Chapter 4

Joanna's POV

The next morning when I woke up, the pillow beside me was cold.

I picked up my phone. A message hung on the screen, sent at 3 AM.

"Emergency situation last night. Can't make it back for morning. Sorry."

I stared for two seconds, then locked the screen.

The apology was real. Not making it back was also real.

The things ranking ahead of me were always so numerous that "sorry" had become a standard phrase.

After rehearsal that evening, I carried my bag home. While changing shoes in the entryway, I heard voices in the living room.

I walked in to see Grace sitting on the sofa wearing loose loungewear, a suitcase by her feet.

Ethan stood nearby. When he saw me, his expression visibly tightened.

"Grace... just got back and isn't adjusting well. Living alone, she keeps having insomnia," he kept revising his wording. "She lost touch with her friends while abroad. The person she's most familiar with now is me. I was thinking of letting her stay in the guest room for a few days until she adjusts, then-"

"Sure."

I set down my bag.

Ethan's whole body tensed. His lips parted slightly, looking like he was frantically searching his mind for excuses.

But I'd agreed too quickly. So quickly that the expression on his face froze instantly, like a gulp of cold air choking in his throat, unable to produce a single word.

Grace stood up from the sofa, her voice soft. "Ethan, can I invite a few friends over for dinner? A welcome-back party. I'd feel more at ease if you arranged it."

Before Ethan could answer, I already had. "Sure. I'll prepare everything."

Grace smiled. A flash of triumph passed through her gaze.

That evening, the friends Grace invited arrived one after another.

They were all Ethan's old friends, some former colleagues.

The living room quickly grew lively, everyone surrounding Grace.

Talking about her experiences, saying she'd gotten thinner, saying she was just as beautiful as before.

I stayed in the kitchen cutting fruit, pouring drinks, changing plates.

I went in and out of the living room many times. No one asked if I wanted to sit down and chat with them.

After several rounds of drinks, someone drunk threw an arm around Ethan's shoulder.

"I'm saying, Ethan, if you and Grace hadn't broken up back then, your kid would be in kindergarten by now, wouldn't they?"

The living room instantly went quiet.

Ethan's expression changed. He looked sharply at me.

I was just coming out of the kitchen carrying a plate of cut watermelon.

I set the plate on the coffee table and smiled.

"Yeah, pretty unfortunate."

My tone was casual, like commenting on a movie.

But no one dared to continue the conversation.

The drunk person awkwardly took a drink. The atmosphere took a while to recover.

Ethan stared at my profile for a long time.

I was smiling.

But that smile contained nothing.

No jealousy, no grievance, not even concern.

Like an outsider entertaining guests.

After the dinner party ended, I was washing dishes in the kitchen.

Grace leaned against the doorframe. "Joanna, do you know Ethan and I almost got married?"

The faucet rushed loudly. My hands didn't stop.

"We'd already bought the ring," Grace's voice was loud. "I was the one who initiated the breakup. I was going abroad. He begged me to stay. I didn't agree."

I turned off the faucet and set down the last plate.

I turned around, drying my hands while looking at Grace. "So?"

Grace met my gaze, her smile confident, even carrying a trace of pity.

"So I'm back now." She took a step forward. "My place in this home is mine. You, the substitute, should take your curtain call."

The kitchen was quiet for a few seconds.

I folded the dish towel neatly and hung it back on the hook.

"You're right," I said. "I really should take my curtain call."

Grace's smile froze. "Joanna, you'd better understand your position. You're nothing but an orphan without family, you-"