Chapter 4

On the day I was cleared for discharge, Rachel called.

Ethan picked up, his voice instinctively turning gentle.

"Hey, Rachel?"

Her whiny, demanding voice came through the speaker.

Even sitting a few feet away, I heard every single syllable loud and clear.

"Where are you? Weren't you supposed to pick me up from work today?

Did you forget our bet? You lost, which means you're my personal chauffeur for an entire month!"

Ethan glanced at me in the hospital bed, dropping his voice into the receiver.

"I really have something going on today. Chloe is..."

"How many times have you bailed on me because of her?!

I'm telling you, you better show up today! Or we're done being friends!"

Holding the phone, Ethan's face twisted into an exasperated, conflicted mess.

I watched him quietly, my voice calm.

"Do you really have to go?"

"I gave her my word, Chloe. It's a matter of principle.

She's your best friend, not some stranger.

I've been taking care of you night and day for half a month!

My entire company is waiting on me. Aren't you satisfied yet?"

He stopped, apparently realizing he sounded too harsh, and forced his tone to soften.

"Be good. Once I drop her off, we'll go straight to City Hall tomorrow morning to get our marriage license, okay?"

A quiet laugh escaped my lips.

Once upon a time, I refused to accept that love could only take up ten percent.

Now I understood that getting even one percent was a luxury.

I nodded.

"Go ahead, then."

He grabbed his jacket instantly, pressing a rushed kiss to my forehead.

"Wait for me."

Watching him practically sprint out the door, I closed my eyes.

Ethan, this is the very last time you choose her over me.

After he left, I handled my discharge paperwork entirely on my own.

Yet the moment I stepped outside the hospital doors, two burly men charged out of the shadows.

They slammed me to the pavement, landing brutal, heavy blows straight onto my abdomen.

Over and over again.

They only stopped when warm, crimson blood began pooling beneath my feet.

"Don't blame us, lady," one of them spat. "Your boyfriend paid for this."

I dragged my broken body across the concrete, clawing desperately until a passerby finally called an ambulance.

When the cold, metallic instruments scraped inside my body in the ER, I didn't shed a single tear.

I just felt completely hollow. My body was empty, and so was my heart.

When I was finally wheeled out of the operating room, I sat alone on the cold plastic bench in the hallway.

My phone buzzed softly in my pocket. A new message popped up on the screen.

Miss Vance, have you considered our proposal?

My thumb tapped against the glass screen, typing a single word.

Yes.

A reply followed almost instantly.

Tomorrow at nine in the morning. Outside City Hall.

See you there.

I locked my phone and dragged my exhausted body back to the apartment Ethan and I shared.

The moment I pushed the front door open, my eyes landed on the coffee table.

The condom box from the birthday prank was sitting right there.

It was completely empty.

Draped across the back of the couch was Rachel's lace bra.

Closing my eyes, I could almost picture the two of them tangled together on that very sofa.

A sudden, violent cramp ripped through my lower stomach.

A fresh gush of warmth leaked uncontrollably down my legs.

I didn't have the strength to stand anymore. I slid down against the doorframe, slumping onto the cold floor.

And there I sat, frozen, all through the night.

When dawn broke, the first rays of morning light filtered through the curtains.

I stood up, washed my face, and applied flawless makeup.

At exactly nine o'clock, I stood outside the City Hall entrance.

The man waiting by the steps caught sight of me and gave a polite, dignified nod.

"Miss Vance. You're right on time."

His voice was deep, steady, and utterly composed.

This was Julian. My arranged marriage partner.

And Ethan's fiercest rival in the tech industry.

I smiled at him. "Mr. Vance, shall we head inside?"

When I held that signed marriage certificate in my hands, my heart settled into a calm I had never known.

Just as we stepped out of the grand City Hall doors, a car screeched to a halt at the curb. Ethan jumped out, panic plastered across his face.

The second his eyes landed on Julian standing right beside me, he froze dead in his tracks.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

I linked my arm through Julian's and smiled.

"Exactly what it looks like. I said I was getting married today, Ethan. I never said it was going to be with you."