Chapter 3

Ethan froze. The color drained from his face.

"You want to break up?"

I didn't answer him. I just looked at him. "You and her won't have to sneak around anymore. And that ring on your finger—you can switch it back to the matching one."

"Cassie, don't talk nonsense," Ethan said in a low voice. "Vivi never intended to take anything from you. Stop being ridiculous. I already told you—once this passes, everything will be fine!"

I finally laughed.

There was no visible wound, yet my heart was breaking.

"Fine how?" I looked at him. "After you two break up, I'm supposed to pretend nothing happened, stay with you, and marry you?"

"Ethan, I can't do it."

"And I can't pretend nothing happened either."

I couldn't accept that my fiancé had gotten involved with my sister. And I couldn't bring myself to *understand* them.

Frustration crept across Ethan's face.

"Then what do you want? Vivi is already miserable. Cassie, can't you have a little sympathy for her?"

I almost laughed until I cried.

How was I supposed to have sympathy?

Sympathize with the fact that Vivi flew to London every month to see him? That they ate dinner together, went on dates, slept together? That he proposed to her?

"Ethan, I can't understand it," I said. "My sister and my fiancé got involved behind my back. How exactly do you expect me to understand?"

The more I said, the more it hurt.

I closed my eyes. Opened them again. "Ethan, let's just end it."

The words had barely left my mouth when the door was pushed open.

Vivi stood in the doorway, her eyes red-rimmed. "Cassie, it's my fault. It has nothing to do with Ethan. I'm the one who fell for him. I'm the one who kept pushing—"

Tears rolled down her cheeks one after another.

"But I swear I never meant to take him from you. I know it was wrong, but—but I couldn't help myself."

"Every night I hate myself for what I did. I've been wanting to tell you."

Ethan walked over and pulled her into his arms.

The image was almost unbearable.

"Cassie, I promise you—I'll break up with Ethan. I'll never come near him again," she said, voice trembling. "Please don't break up with him…"

Ethan cut her off. "Don't talk nonsense. Look at yourself right now."

I looked at Vivi.

For as long as I could remember, I'd given her everything. Been good to her. Any treat, any toy—she got it first.

We'd never once fought. Never even raised our voices at each other.

She loved to cling to me, to be spoiled by me.

When she'd first met Ethan, she'd even mocked him with disdain:

"Who do you think you are? *I'm* my sister's little shadow. I take better care of her than you ever could."

Ethan hadn't backed down either:

"No one knows Cassie better than I do—not even you."

The two of them had competed to dote on me, arguing over who got to pour my water, pass me things, rub my shoulders.

And those same two people had ended up together.

Behind my back.

"You two don't need to break up," I said quietly. "I'll be the one to leave."

"Cassie, enough already!" Ethan snapped. "Can't you see how upset she is? Can't you be a little more understanding?"

I said nothing.

He seemed to realize how sharp his tone had been. His voice softened. "Once you've cooled off, we'll talk properly."

"Get some rest tonight."

He didn't spare me another glance. He wrapped his arm around Vivi and led her out of the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, the tears came.

The engagement ring lying on the table looked more like a joke than anything else.

I picked it up and dropped it into the trash without a second thought.

I didn't want the ring anymore.

And I didn't want Ethan anymore either.