Chapter 4

"Don't you dare!"

Ethan finally exploded completely.

He lunged forward and grabbed my wrist in a crushing grip.

The force was enough to nearly break my bones.

"Charlotte, have you lost your mind! Do you have to destroy everything before you're happy!"

His eyes were bloodshot, glaring at me while his other hand pried at my fingers, trying to wrestle the phone away.

Pain shot through my wrist, but I refused to let go of the phone.

"I'm destroying everything?"

I gritted my teeth, meeting his murderous gaze, fighting back word by word.

"Ethan, you two are the ones who've gone too far!"

"If you dare walk out that door to see her today, I'll make sure you both end up destroyed and disgraced!"

Vivian's terrified scream came through the phone.

"Ethan! Don't hit her! Come back, I'm scared..."

She was still pouring fuel on the fire.

Hearing Vivian's crying, Ethan's last thread of rationality snapped.

With a violent yank, he ripped the phone from my hand.

The momentum threw me backward. I stumbled and my lower back slammed hard into the edge of the marble table.

A dull thud.

Searing pain exploded from my back and spread through my entire body. My vision went black and cold sweat instantly soaked my clothes.

I slid down along the coffee table onto the floor, the pain so intense I couldn't speak.

Ethan clutched the phone, looking down at me from above.

There wasn't a trace of concern in his eyes—only extreme coldness and disgust.

"Charlotte, you're an unreasonable lunatic."

He straightened his disheveled collar, his tone as cold as if he were looking at a corpse.

"If you want to throw a fit, do it by yourself. I don't have time to waste on you."

With that, he murmured soothingly into the phone, "Vivian, don't be scared, I'll be right there," then turned and walked out without hesitation.

"Bang!"

The security door slammed shut with such force that the calendar on the wall fell to the floor.

The living room fell completely silent.

Only the clock on the wall continued its relentless ticking.

I curled up on the cold floor, clutching my aching back, tears finally streaming down uncontrollably.

This was the man I'd loved with everything I had for seven years.

For a lying mistress, he'd actually laid hands on me.

I closed my eyes, countless images flashing through my mind.

There was his silhouette cooking noodles for me in our rental apartment when we first married. There was his laughing face as he spun me around when I got promoted.

But in the end, all those images froze on his cold, disgusted eyes from just moments ago.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and slowly stood up, using the coffee table for support.

The pain in my back kept reminding me of what had just happened.

But the fire in my heart had completely extinguished.

In its place was endless ice and resolve.

I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and watched that familiar black sedan speed away below, disappearing into the night.

Ethan, did you think you won?

Did you think you could enjoy my devotion while playing around on the side?

I picked up my phone from the sofa and dialed a number hidden at the very bottom of my contacts.

"Hello, is this Drake?"

A rough, irritable male voice came through.

"Who the hell is this? Calling in the middle of the night—you got a death wish?"

I looked out at the pitch-black night sky, a cold smile curving my lips.

"I'm Ethan Hayes's wife. Drake, your fiancée Vivian is sick and needs someone to take care of her."

"If you don't get there soon, she's going to die in my husband's bed."