Chapter 3

My entire body went rigid.

It felt as though my head had exploded.

I had imagined Ethan falling for Mia.

But I never imagined the two of them would go this far.

There was a door between us, and the office had soundproofing, but it still couldn’t hide the cries coming from inside.

I couldn’t stop myself from covering my stomach and gagging.

Then I fled the company.

That night, I sat on the couch stroking my cat while watching financial news.

My phone vibrated again and again.

I turned off the television. When I saw who had sent the messages, I opened them without thinking.

Mia had sent more than twenty intimate photos of herself and Ethan.

There were close-ups of the marks on her neck, her torn stockings, and Ethan lying on the couch with his eyes closed, looking completely satisfied in his sleep.

“Don’t be angry, Claire. Mr. Dalton didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Ethan and I only slept together once. You don’t mind, do you?”

She called me “Claire” with a fake sweetness while spilling every secret she could.

“I don’t mind,” I replied. “You can sleep with him as many times as you want.”

She didn’t respond.

I immediately blocked her.

On the third day after I stopped going to work, Ethan finally contacted me.

“You signed the papers? Let’s set a time to pick up the divorce certificate.”

His voice was dark and forceful.

“Claire, you’ve taken this too far.”

“The wedding is tomorrow. Do you want me to come get you, or are you coming back yourself?”

He was exactly the same as he had been ten years ago—arrogant, always acting like he was the one in control.

He had never cared about my feelings.

“I told you I wanted a divorce. I’m not joking. I came to this decision after thinking about it for six months.”

“Either cancel tomorrow’s wedding, or have Mia take my place.”

Ethan clearly hadn’t expected me to be so firm. It took him a while to speak.

“You’re still angry about Mia, aren’t you?”

“She didn’t know the design or your ring size. That’s understandable. Why are you so upset?”

“Yes, she lost the design you and I made together in middle school.”

“We can design another one, can’t we?”

His voice grew quieter toward the end.

My heart felt as though it were being sliced apart by a sharp blade.

“But Ethan, we can never go back to being teenagers.”

He knew how precious that original sketch had been to me.

I had kept it like a treasure and never wanted to take it out.

On the day Ethan took me to register our marriage, I had finally given it to him.

I asked him to keep it safe.

Instead, he had casually told me he lost it.

Then Mia’s impatient voice came through the phone.

“Ethan, why are you wasting time talking to some old woman?”

“If she doesn’t show up to the wedding, I’ll step in for her.”

A wave of helplessness swallowed me.

Hearing her sweet, contemptuous laughter, I could no longer hold back my anger.

“You want to marry him, but he only sees you as his mistress. Are you shameless, or have you never met another man in your life?”

I hung up immediately.

Before I could even leave the screen, Ethan’s furious messages came pouring in.

They were all the same accusations—why was I blaming Mia, she had only been trying to help, and I was deliberately making things difficult for him.

So I blocked him too.

I tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

In the end, I decided to go to the wedding venue.

I wanted to see what had become of the place I had personally chosen.

By the time I arrived, the wedding had already begun.

Ethan’s passionate vows echoed through the elegant, vintage-style hall.

“I, Ethan Dalton, swear that I will treat my wife well for the rest of my life.”

“I will never leave you. I will love you, protect you, and respect you forever.”

The guests applauded and praised them.

I touched my empty ring finger and let out a cold laugh.

He had said those vows to me countless times.

Now he was saying the exact same words to someone else, his face filled with joy.

Just as they were exchanging rings, I pushed open the doors.

The tables were covered with pure white lilies.

The moment I saw them, I struggled to breathe. My head began to roar.

I had believed the wedding would be exactly as Ethan claimed—a ceremony where Mia was only stepping in for me.

But the huge clusters of flowers made the truth obvious.

This wedding had been prepared for Mia.

There was only one reason.

I was allergic to pollen, and Ethan had known that since the day we met.

My anger kept me from realizing immediately that the lively hall had gone silent.

“Why are you late, Claire?”

Ethan froze for a second, then snatched the microphone from the officiant.

Everyone stared at one another, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.

A reporter rushed over. The camera flashed as it captured my pale face.

“Are you really Mr. Dalton’s sister?”

I saw Ethan desperately signaling at me, as though he wanted to answer for me.

Mia lifted her wedding dress and walked over.

She looked down at me, then laughed softly.

“My sister is getting older and her memory isn’t what it used to be. Don’t make things difficult for her.”

When Ethan saw me remain silent, he hurried over with a smile.

But he leaned close and threatened me under his breath.

“If you say anything you shouldn’t in front of the media—”

“If you damage the company’s performance, forget about getting a divorce.”

I ignored him and looked at the diamond rings on his and Mia’s fingers.

“Oh my God! You aren’t wearing gloves today. That’s horrifying!”

Mia suddenly shrieked and pointed at my missing finger.

Then she stumbled backward into Ethan’s arms.

She gave me a triumphant smile.

Ethan’s last shred of patience snapped.

“Get out. Now.”

I took the marriage certificate from my purse and threw it at his face.

Then I raised my hand and slapped Mia.

“Today, I’m going to show you exactly how horrifying it is to be a mistress!”