Seeing everyone silent, I kindly helped the
confused manager,
“Let’s open them all. Don’t waste them.”
When I stepped out of the private room,
Ethan quickly followed, his voice unusually
anxious.
“Nina, the company recently landed a big
deal. The wine was for a celebration.”
I waved my hand casually and walked into the
ladies‘ restroom.
When I returned, Ethan was toasting with
Chloe.
Two years ago, almost the same dinner.
I, who’m allergic to alcohol, was pressured to
drink by those men.
Ethan didn’t help me then. He just held me
down and forced the alcohol into my mouth.
He said, it’s just one glass of wine. He would
take me to the hospital for a stomach pump if
く
necessary.
That night, I developed a fever.
Two days later, I was rushed to the hospital
with severe abdominal pain. The doctor said I
was a month pregnant, and the fetus had
miscarried.
When Ethan heard about my miscarriage, he
rushed to the hospital and berated me.
“I told you not to go, but you did it anyway, you idiot. This is the price you pay for
hanging out with a bunch of men.”
Remembering this, I got up, grabbed my bag,
and left.
Ethan arrived home shortly after, furious.
“Nina, are you crazy? You just leave without
saying anything, making everyone unhappy
just so you can be happy?”
Seeing me silent, he pulled at his collar and
sneered.
“Since you’re so unreasonable, let’s get a
<
Since youre so unreasonable, let’s yel a
divorce.”
This was the second time Ethan had asked
for a divorce.
The first time, it was because he’d wrongly
accused me of checking his phone.
I’d knelt before him, begging and swearing I’d
never upset him again.
But this time, I looked him in the eye and
said, “Okay.”
For half a minute, the huge living room was
eerily quiet.
Ethan thought he’d misheard me.
“Nina, what did you say?”
“I said okay, we’re getting a divorce.”
I stood up from the sofa, ready to show him
the divorce agreement drafted by the lawyer.
But Ethan suddenly raised his voice and
gritted his teeth.
“Are you sure you want a divorce?”
く
I blinked in confusion.
“Is there a fake divorce?”
Ethan stared at me, then sneered.
“I didn’t know you could play hard to get, but
I’m not falling for it.”
He stormed out.
For the next two weeks, he didn’t come home.
Until one night, I got a call from Owen.
He said Ethan was terribly drunk and needed
help.
I said,
“Let him sleep at your place. If not, ask Chloe
if she’s free.”
Honestly, I was thinking of Ethan’s best
interests.
But Ethan, instead of being drunk, gave me
the cold shoulder when he got home.
He sat beside me, watching TV, with a cold
expression.
And he came home every night with a cold
L
expression.
He also sent 999 roses to my company for a
week straight.
Before, even a small trinket from him would
have had me posting nonstop on Instagram.
This time, despite his numerous social media
updates, I didn’t even acknowledge a single
petal.
Ethan seemed to have forgotten about the
divorce.
I followed the lawyer’s advice and waited for
the right time.
“Nina, where are you? We’re in room eight,
hurry up.”
I was meeting Lily at a private club for
karaoke. Before I found the right room,
someone put a hand on my shoulder.
“Nina, how did you know I was here?”
The dim lighting couldn’t hide the joy on
Ethan’s face.
“I told you I’d be back soon. But since you’re
here, come on, let’s go say hello.”
He pulled me into the room, where Chloe
greeted us first.
Upon seeing me, the smile on her face froze.
“I didn’t expect Nina to come to a place like
this.”
After glaring at Ethan, Chloe looked me up
and down disdainfully.
“Ethan always says you’re fussy and ugly, but
I told him, Nina’s not that dumb.”
I immediately recognized the custom jacket
Chloe was wearing. It was the anniversary gift
I’d given Ethan last year. I’d wanted him to
wear it to dinner at my family’s house
recently. He’d told me he’d lost it on a
าa
business trip. I’d only murmured “What a
shame,” but he’d exploded.
“It’s an ugly, outdated jacket. You ask so
many questions, it’s like you’re interrogating
<
a criminal! Nina, maybe I should book you an
appointment with a neurologist? You really
need to get your brain checked!”
Ethan pulled me to his so–called friends and
made the rounds. As his friends joked that he
was “henpecked,” he watched me with a sly
smile. When they urged us to sing a duet,
Chloe volunteered and draped the jacket over
my shoulders.
“Nina, you’re wearing so little, I’m afraid
you’ll catch a cold,” she said sweetly.
Seeing me in the jacket he supposedly lost,
Ethan looked nervous, and carefully
explained,
“The city I was in on the business trip had a
sudden temperature drop, and Chloe didn’t
bring any warm clothes… so I had to lend her
a jacket.”
