Chapter 3

"Ethan, what do you even like about Mia? She's always so cold, like a statue."

Ethan chuckled softly, his voice laced with the familiar tenderness I knew so well.

"I like the way she blooms beneath me, like a living painting."

"But even the most captivating painting eventually loses its charm if you stare at it every day."

The recording ended with their unbearable lewd laughter.

I clutched my phone, but not a single tear fell.

That evening, Ethan came home with my favorite cake.

He lit the candles, gazing at me with deep affection. "Mia, this is our twentieth year. Thank you for being with me."

I looked at his face and suddenly smiled.

Yes, from six to twenty-eight, we had been through so much.

"Ethan, do you remember? You used to say the marks on my skin were a gift from God."

He paused, then nodded.

His eyes overflowed with tenderness.

"Of course, I remember. In my heart, they're more beautiful than any star."

"Are they?" I picked up the red wine from the table and walked to the giant floor-to-ceiling window.

"But lately, I keep having nightmares. I dream that someone is watching me from outside this window."

I turned back, staring into his eyes.

A flicker of panic crossed Ethan's face.

He frowned, walked over, and pulled me into a hug.

His voice held both pity and reproach.

"What are you thinking?"

But then, his tone shifted, and he chuckled softly.

His fingers idly twirled my hair, a smile spreading in his eyes.

"Mia, actually, there's something I've been keeping from you for a while."

"Six months ago, at a party, someone drugged me, and I ended up sleeping with an intern."

"The girl was quite something, but I hurt her. She cried all night."

He withdrew his hand, patting my head.

"She's different from other women who only wanted something from me, so I kept her around."

"Lately, the girl got insistent. She really wanted to know my secret, so I told her about the cherry blossom marks."

"She didn't believe me and insisted on seeing it with her own eyes. So that day, I let her watch from outside."

Even though I already knew the truth, hearing him say it with his own lips, a piercing pain spread through my entire body.

My nails dug into my palms, and I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood.

I grabbed Ethan's collar, slapped him across the face with all my strength, my voice trembling.

"How could you be so disgusting?"

Unconsciously, tears streamed down my face.

Ethan's face darkened.

He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

"If you're still upset, I can show you a video of us."

"You can learn a thing or two. She's got quite a few tricks up her sleeve."

I looked at him, my eyes burning with unshed tears. "Let's get a divorce."

Ethan's entire body stiffened, his eyes instantly filled with rage.

"Because of this? In our circle, who doesn't have a few on the side?"

"I've been good enough to you. All these years, it's only been you."

"Besides, the girl knows her place. She won't threaten your position. Can't you stop being so selfish?"

"Don't forget who risked everything to get your condition under control!"

With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I collapsed onto the floor, a sharp, twisting pain in my chest.

My condition.

That was the deepest thorn in my heart.

Over the years, to control my symptoms, I had taken countless medications, suffered immeasurable pain.

Ethan was the one who had walked me through those darkest days.

I thought he was my savior.

I never imagined that the boy who had pulled me from the abyss would now personally push me back into hell.

And then use my most painful scar to torture my heart.

I wiped my tears, walked into the study, and began drafting the divorce papers.