Chapter 1

Vivian, Ethan's first love, sent me 99 sex photos of her and Ethan.

After that, I became a different person.

When he worked overtime late into the night, I no longer left the lights on for him.

When he was hospitalized with stomach pain, I no longer went to take care of him.

All our close friends thought I was just throwing a tantrum. Even Ethan thought so too.

"Serena is an orphan who desperately needs love. How could she possibly leave me?"

Yet another time, when Vivian and I were both kidnapped by Ethan's enemies, he didn't hesitate to save Vivian first. He left me to have my face slashed by the criminal's knife.

I finally gave up completely.

I booked a flight to leave.

Ethan, I don't lack love. I just finally stopped loving you.

Serena POV

Ever since I saw that kissing selfie of Ethan and Vivian in his old phone, I locked myself in my room and cried for a day and a night.

After that, I became a different person.

When he worked late, I no longer brought him desserts.

When I developed new dessert recipes, I no longer brought them for him to taste.

I also stopped texting him every day to ask what time he'd be home, whether he had any missions, or if he'd gotten hurt.

That evening, on my way home from closing the shop, I got hit by an electric scooter while crossing the street.

My arm was badly scraped, and my knee hit the pavement, bleeding profusely.

The driver ran off, and I took a cab to the hospital by myself.

When I got to the hospital, the ER doctor examined my wound and frowned. "Car accident? This is serious. You'll need stitches. Did you come alone?"

I nodded slightly, my face pale.

The doctor looked at me with some sympathy. "I recommend staying in the hospital for observation for two days. Since you can't move around easily and don't have family to take care of you, we can have a nurse arrange a caregiver for you."

"Okay, thank you," I said quietly.

After getting stitched up, a nurse helped me walk to the inpatient ward.

As we passed through the ER lobby, I ran into Ethan.

The man looked anxious as he accompanied his colleague Vivian to see a doctor.

Vivian had a cut several centimeters long on her arm. Apparently, she'd been injured on a mission.

Ethan never liked using his position for special treatment. He usually waited in line like everyone else.

But right now, he was using the priority lane.

"Doctor, please be extra careful. Try not to leave a scar. She's still young, and girls care about their appearance."

The doctor smiled and nodded. "Is this your girlfriend? Don't worry, the wound is shallow. If I stitch it well, there won't be any mark."

Ethan opened his mouth to explain when he caught sight of me.

"Serena?"

My steps froze.

Ethan rushed over in two strides, his eyes sweeping over my bandaged arm and the blood seeping through my pants, his brow furrowing. "It really is you? What are you doing at the hospital?"

Before I could answer, the nurse supporting me spoke up. "The patient was just in a car accident. I'm taking her to her room."

"Minor injury," I said, not wanting to elaborate. "You go ahead and do what you need to do."

Ethan seemed like he wanted to say something.

In the past, when I burned my fingertip on a mixer while making whipped cream at the shop, I'd call him just to get some comfort.

When I closed late and had to walk home in the dark, I'd video call him and chatter away the entire walk.

When a moth flew into the house, I'd scream and hide behind him.

After all, in his mind, I was just a pampered little girl who never grew up.

"Why didn't you tell me you were in a car accident?" he asked with a frown.

Before I could answer, Ethan explained, unusually defensive. "Vivian got injured on a mission. She's my subordinate, so it's my responsibility to bring her here for treatment."

"Yeah, I know," I nodded. "It's your responsibility. Go ahead."

Ethan froze.

He seemed surprised by my reaction.

In the past, I was never like this about Vivian.

I would ask him with red-rimmed eyes if he'd gone to accompany Vivian again, would grumble that Vivian was an adult and didn't need to bother him with everything.

Every time, he'd have to explain. Vivian lost her mother. Vivian's father sacrificed himself taking a bullet meant for him. He owed Vivian's father his life. Taking care of Vivian was perfectly normal.

When he said these things, he often complained that I was immature and petty.

Now I finally stopped making a fuss, stopped asking questions, didn't even have an extra word to say.

"Which room?" he asked quietly. "I'll go with you."

Just as I was about to refuse, Vivian's tearful voice came from the distance. "Ethan, where are you? It hurts so much..."

Hearing this, Ethan instinctively turned and walked toward Vivian, comforting her as he went. "Vivian, don't be scared. I'm here, I'm coming right now."

After two steps, he seemed to remember something and turned back to say to me, "Let me help her get her wound treated first, then I'll come find you."

I watched his retreating figure, feeling somewhat dazed.

When I cut my finger while chopping vegetables, he said it was nothing, just put a Band-Aid on it yourself, no need to bother others with such things.

When my dessert shop was broken into one night, I squatted at the shop entrance trembling, called Ethan, also wanting to hear him say "don't be scared, I'm here."

But he said, "What's the point of crying? You should call the police."

Turns out he wasn't incapable of comforting people.

He just wasn't capable of comforting me.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth and forced back the tears that were about to fall.

Enduring the pain in my knee, I pulled out my phone and listed my dessert shop on a secondhand marketplace for transfer.

The shop, I didn't want it anymore.

The man, I didn't want him anymore either.