Chapter 2

Ethan anxiously checked whether the girl was hurt.

The girl's face lit up with delight.

"Why did you come?"

Ethan affectionately tapped her nose.

"I was worried about you, little fool. Afraid you'd run into some bad person."

The girl then pointed at me angrily and scolded.

"I really did meet a psycho. We agreed on everything, then suddenly she says she won't buy it."

I watched as Ethan's eyes met mine. His previously smiling expression suddenly froze.

The girl looked at the man beside her suspiciously and pushed him.

"Do you know her?"

Ethan's eyes darted away as he flatly denied it.

"How would I know this kind of woman?"

I was about to speak when he interrupted.

"I'd better take you to the hospital to get checked out. Otherwise I won't feel at ease."

With that, he pulled the girl away in a hurry.

Leaving me sitting alone on the ground.

After a while, a message from him popped up on my phone.

"Charlotte, go home first. I'll explain to you later."

"Trust me, I have my reasons! I love you!"

A piercing pain came from my foot. It turned out he hadn't noticed at all.

I remembered when we first got together—when I got a tiny paper cut, he made such a fuss about going to the hospital.

I forced myself to stand up and called my best friend, Mia. She rushed over immediately without a second word.

At the hospital, it wasn't until the doctor finished bandaging my injured leg that she finally relaxed.

She'd just sat down by the hospital bed when she couldn't help but curse angrily.

"Your foot is so badly injured, and that bastard Ethan is God knows where! I called him over a dozen times and he didn't answer."

"When he shows up, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

I stared vacantly at the ceiling, my eyes dry and stinging.

"Ethan... he's having an affair."

Mia's mouth dropped open in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"What?! He actually dared to cheat?"

"That son of a bitch! All these years, if it weren't for you running the company inside and out, what would he be!"

"Just wait, I'm going to destroy him and that homewrecker."

I stopped her.

"Don't alert them yet. Help me find out who that woman is. We'll slap his face once we've collected enough evidence."

I never fought unprepared battles. Ethan and I were too deeply entangled over the years.

Right now I had no concrete evidence. Acting rashly wouldn't guarantee a complete victory.

Mia patted my hand with a complicated expression.

"Charlotte, don't worry. You've got me."

"I'll make sure that bastard pays the price he deserves!"

It wasn't until evening that Ethan rushed over carrying soup.

"Charlotte, I didn't know your foot was injured. How is it? Is it serious?"

"I brought your favorite chicken soup. Try some."

He brought over the hot soup and even carefully blew on it to cool it before holding it to my lips.

A strong ginger smell made me nauseous.

I'm allergic to ginger. Ethan used to carefully pick out all the ginger from my food.

I turned away and pushed it aside. The soup spilled all over the floor.

His hand froze in midair, his expression stiffening. Then he smiled helplessly.

"Charlotte, you're throwing a tantrum again. You still don't trust me?"

"That girl is the heiress of Summers Corporation. I'm just playing along with her."

"Once we land that big Summers Corporation project, our company can successfully go public and you won't have to work so hard."

"I'm doing this for our future. Be sensible and listen."

That phrase again—be sensible, listen.

He spoke so righteously, his eyes full of disapproval, as if I were making a scene.

Thinking of the photo Mia sent me this afternoon of a naked man and woman in a car, nausea rose in my chest.

I opened my mouth, my voice hoarse.

"Are you sure she's the Summers Corporation heiress?"

Ethan paused, then laughed lightly.

"How could it be false? I had someone investigate long ago."

"Don't worry, I love you most. She's just for fun."

I closed my eyes, unwilling to deal with him anymore.

He didn't get angry. He tucked in my blanket and lay down on the accompanying bed beside me.

I woke up thirsty in the middle of the night to find the bed beside me empty.

I got up and had just stepped out when I heard the sounds of a man and woman panting from the doctor's on-call room across the hall.

Through the door crack, I saw that familiar figure.