Chapter 4 If You Won’t Marry Me, Then Her?

Ethan held his phone, a bit surprised. His face slowly turned cold.

Depends on her mood?

Tessa always liked playing these little games.

Ethan tugged at his tie and tossed his phone aside.

He figured Tessa not coming home was just her throwing a tantrum, or maybe she really was on a business trip. After three years with him, everything she had came from him. Without him, where could she go?

It was just her playing hard to get, trying to get his attention.

Once she'd had enough of her little drama, she'd naturally come back obediently.

He knew her well enough.

Ethan lit a cigarette. The smoke swirled around, shrouding his hazy eyes and that faint, elusive strange feeling in his heart.

Meanwhile, on the hotel bed.

Tessa's phone screen lit up with a WhatsApp notification.

It was Ryan.

[Sorry Tessa, flight's delayed. Might be a few hours late.]

Tessa picked up her phone, her fingertips tapping the screen.

[No worries, Ryan. I'll go check it out first. See you when you get here.]

Tessa got up and walked to the bathroom. The woman in the mirror looked pale, but her eyes were unusually calm.

No sadness, no anger.

As if all the love or hate from these three years had been completely wiped clean by the chaos.

She'd been so stupid, but people don't stay stupid forever.

And they don't stay naive forever either.

Tessa had always been a rational person. She understood love clearly.

She used to love Ethan deeply, so the moment he betrayed her, she could take back all her love for him.

She stared at that slightly young face in the mirror, then submerged herself completely in the water.

The cold water washed away her whole day's emotions.

The next day, Tessa went to the popular bridal salon in the city center at the agreed time.

This place operated on a one-on-one appointment system with high privacy—the top choice for wealthy ladies and socialites.

"Ms. Garcia, hello. I'm Rosie, your bridal consultant."

The bridal consultant came over, respectful in her manner.

"Ms. Garcia, Mr. Williams has already called ahead. This way please, let me show you our latest designs."

Tessa nodded slightly and sat down on the soft sofa.

Rosie smiled and handed over a thick catalog filled with wedding dresses by world-class designers. Each one was breathtakingly beautiful.

Tessa looked down and casually flipped through a few pages. Each dress had something unique about it.

She used to imagine what marrying Ethan would be like, imagined the two of them picking out wedding dresses together.

She'd even naively made a wish that on her wedding day, she'd wear that one special dress and walk toward happiness under the eyes of family and friends.

But now, looking at all these options, she found it deeply ironic.

Not the dresses themselves.

Her love story.

The salon door was pushed open again. The sound of dress shoes on the floor approached steadily.

Tessa couldn't help but look up instinctively.

With just one glance, her fingers stopped turning the pages.

It was Ethan and Lila.

Lila was practically hanging on Ethan's arm, wearing a sweet smile, her dress making her look especially elegant.

And Ethan's eyes were fixed straight on Tessa, a sharp glint flashing in them.

Their eyes met.

The air seemed to freeze in that moment.

Ethan's face darkened. "Tessa, are you following me?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of accusation.

Tessa slowly lifted her eyelids, looking at him calmly, even with a polite smile at the corners of her mouth.

"Mr. Robinson, do you own this place?"

"You!"

Ethan was caught off guard, the breath stuck in his chest.

Lila also walked over softly, speaking timidly: "Ethan, don't be like this. Ms. Garcia might just be passing by. We..."

She didn't finish, but her gaze pointedly fell on the thick bridal catalog in front of Tessa.

Ethan's eyes followed, and when he saw what it was, the last bit of patience disappeared from his face.

Wedding dresses?

She was looking at wedding dresses. So the business trip was fake—she was trying to pressure him into marriage?

Ethan laughed coldly, the contempt in his eyes unconcealed.

"Tessa, put away those cheap tricks of yours."

His gaze was cold, showing no regard for Tessa's dignity. He stepped closer, pulling her up from the sofa.

He leaned in close and said in a low voice, "Trying to pressure me into marriage, Tessa? Is that fun?"

"Since you don't seem to get it, let me tell you—I will never marry you. Our social status is too different."

"I thought you understood that. Now go home. Right now."

Such cold and final words.

All because she'd caught Ethan and Lila's dirty secret.

"I, Ethan, will not marry you."

The entire salon was quiet. Rosie looked at the scene awkwardly.

But Tessa wasn't angry. There was no breakdown or crying as expected, no unreasonable tantrums or acting cute like before.

She didn't even raise an eyebrow.

Under Ethan's shocked and angry gaze, she pulled her hand away, rubbing her sore wrist, and laughed twice.

The catalog slammed down on the table with a thud.

"Mr. Robinson, I don't know what you're talking about. You just said you won't marry me?"

She lifted her head, meeting his disbelieving gaze, her red lips parting to utter a syllable he never expected.

"Really?"

Just one word, light and airy, with a hint of pure curiosity.

Then she tilted her head slightly, her clear eyes moving past him to land on the woman behind him who was trying hard to play innocent and fragile.

Her lips slowly curved into a smile. "Then who do you want to marry? Lila?"

She easily threw the awkwardness right back at him.

The air froze again. Lila's somewhat amused expression instantly stiffened.

She frowned slightly. "Ms. Garcia, are you misunderstanding something?"

"Misunderstanding? You can ask the man next to you what my relationship with him is. Oh wait, Ms. Johnson is so smart, you couldn't possibly not know."

"Ethan, is it true? Do you have a special relationship with this Ms. Garcia?"

Ethan frowned slightly, his eyes sharp as a hawk's. "Not really."

"Not really"—that's how he summed up their three years of love.