Chapter 2

As the car started moving again, he said, "It's easy to get a taxi up ahead. You go first. I have some things to take care of."

I didn't come to my senses until his car disappeared into traffic.

Had they been together for six years?

My supposedly six-year secret romance turned out to be six years of being a mistress.

If that was the case, I didn't want to continue this clandestine relationship.

When Ethan came home, I was standing on the balcony, lost in thought.

He changed his shoes and hugged me from behind as before, his warm breath lingering on my neck.

"Why didn't you go to the restaurant?"

I didn't say anything.

He tightened his grip on my hand and said, "What's wrong? Are you jealous?"

In the past, if I had seen him like this, I probably would have swallowed my anger and never mentioned it again.

This time, I wasn't willing to let it go.

I awkwardly pushed him away, forcing a smile: "What right do I have to be jealous?"

"A lover, a kept woman, or the other woman?"

I turned around and met his gaze.

“We agreed that if you didn’t love me, or if you had someone to marry, you could tell me and I wouldn’t bother you.”

The first time I saw him was downstairs at the company.

He chased away my parents who were pestering me for money, and even had a lawyer intervene to protect my dignity.

My heart fluttered at that moment.

Later, I happened to run into him several times in the underground parking garage.

Then one day, I sprained my ankle and couldn't get out of his way in time, so he noticed me.

He casually approached me step by step until he cornered me against the wall.

Our breaths mingled, and he coaxed me in a seductive voice, "Want to try it with me?"

And that's how we got together.

He said that because of his position, we couldn't make our relationship public for the time being.

So from that day on, he and I shared a secret we couldn't tell anyone else.

We agreed then that if either of us changed our minds or stopped loving each other, we could be honest about it and end the relationship.

But he didn't. He had cruelly made me the other woman and even brought his real fiancée right in front of me.

I took a deep breath: "I want to end our relationship."

Ethan was stunned for a moment, because no matter how much trouble I had caused before, I had never said such a thing.

"Are you throwing a tantrum because of Chloe?"

He looked down at me, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"I thought we had a tacit understanding, but I didn't expect you to have so little trust in me."

After he finished speaking, he quickly tapped something on his phone.

I soon received a notification that he had transferred 500,000 to me.

"Birthday present."

It was always the same; he always acted superior and never patiently resolved our problems.

He would just wait for me to calm down before we went back to how things used to be.

"I don't need it."

A fleeting look of annoyance crossed Ethan's face, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Pretending to be high and mighty? But you haven't been short of money these past few years either."

He said this while picking up his coat and heading out.

He paused at the door, as if remembering something.

"Don't forget to take your medicine."

I asked, puzzled, "What medicine?"

Ethan chuckled and leaned lazily against the entryway cabinet.

“I didn’t take any precautions that time during the day.”

"Or are you thinking of taking a chance and using a baby to blackmail me into making our relationship public?"

I lowered my eyes and gave a bitter smile.

So that's how it is.

"Don't worry, now that you already have a fiancée, I won't bother you."

The next second, he turned and left, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

I understood him less and less, and I didn't understand why he was angry.

He was the one who wanted to avoid suspicion and keep the relationship private, yet he was also the one who wanted to marry someone else.

I ordered birth control pills online and swallowed them with water.

That's fine.

This ambiguous relationship was too sordid; I had to leave.

I closed my eyes, wiped away my tears, and got up to draft my resignation.