Chapter 3

His words made me tremble with anger.

I yanked my arm away and replied calmly, "Whatever you do for her has nothing to do with me."

My reaction only seemed to infuriate him more.

"If this isn't jealousy, then what is? Since when did you become so cold?"

He looked at me with disgust.

"I'm going out of town for a business trip for a few days. Stay home and think about what you've done!"

"Call me when you've cleared your head."

With that, he slammed the door and left.

Instead of feeling upset, I felt a wave of relief.

Good. Finally, some peace and quiet.

I had the best sleep of my life.

The next day, I went to a meeting with a client for a translation project.

The meeting went incredibly well. They were extremely pleased with my draft and signed the contract on the spot.

Afterward, the project manager smiled and said, "Chloe, I haven't seen you looking this vibrant in a long time. Any good news?"

I smiled back and nodded. "Yes, actually. I'm getting a divorce."

She blinked in surprise, then patted my shoulder. "Well, that is indeed something to celebrate."

"Let me know if you need anything. I know a few excellent divorce lawyers."

I invited her to dinner to celebrate.

That evening, I arrived at the restaurant on time.

But the moment I walked in, I ran into the last person I wanted to see.

Ethan looked at me with pleasant surprise. "Chloe? How did you know I was here?"

He grabbed my hand intimately and pulled me toward his table.

"Perfect timing. I'm having dinner with some major real estate developers. Come help me chat them up and keep the drinks flowing."

He practically dragged me into a private dining room filled with smoke and loud chatter.

Halfway through the dinner, the door swung open.

Hailey, wearing a pristine white sundress, walked in holding a birthday cake.

"Happy birthday, Ethan!"

Her smile froze the second she saw me.

But she quickly masked it, walking over to grab my arm.

"Oh, I didn't know Chloe was here too! This is great, we're throwing a birthday bash for Ethan!"

"And celebrating him winning that massive project!"

I pulled my arm out of her grip.

Hailey put on a hurt expression. "I'm sorry, Chloe. Did I hurt your arm?"

"Yes. I don't like being touched by people, especially you," I said, my voice loud enough for the entire room to hear.

"A grade-A pick-me girl, no matter how sweet she acts, is still just trash."

The moment the words left my mouth, Hailey burst into tears, looking utterly defenseless.

Ethan immediately shielded her behind him, glaring at me.

"Chloe! Have you had enough? Today is my birthday! Can't you act like an adult for once?"

"Why do you keep targeting Hailey? What did she ever do to you?"

Sensing the tension, the other guests quickly stepped in to defuse the situation, raising their glasses to toast.

Hailey hid behind Ethan, and Ethan drank every single shot for her.

Seeing this, the crowd turned their targets toward me.

Seeing me stand there motionless, Ethan demanded coldly,

"Hailey has already humbled herself to apologize. Everyone is trying to give you an out. What more do you want?"

Hailey added in a whimpering, innocent voice,

"Yes, Chloe. Ethan and I are really just friends. Please don't misunderstand."

"Yeah, Chloe, just have a drink. Don't ruin the mood for everyone," others chimed in.

I picked up the wine glass in front of me. Under everyone's expectant gazes, I stood up.

Then, I threw the full glass of red wine straight into Ethan and Hailey's faces.

With a sharp swing, I slammed the glass onto the floor.

With a loud shatter, the entire room fell dead silent.

I looked at them, a smirk playing on my lips. "If you two are going to cheat on me, at least have the decency not to do it in front of my face."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked out.