Chapter 3

When Ethan finally returned home, he carried the distinct scent of hotel-brand body wash.

"The meeting ran incredibly late last night, so I just grabbed a room at the hotel next to the office," he explained, his eyes carefully avoiding mine.

"Is that so?" I said softly, stepping forward to straighten his tie. "You must be exhausted."

"Chloe... are you okay?" He finally seemed to sense that something was off.

He looked down at me, his brows furrowed in confusion. "You seem... different today."

I looked up at his face. This was the face I had adored with every fiber of my being for seven years. Now, looking at him, I felt nothing but a dull, exhausting numbness.

"Do I?" I replied casually. "I'm probably just tired from work."

He reached out to take my hand, but I instinctively took a step back, letting his hand hang awkwardly in mid-air.

A flash of unease crossed his face.

"Have I been neglecting you lately because of work?" he asked, stepping closer to try and smooth things over.

"Things are just crazy at the firm right now. Once the IPO is done, I’ll take you on a vacation. Didn't you say you wanted to go to Iceland to see the Northern Lights?"

The Northern Lights.

Yes, I had begged him to take me to Iceland for seven straight years.

And every single year, he would tell me, *“Next year, babe. We’ll go next year.”*

Year after year, the Northern Lights remained in the sky, but my love for him had completely withered away.

"No need," I said, looking down as I organized some files on the table. "I don't really care about seeing them anymore."

He stunned, clearly not expecting me to reject the offer so flatly.

"Chloe, you—"

Suddenly, his phone rang. A custom ringtone played, and I instantly knew who was on the other end.

He glanced at the screen, panic flaring in his eyes as he immediately declined the call.

"Why didn't you answer?" I asked.

"Just... a spam caller," he lied, his eyes darting around.

I gave him a faint smile and didn't press further.

After dinner, he claimed there was an emergency at the office and rushed out the door again.

I knew he was going to see Victoria.

I didn't stop him. I just stood by the window, watching his car pull out of the driveway.

Then, I turned around and continued wiping away every single trace of my existence from our apartment.

Later that night, my mother called.

"Chloe, the Vance family has finalized everything. The ceremony will be in three days."

"Julian heard that you agreed to the marriage, and he immediately booked a flight back from London. He said he wants to personally welcome you home."

I froze for a moment.

To be honest, I had zero expectations for this unknown fiancé.

This marriage was nothing more than an escape route for me to leave this city and my shattered past behind.

But Julian's immediate return surprised me.

"I’ve already booked your flight," my mother continued. "Tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 PM. Julian will be waiting for you at the airport arrivals gate."

"Understood, Mom."

I hung up and looked at the calendar on the wall.

Three days left.

My seven-year history with Ethan was down to its final seventy-two hours.

As evening fell, a text notification lit up my phone screen. It was from Victoria.

*“Tomorrow at 3:00 PM. The cafe downtown. Let’s talk.”*

My first instinct was to ignore it, but after a moment of thought, I typed back:

*“Sure.”*

It was time to put an end to this chapter once and for all.

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