Chapter 2

Ethan blamed me for being petty.

But the hearing aid that was stepped on was the gift he gave me when we first got together.

I'd always treasured it carefully, protecting it like something precious.

After all this time, even though it was somewhat old, it worked perfectly fine.

Back then, his face had been warm with a gentle smile as he carefully took out the hearing aid and put it on me.

In an instant, the world became clear.

I heard his crisp voice clearly.

"Aurora White, I like you!"

It was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard in the world.

But after Serena stepped on the hearing aid, Ethan brushed it off with just a few words to excuse her.

He seemed to have forgotten the profound significance that hearing aid held in my heart.

In the living room, Ethan was laughing heartily, saying something.

Serena sent me another message—a screenshot of her chat with Ethan.

They were chatting enthusiastically. Ethan had sent an affectionate "good night."

[Aurora, you and Ethan should rest early too! I won't disturb you anymore.]

Serena's words were full of provocation.

I closed my eyes and stopped looking.

After washing up, Ethan went into another bedroom.

Ever since Serena joined the company and they'd grown close, he'd stopped wanting to sleep in the same bed as me.

My love for Ethan seemed to be slowly fading away.

The next morning after getting up, I wrote a resignation letter.

Then I went to the best law firm in the city and had a lawyer draft divorce papers for me.

Only then did I go to the company to continue handling my work.

Ethan was at Serena's workstation, their heads close together, intimately discussing something.

Strange—looking at this scene now, my heart barely rippled.

Serena's sharp eyes spotted me and greeted me.

"Aurora, you came in pretty late today. You look terrible—didn't sleep well last night?"

Her eyes held provocation and smugness as she moved even closer to Ethan.

"She's been at the company so long she doesn't even follow the rules anymore. If this continues, she won't be able to stay here much longer."

Before I could respond, Ethan frowned and turned his gaze to me, immediately criticizing.

I smiled faintly, looking at the two of them, and spoke calmly.

"I'll be more careful in the future. Thanks for the reminder, Mr. Rivers."

Hearing my response, Ethan's expression instantly darkened.

I rarely called him Mr. Rivers, but now when communicating, I was polite and distant.

Without paying them any more attention, I sat down at my workstation and threw myself into work.

The portion of work I was responsible for was almost complete.

Even though I was about to resign, my sense of responsibility demanded I finish the job.

At noon when I went downstairs for lunch, Ethan had driven his car to the front of the company.

Serena cheerfully climbed into the passenger seat.

Seeing me walk past, Serena called out to me.

"Aurora, Ethan and I are going to an Italian restaurant for lunch. Come with us!"

Though she said this, her face showed no intention of giving up the passenger seat.

I shook my head and smiled at them.

"I'm not used to Italian food. You two go ahead."

With that, I walked away without looking back.

Ethan's voice came faintly from behind.

"She's been so temperamental lately. Just ignore her. Let's go eat!"

I curved my lips slightly and pushed them out of my mind.

During lunch, I casually scrolled through social media.

I saw a post Serena had made.

[Knowing I love photography, my boss gave me a camera I've wanted forever! Angel boss—I want to work for him my whole life!]

I raised an eyebrow at the picture.

On the table was an exquisite vintage camera, with Italian food clearly visible in the background.

And on the camera lens was a freshly taken photo of Serena and Ethan together.

Both were smiling with their eyes crinkling, looking extremely intimate.

When Ethan and I first got together, I'd suddenly become obsessed with photography, wandering around taking pictures with my grandmother's old camera every day.

Ethan had given me a high-end camera and even volunteered to be my model, patiently accompanying me on photo shoots.

We'd taken many pictures together, recording happy times.

But after Serena appeared, Ethan's attitude toward me began to drift.

When I'd take out my camera wanting to take pictures together, he'd frown and dodge my lens.

He said he didn't really like being photographed and told me not to be so childish.

But now, he'd given a camera to Serena, who also loved photography, and even left a photo with her.

I shook my head and closed my phone, feeling a dull ache in my heart.

After work, I returned home to find the custom dress Ethan had ordered for me had been delivered.