Chapter 4

Before the heavy doors slammed shut behind me, I heard Blair's mocking, playful voice.

"Wow, Ethan, you're such a loyal friend. Giving up your bride for your bestie."

"But hey, if you want to run after her, we won't judge you too hard."

Then came Ethan's arrogant, confident voice:

"She has nowhere else to go. No one else will ever want her."

They actually made a five-million-dollar bet. Ethan bet that within three days, I would crawl back to him on my knees, begging for his forgiveness.

At that moment, my heart turned to ash.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

It didn't even ring for three seconds before the call was picked up.

"I'm hosting a wedding in three days," I said, my voice hollow. "I need a groom."

The voice on the other end didn't hesitate for a single second. "I'll see you in three days."

Just then, my phone buzzed with a Snapchat message from my Nana, who was resting at home.

"My sweet Chloe, is the wedding over? I cooked your favorite food at home. I'm waiting for you and Ethan to come back."

I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat, not daring to tell her the truth.

I forced my voice to sound cheerful as I sent a voice note back:

"I got it, Nana! I'm on my way back to see you right now. Ethan has a business dinner tonight, so he won't be joining us!"

Before getting into the cab, I couldn't help but look back at Ethan's mansion one last time.

Ethan and Blair were surrounded by a cheering crowd. Under the pressure of their friends' teasing, Ethan's ears turned red.

My cheek still burned from the slap. Tears, once dry, filled my eyes again.

I covered my face, refusing to let anyone see how pathetic I looked.

...

I didn't even remember how I made it home.

By the time I snapped out of it, I had practically ruined the food on my plate by poking at it endlessly.

Seeing my red eyes, Nana quickly put down her fork and pulled me into her warm embrace.

She asked softly, "My sweet girl, tell Nana. Did that boy Ethan hurt you again?"

Looking into Nana's loving, worried eyes, I finally broke down and sobbed.

"Nana... let's pack up and move away from this city, okay?"

I didn't get an answer for a long time. When I looked up in confusion, a warm tear from Nana fell onto my cheek.

"Okay, my darling. Nana promises you. Wherever you go, Nana will go with you to take care of you."

"If this marriage doesn't make you happy, we won't do it. Nana only wants you to be happy."

I buried my face in her chest and cried my heart out, letting go of years of accumulated pain.

The next morning, as I was packing our suitcases, my Instagram app buzzed with a notification.

It was a post from Blair. She was wearing a matching ski suit, snuggling closely into Ethan's chest. They looked exactly like a deeply in love couple.

The caption read: "Skiing with my favorite human."

My hands froze. A little plush snowman keychain fell out of my coat pocket.

Ethan had given it to me, promising to take me skiing once he was less busy with work because I had never seen real snow.

But I never got that trip.

It turned out he wasn't busy. He just chose to spend his time on someone else.

I let out a bitter laugh and threw the keychain straight into the trash can.

Suddenly, a loud scream came from Nana's room.

I burst through the door. Nana was collapsed on the floor, gasping for air in extreme pain.

Her phone lay cracked on the ground, and Ethan's loud, harsh voice was still playing through the speaker: "...she was assaulted!"

"Chloe... is it true?" Nana wheezed, her eyes filled with tears of pure agony. "When did you suffer so much...?"

"It's my fault... Nana failed to protect you..."

Nana clutched her chest, her face turning pale and blue.

My medical instincts kicked in instantly.

Nana was having a massive heart attack!