Chapter 4

Ethan tensed instantly, casting a cautious look at me.

"Chloe, Victoria hasn't found a decent place to rent yet. Can she crash here for a few days?"

I gave a quiet nod.

"Sure."

"We're broken up anyway. You can bring whoever you want home."

Ethan froze, his tone softening desperately.

"Chloe, I'm not breaking up with you."

"I swear, Victoria is only staying for a couple of days."

Victoria strolled into the room, leaning casually against Ethan.

"Couldn't find any slippers, so I grabbed yours."

"I haven't had breakfast yet. Go make me some sunny-side-up eggs and noodles."

Ethan glanced at me apologetically.

"Chloe, let me make her breakfast first. Her stomach acts up easily."

"I'll explain everything to you in a minute."

Victoria pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"So, Chloe, you're the 'perfect wife material' Ethan keeps talking about?"

I covered my nose and mouth, saying nothing.

Victoria blew a cloud of smoke right into my face.

"How innocent. Can't even stand a little smoke?"

"You're so bland. I'm shocked Ethan managed to swallow you for five years."

I snapped back coldly,

"No matter how bland I am, Ethan chose to stay with me for five years."

"Unlike you, crawling back to your ex after five years of getting played."

Victoria burst into mocking laughter, doubling over.

"Chloe, you're adorably naive."

"Let me tell you the truth. Ethan only dated you because of a bet with me."

A bet?

"For five years, Ethan was at my beck and call."

"He never spent a single one of your birthdays with you because he was with me."

"Last year, when you had your appendix removed and he claimed he was on a business trip? He was on vacation with me in Miami."

"Over the past five years, Ethan proposed to me ten times."

Victoria crushed her cigarette butt directly onto our framed anniversary photo, burning a gaping hole right through my face.

She flashed a venomous smile.

"And by the way, 'bland' wasn't my word. It was Ethan's."

"He said your looks are bland, your life is bland, and in bed, you're even blander."

My dignity shattered into dust.

The agonizing heartbreak instantly morphed into blinding, roaring fury.

My hands clenched until my nails dug into my palms.

Victoria smirked in satisfaction, turning to leave, but paused at the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

"The day your mother passed away, you called Ethan sobbing."

"However long you cried on the phone was exactly how long we hooked up."

"Your cries were lovely, honestly. No wonder Ethan enjoyed it."

I snapped.

My arm swung out, and I slapped Victoria across the face with everything I had.

"You're proud of being a filthy homewrecker, aren't you?!"

Victoria clutched her cheek, shock and fury twisting her features.

Ethan charged into the room, instantly shielding Victoria behind his back.

"Chloe, have you lost your mind?!"

"I thought you were kind and gentle! How could you raise a hand against Victoria?!"

"I'm the one who didn't handle things properly. Victoria is completely innocent!"

I stared at the man I had loved for five years, finding his face utterly grotesque.

The pain in my chest erupted into burning hatred.

I grabbed a heavy hardcover book from the desk and hurled it straight at his head.

"Ethan, you're damn right it's your fault!"

"If you two couldn't let each other go, why drag me into your sick game?! What was I to you, a buffer between your messy lives?!"

"Five years! From twenty-three to twenty-eight, the absolute prime of my youth!"

"And it was completely trashed by two pieces of garbage more repulsive than maggots!"

A swollen bruise bloomed on Ethan's forehead. He reached out to grab my arm.

"Chloe, just wait for me to fix this..."

I violently yanked my arm away.

"Ethan, I've waited for five whole years!"

"This time, I'm done waiting. We're over!"