Chapter 4

We had planned our registration date a long time ago.

I had half expected Ethan to have forgotten.

Even standing at the entrance of the marriage registration office, it felt like a dream.

My phone buzzed. A message from my boss.

"Ava, have you really decided to resign?"

My mind was a mess.

I had no idea what to say back.

The wind was picking up. Before long I was shivering.

I pulled my coat tighter and found a spot out of the wind.

One hour passed, then another.

I watched the wind die down and start up again, but Ethan never appeared.

He had lied to me again.

When I touched my ice-cold cheek, I felt a sudden urge to laugh.

Calls went unanswered. Texts went unread.

I walked all the way to the bank, and my phone stayed silent the entire time.

At least the cold had cleared my head.

I walked inside and checked the account balance.

Before I entered the PIN, I still felt a small flicker of hope.

Then I saw the number on the screen.

Twenty thousand dollars.

My chest went cold.

Not enough for one of Autumn's handbags.

Ethan had been a senior engineer, then started his own company. It was not that he did not have money.

He just was not willing to spend it on me.

I stood outside the bank for a long time, then finally sent the message I had typed out.

"I have decided. I am resigning."

My boss replied in seconds.

"Come in first."

I supposed I had to deal with the paperwork anyway.

I dried my tears and headed over.

But the moment I stepped into the office, I was hit with a shower of confetti and streamers.

"Congratulations, Ava!"

My coworkers' cheers filled my ears from every direction.

I stood there completely lost, staring at them.

Then someone threw an arm around my shoulder.

"Do not hold back, Ava. Just laugh. Let it out."

"The latest issue went viral. The revenue is more than all of ours combined."

A coworker smiled and pushed the numbers in front of me.

The figures were so big I had to count the digits twice.

The comments had already crossed a million.

The most-liked one asked whether the manga was based on real people.

Autumn replied: yes.

A few minutes later, she posted a video on her social media.

"Thank you all for asking. Here is my boyfriend."

"Everything in the manga is just our everyday life."

I stared at the video without blinking.

The noise around me seemed to dissolve into static.

Because the person standing beside Autumn was Ethan.