Chapter 5

I forced my tears back.

"Ethan, we're over. I'm marrying someone else."

A second later, Ethan let out a mocking laugh.

"Break up with me? Who else would want you?"

"Do you think you're still a virgin like Lily? I've slept with you countless times."

The stinging pain and dizziness intensified, blurring my vision.

Realizing he had crossed a line, Ethan's tone softened slightly.

"Chloe, I didn't mean it like that."

"Ethan, Lily is carrying your baby. Give her a proper wedding."

I left him with an enigmatic smile.

Before leaving, I heard their voices coming from the living room.

I stood right outside the door, listening.

"Ethan, will Chloe really not break up with you?"

Ethan lit a cigarette and tilted his head up. "She has severe insomnia. She'll never leave me."

"But she'll get cured eventually, right?" Lily pressed, skeptical.

Ethan sneered, completely confident. "She'll never get cured."

My heart shuddered at his words.

"I switched her sleeping pills with vitamins a long time ago. They do absolutely nothing."

My knees buckled, and I almost collapsed.

Inside the room, my mother gasped in admiration.

"Ethan, you're brilliant! Tomorrow we'll take Lily to the hospital to see if it's a girl or a boy!"

I stumbled away.

Not long after, Ethan sent me a text.

"I'll give you one day to cool off. Monday morning at 9:00 AM, I'll be waiting for you at City Hall."

I blocked him.

For the next two days, I vanished from their lives.

Ethan assumed I was just throwing another tantrum.

He had no idea that I had already signed my marriage certificate.

On Monday morning, Ethan didn't see me at City Hall, so he sent me a final ultimatum.

"If you've cleared your head, come sign the papers. Wednesday morning..."

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. It was a call.

His childhood friend, Marcus, laughed on the other end. "Congrats, bro! But this is pretty wild. Who holds the wedding ceremony first and signs the papers later?"

"What?" Ethan was utterly confused.

"I saw your wife post her marriage certificate on Snapchat. Why didn't you post anything?"

Marcus sent over a screenshot.

Chloe's Snapchat story showed two official marriage certificate covers.

The caption read: Hoping this time, it's the right person.

Ethan's face drained of color.

If it wasn't him... who on earth did she marry?