Chapter 3

I bent down, using my stiff fingers to open the combination lock on my suitcase.

My hands trembled so much it took me three tries to get it open.

Ethan frowned, pressing down on my suitcase.

"Scarlett Hayes, what trick are you pulling now?"

"Why are you opening your suitcase in the middle of the night? Trying to throw your clothes all over the floor to force me to give in?"

He snorted.

"I'm telling you, Serena is the one who truly saved me."

"You usurped her place for three years and enjoyed the benefits of being my fiancée for three years. Now, giving her a room is what you owe her."

I slapped his hand away.

It wasn't a strong blow, but Ethan quickly recoiled.

I pulled my passport from the inner compartment of the suitcase, then stood up, took out my phone, and opened the calculator.

"What are you doing?"

Ethan watched my actions, his tone impatient.

"Calculating."

I didn't look up, my fingers rapidly tapping on the screen.

"For three years, we lived in the downtown apartment. Rent was fifteen hundred a month, fifty-four thousand over three years. You never paid, I covered it all."

"You were hospitalized three times for stomach issues; medical bills totaled eighty-six hundred, which I paid upfront."

"Your car maintenance, and household utilities and property management fees, let's say five thousand."

"And this trip to Iceland, the plane tickets and hotel were booked by me with my credit card half a year in advance, a total of ninety-two hundred."

I pressed the equal sign and held the screen up to Ethan.

"Total: seventy-six thousand eight hundred."

I looked calmly into his eyes.

"Transfer the money to me, and we're even."

"Propose to whoever you want, let whoever you want wear my clothes."

Ethan froze.

He stared at the numbers on the screen, taking ten seconds to react.

"Scarlett Hayes, have you gone insane with greed?"

Ethan pulled out his phone and opened his bank account.

"Calculating with me? Don't forget, you've been supported by me for three years. How dare you ask me for money?"

"What did I ever take from you?"

I met his gaze directly.

"Besides giving me an empty title of girlfriend, did you ever pay a single penny?"

He choked on his words, his face instantly turning ashen.

Serena grabbed his arm.

"Ethan, don't be angry."

"Scarlett probably just can't accept us being together and is trying to get your attention with money."

"Just give it to her, consider it charity for a beggar."

Ethan took a deep breath, his fingers flying across the screen.

*Ding!* My phone received a deposit notification.

One hundred thousand.

"Take the money, grab your junk, and disappear from my sight immediately."

Ethan shoved his phone back into his pocket, avoiding my gaze.

"Scarlett Hayes, the way you throw away your dignity for money is truly disgusting."

I looked at the balance in my account, didn't argue, and simply put my phone away cleanly.

"The extra twenty-three thousand two hundred is for you buying that second-hand down jacket."

I zipped up my suitcase, turned, and walked up the steps to the hotel entrance.

The wind and snow were still heavy.

I didn't look back.

Ethan stood rooted to the spot.

He watched my unwavering back as I left, a frown creasing his brows.

But he quickly turned, pulling Serena into his arms.

"Don't mind that crazy woman. Let's go back to the room."

Dragging my two suitcases, I walked to the roadside in the dead of the Icelandic night.

I was lucky; I happened to find a local taxi that had just dropped off passengers.

I sat in the warm car, but I couldn't stop shivering.

At the airport waiting lounge, I curled up on the cold chair, and three years of memories flooded my mind.

To care for Ethan's delicate stomach, I gave up an opportunity to study in Paris, cooking different dishes for him every day.

For Ethan's career, I used my severely injured hand, staying up late to help him organize documents.

I thought it was love.

Turns out, in their eyes, that was "throwing away my dignity for money."

I touched the scar on my wrist and smiled.