Chapter 3

I patted Chloe's shoulder and said casually, "Since you're awake, let's talk about you and Ethan."

Chloe flinched. She sat up slowly, her face pale.

"Claire, I am so sorry. I swear I never wanted to hurt you. I just..."

Before she could finish, the car suddenly pulled over, and someone began banging violently on the door.

I turned my head and saw Ethan standing outside, his face pale with anxiety as he shouted my name.

It was pouring rain.

His usually immaculate hair was soaked and plastered to his forehead. His light-colored designer suit was ruined, clinging to his skin. He looked incredibly disheveled, completely ignoring his public image.

And he did all of this just because he was terrified I would hurt Chloe.

The driver unlocked the door.

Ethan immediately pulled Chloe out of the car, frantically checking her over to make sure she wasn't hurt.

He gently patted her head. "Go home first. I'll handle this and come find you."

Chloe tugged at his sleeve and shot me a guilty look. "Talk to her nicely. Don't make her feel bad."

We moved our conversation to a quiet, private cafe nearby.

Ethan sat across from me with his lawyer.

The lawyer was droning on about legal jargon that sounded like white noise to my ears.

Ethan was chain-smoking, one cigarette after another.

Through the thick haze of smoke, he looked exhausted and incredibly annoyed.

Ethan and I grew up together.

When he skipped grades in school, I was playing house with kids my age.

When he was winning national academic awards, I was sneaking into clubs with upperclassmen.

When his parents died in a car crash on their way to file for divorce, leaving him orphaned, it was my family who took him in.

From that day on, we became family.

Later, when he was diagnosed with an emotional detachment disorder, I dedicated my entire life to him. Even after we got married, I constantly tolerated his coldness.

Knowing him for so many years, I could tell he was incredibly irritated that this divorce was wasting his precious time.

I suddenly asked, "Why Chloe?"

The lawyer stopped talking. Ethan raised his head.

He frowned, stubbing out his cigarette. "Does that even matter?"

I nodded. He stared at me for a few seconds, then let out a cold laugh.

"You always hyper-focus on the wrong things, Claire. The divorce is happening anyway. Who cares who it is? It doesn't change how much money you'll get."

"I'm only offering you a fifty-fifty split because of our history. If it were anyone else, I would make sure they walked away with absolutely nothing."

I stayed silent, staring at him stubbornly.

"If I hadn't hyper-focused on things, would you and Chloe even know each other?"

Chloe transferred to our high school in her sophomore year.

Her father was a notorious con artist whose multi-million-dollar fraud case made national headlines. After he was arrested, Chloe and her mother fled to our small town to escape the shame.

Her mother couldn't take the trauma and lost her mind. Her family literally kept her chained inside the house.

Chloe was severely bullied and isolated at school. In sheer despair, she stood on the edge of the school rooftop one afternoon.

I was the one who pulled her back. I was the one who chose to be her friend.

Once a pampered princess, Chloe became incredibly fragile and insecure after her fall from grace. She clung to me like a lifeline.

When Ethan came back from an academic competition and found out what I did, he pulled me aside.

"Can't you see she's just using you?" he had said coldly. "She knows being near her makes people bully you too, yet she won't keep her distance. She doesn't view you as a friend. Wake up, Claire!"

Back then, I thought he was heartless.

He thought I was stupid, and he never gave Chloe a kind look.

Chloe was terrified of him too. She even told me Ethan had privately threatened her to stay away from me.

For years, from high school to our careers, they were like oil and water.

Even when Ethan and I got married, Chloe refused to attend. She said she couldn't stand seeing Ethan's face.

Ethan had grabbed my phone and texted her back: The feeling is entirely mutual!

But now, they were a team, and I was the outsider.

Ethan suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Every time we argue, you bring up what your family did for me!"

"Let me ask you, who paid for your parents' medical bills when they got sick? When you made that massive mistake at work, who pulled strings to save you?"

"If we're keeping score, Claire, you owe me things you can never repay in this lifetime!"

He turned to his lawyer. "Forget the asset split. I want her to walk away empty-handed!"