Chapter 2

"It's fine. I can handle the pain. It'll pass."

Besides, now that I was pregnant, I couldn't just take painkillers anyway.

"Handle it? I'm not too broke to buy you painkillers. Wait here."

Just as Ethan was about to head out, his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and answered immediately. "Ethan, I have a fever. Can you take me to the hospital?"

Her voice was tiny, trembling with tears. She sounded so fragile and helpless.

"Where are you now?" Ethan’s voice was filled with panic, terrified that something might happen to Chloe.

"I'm at home. It’s so late... before you come over, please let Clara know. I don't want her to misunderstand."

"Misunderstand what?" Ethan glanced at me a few times. "What I do is none of her business."

He hung up the phone and got ready to leave without even looking at me.

"Ethan," I called out.

He paused, his voice filled with impatience. "Clara, Chloe has a fever. I have to go check on her. Your chest pain is an old issue. You won't die if you wait a bit. Stop being so dramatic."

Right. Her fever was a life-or-death emergency, while my deep scar was just me being "dramatic."

I forced myself to ignore the pain and pointed at the car keys on the table. "Don't forget these."

He froze for a second, picked up the keys, and looked at me. "Once I get Chloe settled, I'll buy your medicine."

I didn't say a word. I just watched his retreating back.

I waited at home for a long time, but Ethan never came back.

When the pain became unbearable, I called my OB-GYN. She told me my pregnancy was highly unstable and advised against taking any medication.

She urged me to come to the hospital immediately.

I called an ambulance. Just as I was about to rest for a bit, I saw Chloe’s new Instagram post.

"No matter what happens, your shoulder is always my anchor. It feels so good."

The attached photo was a shot of Ethan’s back as he stood at the registration desk in the emergency room.

She made no effort to hide how much Ethan cared about her.

The comments section was flooded again: Oh my god, girl! Isn't that the same guy who gave you the 999 roses?

Did you actually lock him down?

Spill the tea! Is he really a beast in bed?

Chloe replied with another blushing emoji.

She didn't say yes, but she didn't deny it either, leaving everything to the imagination.

A few minutes later, Chloe sent me a video on Snapchat. It was Ethan picking up her medicine. In the video, Ethan’s eyes were full of worry, constantly lecturing her to take care of herself.

She texted: Clara, please don't worry. I'm really sick and at the hospital.

I saw right through her little games.

But for some reason, my heart still ached.

Six months ago, I was feeling incredibly sick and asked Ethan to accompany me to the hospital. Do you know what he said?

He said, "Clara, I'm not a doctor. Stop calling me for every little thing."

"Do you have any idea how valuable my time is? A single minute of mine could close a multi-million dollar deal. Stop annoying me."

In the end, I had dragged my weak body to the hospital alone, where I ran into his friend, Tyler.

"Clara? Why are you here alone? Ethan didn't come with you?"

I looked at Tyler, nodded politely, and said, "He’s busy. He didn't have time."

"Right. I just saw him walking out of the OB-GYN department with Chloe. He definitely doesn't have time."

My heart went cold. I made an excuse to leave, but Tyler blocked my path. "What’s the rush? Since we ran into each other, why don't we grab dinner?"

"No, thank you. I'm not feeling well. I'll have Ethan invite you to dinner another day."

Tyler sneered with utter disdain. "You? Please. You still think you’re with Ethan? I thought you guys broke up ages ago."

I stared at him, anger rising within me, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the empty fire escape. "Do you know what Ethan told me the last time we hung out?"

"He said you’re completely boring and stiff in bed. He told me I should take you and teach you a few things."