Chapter 3

That afternoon, Mason came to pick me up for a restaurant dinner.

He and his family all looked down on me.

At least no one threw a punch during the meal.

Afterward, I was about to get into Mason's car to go home when someone grabbed me by the hair and yanked me away from the door.

"You slut! I'm Mason's girlfriend!"

Before I could say a word, a slap cracked across my face.

Everything went black.

All I heard was Mason's panicked voice.

"Lily, what are you doing here?"

"You're having dinner with your side piece, and I can't show up?"

Mason didn't explain.

He stood there and let the girl slap me across the face, again and again.

Then she kicked me, and I crumpled to the ground.

The wound on my forehead split open. Blood blurred my vision.

I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating, but I thought I saw Ethan standing a short distance away.

The shock and worry on his face—I hadn't seen that in a long time.

But as he started walking toward me, Sophie caught his arm and whispered something in his ear.

Ethan stopped. He stared at me with a complicated expression.

So it wasn't a hallucination after all.

Because in a hallucination, Ethan wouldn't have stood there watching me get beaten.

Only after the girl had spent her rage and been led away by Mason did Ethan come over.

Without a word, he scooped me up. He offered no explanation.

Even though I was covered in injuries, all he did was call his private doctor for a quick patch-up.

The only way I could numb the pain was sleep.

But I didn't sleep well.

Half-conscious, I heard Mason say:

"Ethan, my girlfriend didn't mean it. Whatever it takes to make it right, just name it."

But Ethan reassured him:

"Don't worry about it. I was the one who asked you guys to take her home. Without you, I couldn't bring Sophie back to the Carter house."

"Yeah, for you and Sophie's happiness, we're all glad to help."

I pressed my hands over my ears in agony.

When I woke again, Ethan was sitting gently at the edge of my bed.

"Don't worry. I won't send you out again until you've healed."

He leaned close to my ear, his voice carrying a strange, hidden eagerness.

"Once you're better, we'll get married."

I didn't ask him who he meant to marry.

Me?

Or Sophie?

But what came before any wedding was Adrian.

When I saw him appear at the Carter house, I froze for a moment.

So much for Ethan's word meaning anything.

I got into Adrian's car and sat through another meal with his family.

After his parents left, Adrian walked me out at an unhurried pace.

A friendly voice called out from ahead.

"Adrian, you're here for dinner too?"

Adrian replied politely:

"Mr. Carter, I brought my girlfriend and my parents for a meal."

Standing across from us were Ethan's parents.

Ethan and Sophie were right behind them.

And Ethan was staring at me, his face like thunder.

His parents looked a little uncomfortable when they saw me.

Probably remembering all the times they'd said I wasn't fit to be seen in public.

But they still had to put on pleasant faces.

"Perfect timing. Ethan brought his fiancée for dinner too. Why don't you join us?"

Adrian's lips curved upward, and he didn't refuse.

Ethan's expression darkened visibly.

Compared to the light, delicate dishes at the Blake family table, the Carters had ordered almost nothing but heavy, spicy food.

I'd never been able to handle spice.

In the beginning, Ethan used to eat mild food with me.

But after Sophie moved in, everyone in the house started catering to her taste.

I kept my head down, picking the peppers out of my plate.

Then I heard Adrian ask:

"Ethan, that string of beads on your wrist—is that a blessing bracelet from the monastery?"

I had given that to Ethan as a birthday present years ago.

At the time, he'd said he would wear it for the rest of his life.

Now, he just let out a cold laugh.

"Some cheap thing from who knows where. Take it if you want."

"That won't be necessary."

As he spoke, Adrian placed a cheese-baked shrimp on my plate.

The next second, Ethan dumped the entire dish of shrimp into the trash.

"This is too rich. Have the kitchen make a new batch."

The table went dead silent.

Adrian smiled deliberately.

"Ethan, why do I get the feeling you have a problem with my girlfriend?"

Ethan's gaze turned icy.

"How could I? I don't even know her."

Ethan's father immediately smoothed things over:

"Exactly. In a little while, you should bring your girlfriend to Ethan and Sophie's wedding."

Everything I ate tasted like cardboard, but inside I felt strangely calm—like I'd been sealed inside a hard shell.

Sadness, resentment—none of those feelings were there anymore.

After dinner, Adrian was about to take me home, but Ethan stormed out after us.

"Adrian, don't let her fool you. You must've heard about her cheating with some random guy, right?"

His voice dripped with contempt.

What he didn't know was that the "random guy" was Adrian.

Adrian started to explain, but I pressed his hand down to stop him.

"You go ahead. I'll handle this."

After he left, I turned to face Ethan in all his fury.

"Ethan Carter, the one who chose to marry someone else—wasn't that you?"

I was simply stating facts.

But Ethan's brow furrowed tight.

"I'm just keeping my parents happy."

That excuse again.

Because of that absurd excuse, he'd sent me off with his friends.

And let Sophie keep him company.

I laughed bitterly.

Ethan fixed me with a hard stare.

"You actually think you can marry into the Blake family? Even if Adrian really wanted to marry a nobody, a clean, decent girl like Sophie would still be ten times better than you."

"Emma, stop dreaming."

I nodded.

"Ethan, you're the one who sent me to be with Adrian."

Ethan was so angry he laughed.

He ground out the word "fine" through clenched teeth, again and again.

What I didn't expect was that three days later, my brother called.

"Emma, what did you do now? The Carters cut off Mom's targeted therapy."