Chapter 3

Sophia's POV

I returned home and started packing.

Over these five years, Ethan had given me many things.

But they were all bought by his assistant, given to Mrs. Carter, not to me as a person.

Whoever was Mrs. Carter would receive these gifts.

So my luggage was simple. A small twenty-inch suitcase held everything I owned.

After packing, I started disposing of the old things in the house.

The cufflinks I'd bought him with my own salary. The scarf I'd knit by hand. The throw pillows I'd purchased.

Among these things, some Ethan had glanced at once, but more had never been looked at, just casually discarded.

I had to quietly put them away myself, storing them in the closet.

At the very top of the closet was a scarf.

It was the only scarf I'd ever knit in my life. I'd followed a tutorial for three full months.

I unraveled it when I made mistakes, unraveled it when the stitches were uneven.

By the end, my fingers had swollen twice their normal size.

But when I gave it to Ethan, he didn't even unwrap it. He said a bland "thank you" and never wore the scarf.

I held the scarf in my arms and gave a bitter laugh.

I retrieved another scarf from the very back of the closet.

That one was from Ethan.

In the winter of my freshman year, my parents were on their way to visit me at school when they encountered a multi-car pileup. They died at the scene.

That year, I was eighteen.

The night after the funeral, I sat alone by the campus lake, from dusk until deep into the night.

The lake water was pitch black, lapping at the shore in waves.

I thought, if I jumped in, would I stop being cold? Would I be able to see Mom and Dad?

I was inching little by little toward the lake when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Hey."

I looked up into a stern face. I recognized him.

Finance department senior, Ethan Carter. The whole school knew him.

Heir to Carter Corporation. His grades were excellent. After graduation, he was going to work on Wall Street.

He and I were from two different worlds.

Ethan looked at my red-rimmed eyes, unwrapped his own scarf and wrapped it around my neck, then wiped the tears from my face.

"Staying alive is what matters most."

Those words pulled me back from the lake's edge.

After that day, the name Ethan Carter was etched into my heart.

I began quietly paying attention to everything about him.

Where he had classes each day, what time he went to the library to study. I knew it all.

I never thought I'd have any real connection with him.

One was the heir to Carter Corporation, the other an orphan who'd lost both parents. I knew I wasn't good enough for him.

I just wanted to see him from afar. That was enough.

The year of graduation, I submitted my resume to Carter Corporation.

On the day of the interview, at the entrance to the Carter Building, I saw an elderly man clutch his chest and collapse.

I immediately rushed over to perform CPR and call an ambulance.

That old man was Richard.

When he woke up, he saw the scarf around my neck.

"Ah," Richard said, "Isn't that scarf Ethan's?"

I instinctively nodded.

He asked again, "You know him?"

My face instantly flushed red. I couldn't help lowering my head.

Richard looked at me and smiled kindly, patting the back of my hand. "I'll have Ethan marry you. Are you willing?"

I thought I'd misheard. "He doesn't know me."

"I can see you're very kind. Ethan has a terrible personality. He might never meet someone who truly loves him in his entire life."

"I can tell you're a good girl."

"I believe you'll be a good wife."

In the end, I didn't refuse him.

I hadn't expected Ethan to strongly oppose marrying me.