- 2.
Olivia’s sobs pulled me back to reality. Ethan
had rescued her, their bodies pressed tightly
together.
I felt a wave of nausea.
Ethan was shaken, trembling as he kissed
Olivia’s hair,
“Thank God you’re okay…”
Olivia’s body trembled.
“Will you marry Claire? If you will, then you
should have let me die ”
Ethan gently wiped her tears, his gaze turning
cold and calculating when he looked at me.
“It’s just marriage. In my heart, you’ll always
be first.”
Then, as if forced, he sighed,
“Claire’s been with me for eight years. I don’t
love her anymore…but she saved me from
drowning years ago, and she’s always been
so dedicated. I owe her that much.”
Everyone around us was stunned.
Yes, I’d saved Ethan from drowning, and we’d
naturally gotten together.
But that was long ago. He always felt I was
using that favor to manipulate him. Knowing
how things would turn out, I wouldn’t have
saved him then, or now.
The pitying stares became irritating.
I scoffed.
“Ethan, I’m busy. When are you going to fulfill
your promise?”
L
Ethan sneered, a knowing glint in his eyes.
“So eager to marry me?”
He stroked Olivia’s ear, then spoke to me
dismissively,
“Fine. When do you want to get married?”
“Since you’re desperate to marry me, I…”
I cut him off.
“We’re breaking up.”
“”
Ethan stared, his face a mask of disbelief and
anger.
“You want to break up?”
Ignoring Olivia’s surprise, I looked at Ethan’s
furrowed brow.
“Yes.”
“What kind of stunt is this?”
Ethan refused to believe me.
“Everyone knows you’ve been chasing me
since high school. Now that you finally have a
chance to marry me, you want to break up?
Claire, stop kidding yourself! You’re still
L
wearing the ring I gave you!”
He seemed to have found a flaw in my plan, a
smug look on his face, certain I’d never leave
him.
I calmly removed the ring and tossed it over
the edge.
“Oh, right. Thanks for reminding me.‘
99
Ethan had bought it for my birthday in
college, using his first scholarship check. It
had our initials engraved inside.
Once, after a car accident, I was
unconscious, but I was clutching it.
Ethan knew how much it meant to me.
Now, it was gone.
Ethan’s brow furrowed, but he still couldn’t
believe I was serious.
He sneered, “Claire, I don’t care what games
you’re playing, but if you apologize, I’ll
pretend nothing happened. You still want to
be Mrs. Hayes, and you will be.”
く
I smiled faintly. “Ethan, I wish you and I both.
get what we want.”
And with that, I left.
I heard Olivia ask, “Not chasing after her?”
Ethan sneered. “No. She’ll come crawling
back. A woman who’ll do anything to get
pregnant by me won’t just walk away.”
