Chapter 3

The expression on Ethan's face shifted from shock to anger, and finally into a complex mix of emotions.

"Fine. Great," he said through clenched teeth, his eyes colder than I had ever seen them.

"Then let me ask you, since you’ve already taken half of the company's shares, why are you spreading rumors online!"

Behind him, Heather’s eyes were red, looking pitiful.

"It's my fault. Maybe I shouldn't have come back."

The weaker she acted, the more heartbroken Ethan became.

"Heather, you're just too kind. That's why she gets to bully you like this!"

Taking advantage of their bickering, I pulled out my phone and checked Twitter.

It turned out someone had anonymously leaked that the real reason for Ethan's divorce was Heather's interference.

They had even posted a wedding photo of Ethan and me from ten years ago.

Although Ethan’s PR team quickly took down the trending topics, the public backlash had already spread on Twitter and Instagram.

I put away my phone, my tone flat:

"The leak is factual, but I didn't do it."

Ethan sneered. "Other than you, who else would have such malice toward Heather?"

Heather pulled at his sleeve, gently advising: "Ethan, let's just forget about it."

"The wedding is the day after tomorrow. If Nicole is willing to be my maid of honor, those rumors will naturally fall apart."

"Me, a maid of honor?" I almost thought I heard wrong. "Ethan, is this your idea too?"

Ethan looked at me blankly. "You owe Heather an apology. This is your chance to make amends."

"Remember to smile. Let everyone see that we parted on good terms."

With that, he wrapped his arm around Heather and turned to leave.

As he reached the door, he paused, suddenly looking back at the empty living room.

He frowned, a hint of unnoticed panic in his voice, "You’ve emptied out everything in the house?"

I didn't answer his question.

"Don't worry, I will show up at your wedding on time."

Ethan wanted to say something more, but Heather gently pulled his sleeve.

"Ethan, the bridal boutique is waiting for us to try on the outfits."

Ethan gave me a long look, but ultimately left with Heather.

That night, Heather posted the wedding invitation on Instagram, specifically noting that I would attend as the maid of honor.

Ethan also updated his feed: "Finally putting a wedding dress on you."

In the video, Heather was wearing a custom mermaid-style wedding gown, looking breathtakingly beautiful.

That wedding dress was the exact one I had been amazed by while scrolling through my phone long ago, showing it to him.

Back then, he had said: "Once the company stabilizes, I’ll definitely give you a proper wedding, and you’ll wear this exact dress."

So, he did remember.

It was just that the bride in his heart was never me.

In my dazed state, I heard the System's notification:

【Time remaining before departure: 24 hours.】