Chapter 3

Aurora POV

"Why should I?"

I clutched my neck, where red marks had appeared, and coughed violently several times, looking up to meet Eric's gaze directly.

"I will never admit to something I didn't do."

Ethan's face instantly darkened to an extreme. He released Serena, stepping towards me, his voice squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"Aurora, do you think I've indulged you too much? Serena just took over the project, and now with this scandal, partners are threatening to cancel contracts. If you don't clarify, she'll be utterly ruined!"

"What does her ruin have to do with me?"

I sneered.

"She knows full well what kind of rotten things she's done. Eric, protecting her so fiercely, aren't you afraid you're protecting trash?"

A loud, resounding slap landed squarely on my face.

My head snapped to the side, my ears rang, and I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Serena covered her mouth, feigning a look of terror.

"Ethan, why did you hit her...?"

Ethan's hand hung in mid-air, trembling slightly.

He seemed to not have expected to hit me so hard; a fleeting look of regret flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by coldness.

"That's the price for your sharp tongue."

He said coldly.

"Aurora, I'm giving you one last chance. Are you going to post that clarification or not?"

I slowly turned my head, wiped the blood from my lips with my thumb, and suddenly laughed.

I laughed until tears almost streamed down my face.

This was the man I had loved for ten years.

For a woman full of lies, he condemned me without seeking the truth, even raising his hand to hit me.

"Eric, didn't you say I was targeting her because I loved you and wanted to snatch the project?"

Barefoot, I got out of bed, walked to the corner, and tore open the large black garbage bags.

Cut-up clothes, torn photos, smashed gifts, all spilled out onto the floor.

Ethan's pupils suddenly constricted.

He stared intently at the framed photo, torn in half, on the ground. It was a picture of him at eighteen, which I had pestered him relentlessly to take.

He used to hate it, but I had treasured it and displayed it by my bedside.

Now, his face in the photo was shredded beyond recognition.

"Did you see clearly?"

I pointed to the mess on the floor.

"I don't love you anymore. Your things, I find them disgusting. So, I don't have the time to target your precious darling."

Ethan's face instantly turned ashen.

"You..."

He opened his mouth, but found his throat tight, unable to speak.

Serena, seeing this, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes.

She quickly pulled Ethan's sleeve, saying softly and weakly.

"Ethan, since Aurora says it wasn't her, then let's just drop it. We'll think of another solution, don't force her..."

Ethan took a deep breath, giving me a cold glance.

"It better not be you. Otherwise, I will never let you off the hook."

With that, he pulled Serena and turned to leave.

I watched their retreating backs and said coldly.

"Get out."

Ethan's footsteps paused, his back stiffened, but he didn't look back, striding out.

I collapsed onto the floor, looking at the scattered fragments, and closed my eyes.

It was over.

It was truly over.

The next morning, I carried my suitcase downstairs, ready to head to the Pacific Northwest branch office.

This was my promise to him, and also a way to find a quiet place to avoid them before the Vance family came to pick me up.

As I reached the living room, I saw Ethan and Serena preparing to leave for the company to handle the public relations crisis.

Seeing me with my luggage, Ethan frowned.

"Where are you going?"

"To the company in the Pacific Northwest."

I said blandly.

"Didn't you tell me to get out yesterday?"

Ethan choked, his face looking rather unpleasant.

Just as he was about to say something, the main door was suddenly burst open from outside.

A disheveled woman with bloodshot eyes rushed in, brandishing a gleaming fruit knife, like a madwoman, lunging at Serena.

"Serena Miller! You bitch! You plagiarized my work, got me blacklisted from the industry, and my mom jumped from a building to help me with the penalty fees! Today, I'm going to make you pay with your life!"

The sudden turn of events happened too fast; everyone was caught off guard.

The knife sliced through the air in a cold arc, aiming straight for Serena's chest.