Chapter 5

Late at night, Ethan came home exhausted.

He was carrying his suit jacket, leaning against the doorway, frowning as he watched me pack my luggage.

"You're leaving?"

"What else?"

My sharp tone made Ethan lower his voice. "What are you making a fuss about now? No one is blaming you."

"Oh? Is this your greatest tolerance and forbearance toward me?" I dropped my suitcase and looked at him with a cold laugh. "Ethan, what right do you people have to blame me?"

Ethan restRavened his emotions, trying to reason with me. "I already said I'd have her go back home. Why did you still have to provoke her?"

"What did I do? I just didn't accept her friend request on SnapChat. I don't have the right to control whether you want to sleep with her, but I have the right to decide my own friend list!"

Ethan's expression turned cold, and his tone carried rare anger.

"Natalie! Can't you be a little less harsh! I already told you, she's just my sister!"

"Yes, she is somewhat dependent on me. But that's because during her teenage years, she found out she was adopted, and after that she became sensitive. She attempted suicide several times and even developed depression. I was the one who took care of her, sent her abroad to study while receiving treatment."

"She can't handle stimulation. I'm begging you! Can you please, even just a little bit, show some understanding for her, some compassion?"

I looked at this man's emotional outburst.

My heart felt desolate.

In three years of marriage, he'd never lost his temper with me like this.

Even during those days when I deliberately made him jealous and angry, he never said a harsh word to me.

My throat felt blocked. I couldn't say a word.

I struggled to suppress my trembling. "Yes, I'm harsh, I'm vicious. Ethan, then please, spend the rest of your life with your innocent, fragile, pitiful sister!"

Ethan took a deep breath, as if his patience had reached its limit.

His voice turned ice-cold. "You don't need to pack. I'll take her and leave. When you can calm down, we'll talk."

I locked myself in the room.

I heard him packing his luggage, then finally the cold sound of the door closing.

So when heartbreak reaches its extreme, even tears won't flow.

Ethan and I separated.

I didn't know where he went, nor did I care.

But his cousin once sent me several screenshots of Raven's social media posts.

"Whose 24-year-old still gets forbidden from going to bars by her brother? Well, I'm going anyway." Attached were her chat records with Ethan.

"Today's house-husband brother, another day of being hand-fed by my brother." The selfie showed Ethan chasing after her to feed her, looking indulgent.

"Tested it for you all---men's shirts are really comfortable to wear. So cozy." She was curled up on the sofa taking a selfie, deliberately showing Ethan working in the background.

In the past, given my personality, I would have confronted them both and slapped each of them.

But now, my heart was oddly calm. I just found it laughable.

When I received my brother's text updating me on the divorce proceedings, my assistant had just brought me a cup of coffee.

I had to admit, Mitch was a very competent assistant.

In just half a month on the job, he knew all my likes and dislikes, even anticipating what I wanted to do.

He sat on the edge of my desk, smiling charmingly. "When there's something to celebrate, you should drink."

I raised an eyebrow and hooked his tie.

Mitch's eyes darkened slightly.

"But I don't feel like drinking today."

I took him to my private villa.