Chapter 4

“Well, well, look who’s here!”

“If it isn’t the golden couple from our class reunion!”

The moment Ethan walked in with my hand in his, the room erupted in cheers and playful teasing.

Back in high school, Ethan’s pursuit of me had been nothing short of legendary. Everyone, even the teachers, knew about it. But since we were both straight-A students, they turned a blind eye to his over-the-top efforts.

Ethan had even changed his college plans to follow me, chasing me all the way to university. By freshman year, he’d started a business from scratch, determined to be “worthy” of me. His persistence became the stuff of school lore.

By the time we were about to graduate, I finally gave in. I let myself be swept away by his devotion. I still remember the night I said yes—how he cried so hard he couldn’t even speak, swearing over and over:

“Jane, I’ll love you and only you for the rest of my life.”

Inside the reunion, three empty seats were waiting for us. Ethan sat between me and Emma, his assistant.

He frowned slightly before turning to me, his voice soft and almost apologetic. “Jane, can we switch seats?”

That simple gesture earned yet another round of teasing from our old classmates.

“Look at Ethan, such a gentleman! Doesn’t even want to sit next to a single woman!”

“Jane, what kind of spell did you cast on him? He’s still head over heels after all these years!”

“Seriously, you two make the rest of us look bad. Every time I see your posts on social media, I swear my teeth hurt from how sweet you guys are!”

Ethan laughed along, pulling me closer as he smiled and said, “What can I say? I just love my wife.” Then he looked at me with the kind of gaze that made everyone else swoon—a gaze full of warmth and tenderness.

Everyone believed Ethan adored me.

But I knew better. His love, like the gifts he showered me with, had long since been divided into two equal shares.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Emma’s forced smile. Her lips twitched upward, but the way she looked at Ethan—her eyes filled with longing and frustration—gave her away.

“Emma’s boyfriend must be treating her well too,” someone chimed in, nodding toward the massive diamond necklace around her neck. “Look at that rock—he must have some serious cash.”

Emma touched the necklace, her fingers lingering on the jewel as her eyes flicked to me.

“He treats me very well,” she said, her voice tight but filled with pride. “Every month, he takes me somewhere special. Buys me so many things I can barely keep up. Just last month, I mentioned wanting to retire in Florida one day, and he went ahead and bought a house there. Oh, and this necklace? It’s a limited edition—only ten in the world.”

Only ten in the world. Eight million dollars each.

Ethan had bought two.

“Wow, sounds like your boyfriend could give Ethan a run for his money,” someone joked. “When are you bringing him to meet us?”

Emma smiled sweetly, her gaze softening as it landed on Ethan. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll all meet him one day.”

Ethan didn’t look at her. Instead, he picked up some food and placed it on my plate.

Halfway through dinner, Ethan excused himself to take a phone call. Not long after, Emma slipped out too, saying she needed to use the restroom.

I waited a moment, then followed.

By the time I reached the stairwell, I heard their voices.

Emma had her hands draped around Ethan’s neck, her voice laced with a mix of frustration and desperation. “You’re not going to just ghost me, are you? Ethan, it’s been two years. Don’t you dare act like I don’t mean anything to you.”

Ethan’s tone was calm but firm, his expression unreadable. “As long as you don’t mess with Jane, as long as you stay quiet and keep your place, I’ll take care of you. You know that. But if she finds out…” His voice dropped, cold and threatening. “If she leaves me, I’ll lose it.”

Emma’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but then her lips curled into a small smile. “Fine. Then I’ve got some good news for you: I’m pregnant.”

My heart froze. It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over me.

Ethan’s expression flickered—shock, then calculation. He tilted his head slightly, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he reached out to lift her chin. “You’re pregnant? And yet here you are, throwing yourself at me. Aren’t you worried about losing the baby?”

Emma bit her lip, her cheeks flushing as she pressed herself closer to him. “I can’t help it. I see you, and I just…” She trailed off, her voice soft and breathy as she leaned into him.

Ethan chuckled, his hand moving to the back of her head as he pulled her in.

Under the dim stairwell light, they kissed like no one else existed.

I stood frozen in place, my back pressed against the wall, my entire body trembling.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, snapping me out of my daze.

It was a text from my doctor.

“Your appointment is scheduled for Saturday.”