Chapter 2

“Lily, have you lost your mind?”

Alex looked as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

“This may be your apartment, but you can’t kick us out over something so trivial!”

I gave a scornful laugh.

“After all, if an AI video is enough to placate someone, then it really is a trivial matter.”

A flash of panic crossed Ethan’s eyes before his voice rose.

“Fine, Lily. So you’ve grown a backbone now?”

He turned around and said contemptuously,

“Don’t regret this. Don’t come crying and begging for my forgiveness.”

Ryan snorted and escorted Sophie outside.

“Come on, Sophie. Why bother with someone so ungrateful? Your kindness was wasted on her.”

Sophie’s eyes were red as she looked back at me, unable to hide the triumph in her gaze.

I stood where I was and stared at the ring in the trash.

Ethan had bought it casually from a street vendor last Valentine’s Day.

He said there were too many people at the mall and he was too afraid to go inside, so buying it for me from a vendor was the best he could do.

I had felt so sorry for him that I wore it every day.

But the diamond ring Sophie wore during the livestream had cost five figures.

The next morning, I was woken by the urgent ringing of my phone.

The moment I answered, my mother’s scolding came through.

“Lily, how much longer are you going to keep this up?

Do you know Ethan had an anxiety attack last night and didn’t sleep at all?

Sophie stayed up all night taking care of him. Her eyes are completely red!”

My grip tightened around the phone, but my voice remained calm.

“So was it guilt that kept him awake, or did he exhaust himself by acting so hard?”

There was a pause on the other end.

“What kind of thing is that to say? What does Ethan have to feel guilty about?

He’s sacrificed so much for your future together, and instead of understanding him, you kicked him out!”

I let out a soft laugh.

“Are those sacrifices supposed to include that island wedding? Or the five-figure ring?”

The breathing on the other end stopped instantly.

After a long silence, my mother finally spoke again.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Have you become obsessed with getting married?”

I couldn’t help giving a mocking laugh.

“It was livestreamed to the entire internet and got more than ten million views. Do you really think I’m an idiot?”

My mother panicked completely.

“It wasn’t what you think. That wedding was actually…”

“It was actually because Ethan doesn’t have social anxiety at all, and because all of you like Sophie better and think she’s more suited to Ethan than I am. Isn’t that right?”

“Sophie said she wanted to experience what it felt like to wear a wedding dress. Ethan happened to say it could count as exposure therapy, and that it was also for the sake of your future marriage…”

Her voice grew softer and softer, as if even she no longer had the confidence to defend herself.

I couldn’t help laughing, though tears landed on the back of my hand.

I didn’t wait for her to say anything else. I hung up and immediately blocked her number.

Then I made another call.

It was answered in less than three rings.

“Lily? Why are you calling me at this hour?”

“Does what you said before still stand?”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a soft laugh.

“Forever.”

“Okay. I’m coming.”