Chapter 1

To get revenge on my ex-boyfriend, I agreed to get back together with him.

After we reconciled, Ethan took me out for Carolina Reaper hot chicken—the very thing I used to despise the most.

Staring at the plate drenched in crimson, blisteringly hot sauce, I didn't beg him to swap it for mild like I used to. Instead, I quietly picked up my fork and took a bite.

Ethan picked up a drumstick and dropped it onto my plate, his voice tinged with a mix of satisfaction and condescension.

"Being apart really changed you for the better. No more picky eating, no more temper tantrums. I like this version of you."

I kept my head down, mechanically chewing. A fiery agony churned in my stomach, but my tongue registered nothing.

He had no idea that chemotherapy had completely stripped away my sense of taste. Everything I ate tasted like dry ash.

I just needed someone to keep me company through the final chapter of my life.

...

I swallowed the bite of fried chicken, forcing down the violent nausea rising in my chest.

A searing pain scorched all the way down my esophagus, like coarse salt rubbed into an open, bleeding ulcer.

I grabbed the glass of ice water and downed it in one gulp. Ethan didn't notice a thing.

He was too busy savoring the thrill of finally taming his stubborn ex. With an amused smirk, he tossed another fiery wing onto my plate.

"Eat more. Look how skinny you've gotten. It hurts to hold you."

I stared at the blood-red sauce coating the wing, my fingers trembling around the fork.

In the past, I would have flipped the table and walked out.

Six months ago, we broke up because he humiliated me just to please Victoria, a wealthy older socialite. At my own birthday dinner, he forced me to act like a waitress and pour wine for her.

And after the party, I caught him in the parking lot inside her luxury sports car, kneeling pathetically on the leather seat, cradling Victoria's face and kissing her like a desperate beggar.

It disgusted me to my core.

Back then, my pride was fierce. I couldn't tolerate a single speck of dirt in my relationship, so I dumped him on the spot.

Now, that proud spine had been shattered by a single piece of paper: Stage IV Gastric Cancer.

My savings were completely depleted. I had lost my job. Both of my parents were long dead.

Next week's chemo session cost another thirty thousand dollars out-of-pocket.

No one was going to give me that kind of money except Ethan.

I took a deep breath, forcing a docile smile. "Okay. Whatever you say."

Just as I reached for the wing, Ethan’s phone buzzed on the table.

The caller ID flashed: "Victoria".

Ethan, who had been lounging lazily against the booth, shot upright instantly. The arrogant smirk on his face vanished, replaced by an oily, subservient eagerness.

Without so much as an apology to me, he snatched up the phone.

"Ms. Montgomery... Yes, I'm eating. No, nobody important, just an old roommate... Right, I reviewed the contract. Should I bring it over to your penthouse right now?"

"An old roommate."

I looked down at my water, concealing the bitter sneer at the corner of my lips.

For a woman thirteen years his senior, he was ready to discard me at a moment's notice.

He was like this in the past, and nothing had changed.

Hanging up, Ethan didn't even touch the fresh plate of wings. He grabbed his coat from the booth and stood up.

"Something urgent came up at work. Ms. Montgomery has a major deal to close. Take your time and finish eating, I already covered the bill."

He adjusted his tie, his eyes darting toward the door, completely distracted.

"Don't wait up for me tonight. If the meeting runs late, I'll just sleep at the office."

I knew better. "Sleeping at the office" meant sleeping in Victoria's bed.

I nodded obediently, stepped up, and smoothed his collar, whispering softly, "Drive safe. Work comes first. Don't push yourself too hard."

Ethan froze mid-stride.

He turned back, his brow slightly furrowed, staring at me with a complicated gaze.

"Summer, you..." His lips moved, searching for words, before dissolving into a soft chuckle. "Looks like you’ve finally grown up. You finally understand the pressure I'm under."

He pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times.

A second later, a notification pinged on my phone: "[PayPal transfer received: $5,000]".

"Go buy some new clothes. Stop dressing like a plain ghost."

Ethan pocketed his phone, his smug aura of absolute control returning.

He reached out and pinched my hollow cheek.

"Stay this obedient. As long as you don't cause trouble, I'll take good care of you."

I stared at the balance on the screen. It wasn't much, but it was money.

"Thank you."

Satisfied at last, Ethan planted a rushed, dismissive peck on my forehead before turning on his heel and striding out.