Chapter 3

Getting up, I tossed the artificial cochlear implant from the table into the trash. I looked up at the not-so-large apartment.

After Ethan and I officially started dating after graduation, he moved me into this place. It was close to the subway station, convenient for commuting.

Whenever I asked about the apartment's origins, Ethan would always vaguely explain:

"It was left by an elderly relative in my family."

But what elderly relative buys a newly renovated, European-style apartment in the city center? It clearly looked like it had been specifically designed by someone.

But at the time, my heart was completely consumed by Ethan, and I never noticed these oddities in our relationship.

No wonder Ethan, supposedly disabled, could effortlessly intern at a public company right after graduation, even without an interview.

No wonder Ethan rarely wore the artificial cochlear implant voluntarily. It wasn't that he didn't care for it; it was that he didn't need it at all.

It turned out his entire persona was fake. The hearing impairment was fake, the poor boy identity was fake, and even his love for me and his desire to marry me were fake!

I closed my eyes, trying to process the overwhelming grief, remembering his words during the call:

"Ava is mine for now; I haven't gotten tired of her yet!"

"Once Scarlett is back, I'll naturally marry her!"

Ethan Thorne, you certainly hid your true colors well!

At seven that evening, I packed all my belongings. Since I was determined to leave, I would do so cleanly.

My gaze lingered on every corner of the apartment: the couple's mugs we bought together, the matching slippers, the potted plant we spent two hours choosing...

Memories were like a cruel hand, squeezing my throat, making it hard to breathe.

Just then, the front door burst open, and Scarlett Davis's beautiful, striking face appeared before me:

"Who are you, and why are you in *our* home?"

*Our home*. Those two words hit me hard, and it took me a few seconds to process them.

Scarlett quickly let out a cold laugh, her perfectly manicured nail pointing directly at my cheek. "Oh, I remember now. You're the little side chick Ethan told me he'd marry just to spite me?"

"Looks like his taste is pretty mediocre!"

I ignored Scarlett's mockery, grabbed her provocatively pointing finger, and flung it away:

"I'm not his side chick. I'm the girlfriend he publicly acknowledged. You, on the other hand, are the one intruding here, aren't you?"

Hearing this, Scarlett immediately frowned, a hint of malice in her eyes.

She gave a small laugh, then deliberately twisted her ankle, crashing against the shoe cabinet with a pained yelp.

Ethan, carrying bags, walked in to this scene.

Scarlett leaned on the floor, holding her waist, her face contorted in pain, tears welling up in her eyes.

I instinctively tried to explain, but Ethan's hand flew out, slapping me across the face.

My lip stung terribly, feeling as if it might split open.

"Scarlett just got back from overseas, do you really have to be so cruel to her?!"

"Don't you know Scarlett injured her spine while dancing? She can't take any bumps. Are you trying to make her permanently disabled?!"

Ethan's words were incredibly harsh, making me sound like some heinous villain.

But he knew I would never intentionally harm anyone, yet he believed Scarlett's one-sided story.

"I didn't! I didn't even touch her!"

Scarlett immediately spoke up, cutting off my explanation, her voice innocent and pitiful:

"Perhaps your girlfriend doesn't welcome me here. I should just go stay somewhere else. I won't bother you two anymore..."

"And you don't need to worry about my work back home. I overstepped my bounds!"

Hearing this, Ethan's heart instantly tightened. He immediately pulled Scarlett into an embrace, comforting her, his eyes overflowing with tenderness:

"Scarlett, this apartment was ours together. It's your home too. How could you leave me, leave this place..."

Then, Ethan coldly looked at me, issuing a direct eviction notice:

"Ava Miller, you don't need to stay here anymore. Move to a hotel. I'll cover the expenses!"

I forced a smile. So, one word from Scarlett, and I no longer even had the right to live here.

Coincidentally, I had no intention of staying either!

I wiped the tears from my eyes, dragging my two suitcases towards the door.

As I passed, Ethan frowned and looked at me, seeming to want to say something.

But Scarlett's cry of pain interrupted him.