.

That night I sat up on the edge of the bed, eyes wide open till dawn.

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