Chapter 3
“Come over here.”
By the black Maybach, Ethan Vance leaned against the car door.
In white shirt and black pants, tall and straight.
He held a cigarette between his fingers.
The long ash fell in small pieces.
Claire stood frozen, her heart still aching, her fingers slightly curling.
“Let’s talk.”
Ethan's voice suddenly carried an imposing pressure.
Claire stiffened and walked closer.
He opened the car door for her.
Inside, however, the interior was unexpectedly pink.
Clearly, it had Lana Reed’s taste.
On the front passenger seat was a pillow with their wedding photo printed on it.
Claire opened the back seat door and silently got in.
She refused to sit in a seat that didn’t belong to her.
Ethan didn’t force her.
Though sitting in the luxurious leather seat of the top-class car, Claire couldn’t breathe.
The car was filled with the scent of another woman.
Even the man she once loved smelled like it.
In the upscale restaurant, the crystal chandelier shone brightly.
It reflected off Claire’s red eyes, blinding her.
She felt a deep sense of discomfort as if her entire heart had been exposed.
Ethan opened the menu.
It was in French, which Claire couldn’t understand.
Ethan elegantly ordered.
He placed the napkin in front of her with grace.
“Now that my wife knows about us, let’s make a clean break.”
His voice was eerily calm.
His wife? Not her.
Claire clenched the hem of her skirt tightly to control her anger.
The wine glass in Ethan’s hand gently swirled.
“Actually, if Lana hadn’t found out, I wouldn’t mind keeping things the way they were.”
Claire's pupils constricted.
She looked at him in disbelief.
“You want me to be your mistress?”
He scoffed coldly.
“Mistress? Do you think you deserve that?”
“I’m just repaying a debt.”
“But not anymore...”
He slid a check across the table toward her.
Twenty million.
Twenty million for two years, a generous amount.
“What about our marriage certificate? What does that count for?”
Claire's voice trembled.
“The names are fake, and so is the marriage certificate.”
Claire’s lips almost bled from how tightly she bit them.
Zane Lane was fake, the certificate was fake, the marriage was fake.
But her feelings were real.
Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by invisible hands.
“Fine. From now on, we’re strangers.”
“Twenty million will sever all past ties.”
The knife and fork accidentally touched the porcelain plate, making a crisp sound.
Then Ethan spoke again:
“Didn’t you always want to eat here? That’s why I brought you.”
Claire’s hand paused for a second before continuing to cut the steak.
So he remembered.
But it no longer mattered.
The steak was cut into pieces, like Claire’s shattered heart.
She put a piece into her mouth, but it tasted like chewing wax.
The empty amusement park was desolate at midnight.
Claire stood at the entrance to the carousel.
Ethan stood quietly outside the railing.
His cold and hard aura seemed out of place in the fairytale-like world.
“I once promised to rent the entire amusement park for you. I won’t break my promise.”
His voice was faint.
“You can ride the carousel yourself.”
The music from the carousel played.
The colorful lights blurred into a rainbow in Claire’s tear-filled eyes.
She remembered that summer night.
They crowded together in the small apartment, watching old movies.
The movie’s main couple kissed in an amusement park.
“When we have enough money, I’ll rent the whole place just for you.”
He whispered into her ear.
Now, the whole park was rented.
But she was the only one there.
This sweetness was suffocating.
It was like finding glass hidden in a piece of candy.
In the private cinema, the large screen lit up.
It was the movie they had watched on their first date.
He handed her a large bucket of popcorn.
The sweet caramel flavor tasted bitter on her tongue.
On the screen, the couple kissed.
In the darkness, his phone lit up.
The screensaver was his wedding photo with Lana Reed.
A moment later, his phone buzzed with a message.
It was clearly from Lana Reed.
Claire suddenly stood up in agitation.
“Enough!”
“You should go back.”
Her voice went from agitated to calm.
“It’s pointless now. The love is gone, so why put on an act?”
Ethan looked at her.
His eyes narrowed, with both curiosity and pressure.
Claire took a deep breath.
“You’ve paid the medical fees.”
“You’ve kept your promise.”
“We’re even now.”
As she walked out of the cinema, the night air was cold.
Behind her, footsteps echoed.
Ethan chased after her, but stopped short as if unsure of what to say.
His phone rang again.
“Honey, answer the phone please~”
Lana Reed’s sweet voice pierced the silence.
It must be her exclusive ringtone.
Ethan immediately picked up the phone, listened for a few seconds, and his face changed.
“Sweet heart, don’t be afraid. I’ll be there soon!”
He grabbed his coat with one hand and Claire’s arm with the other.
“Hurry! Come with me!”
“No!”
Claire stopped in her tracks.
“You have no say!”
With immense force, he dragged her into the car.
Moments later, the black Maybach sped down the winding mountain road.
Claire gripped the seat belt tightly.
“Lana is two months pregnant. She had some spotting earlier.”
“You’re an obstetrician, so it’s just right for you to check her out.”
His fingers trembled, his breath growing desperate.
Lana was pregnant?
Two months?
That must have been when he had just regained his memory.
Heh? They were going to become a family of three.
And she would soon be left all alone.
Happiness hadn’t changed. It had only shifted its focus.
Claire pressed her hand to her chest.
A sharp pain shot through her with every breath.
