Chapter 2

I stared at him in utter disbelief.

Ethan stood in the crowd, looking down at me with a detached, analytical gaze, as if calculating whether the amount of blood I was losing was fatal.

Then, without a word or a shred of emotion on his face, he turned to shield a trembling Chloe and walked away.

I collapsed into the pool of blood, completely losing consciousness.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital ward. The sterile smell of disinfectant mixed with a faint scent of fresh apples brought me back to reality.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Ethan sitting by my bedside, peeling an apple.

"You're awake. I'm sorry. My therapist said I made a mistake this time."

"He said I shouldn't have simply calculated the medical risks and pushed you out. But based on the scenario at that moment, if the woman had snapped, Chloe’s carotid artery would have been severed, causing instant death. You, on the other hand, would only be stabbed in the abdomen, which is highly survivable."

"From an analytical standpoint, I made the right call."

Saying this, Ethan handed me the peeled apple.

"Vivian, let's make a different deal."

I didn't take it. I just turned my face away.

"Get out," I said coldly. "Don't disturb my rest."

Ethan went quiet for a moment, then stubbornly pressed on:

"I know you're angry. We don't have to trade your humanitarian credit anymore. Consider this a reward for saving Chloe's life."

"Let's go to the courthouse tomorrow."

Another deal!

Once again, he was treating me like a piece of merchandise in a transaction!

For the first time in my life, I completely lost control. The suppressed pain and rage forced me to sit up.

*Slap!*

I slapped Ethan hard across the face.

But when I spoke, my voice was a broken sob:

"Ethan, stop degrading me!"

"You’re a medical genius. You know better than anyone that even if the chance of that knife hitting my inferior vena cava was only one percent, once it happened, the mortality rate is a hundred percent!"

"What if I had died right there?"

Ethan froze.

For the first time, I saw a flash of fear in his eyes.

He lowered his head helplessly, his voice muffled.

"I'm sorry. I will work harder with my therapist to cure my detachment. I will protect you properly from now on."

"Vivian, don't die."

Silence fell over the room.

Seeing that I had no intention of speaking, Ethan finally stood up and left the ward.

Then, the phone on my bedside table began to vibrate.

I picked it up, and a deep, comforting voice came through the speaker:

"Vivian, I'm on a military flight on my way to you. I'm almost there."

"Come with me. He doesn't love you. He doesn't even know what love is."

My tears streamed down uncontrollably.

"But he saved my mother all those years ago, Nate. He said he loved me. He promised me he would protect me."

"Nate... let me be stupid just this one last time."

On the other end of the line, there was a heavy sigh.

"What if Ethan is still lying to you?"

I took a deep breath, my heart finally settling on a decision.

"Then I’ll leave with you."

"And Vivian Mercer will never forgive Ethan Vance again."