Ethan couldn't handle spicy food since he was a kid. When we were together, I always made sure to order a few mild dishes.

But in Madison's social media posts, every single photo showed the bubbling red oil. I remembered her caption.

[My crush doesn't eat spicy food, but he still came with me.]

"I heard you recently won a ring called 'True Love' at auction, and a year ago you went to France to have a wedding dress custom-made. Were they for me?"

I asked unexpectedly. Ethan's hand trembled when he heard me, and he dropped all the shrimp paste into my side of the pot.

"No, it was for a client."

He called the server and ordered another portion of shrimp paste.

I managed a strained smile. Finally, I couldn't help myself and looked up at him, hoping.

"Ethan, will you still marry me?"

He didn't even look up, answering flatly, like it was a business formality.

"Of course. I promised you."

He reached out to pour me a drink. Maybe seeing I was upset, he tried to comfort me.

"Clara, don't overthink it. There's a lot to plan for a wedding. I don't want to rush it. After all, it's only once in a lifetime."

I looked down and didn't speak, staring at the photos Madison had sent me just a few hours ago.

She was wearing the 'True Love' diamond ring and the one-of-a-kind wedding dress, laughing and nestled in his arms, and he was gazing at her with tender affection.

Ethan had said those words a long time ago. Back then, he had no money, and his friend, afraid I'd leave him because he was poor, told him to just marry me quickly.

He said the same thing back then, that it wasn't easy for me to be with him.

He said he'd definitely give me a wedding that every girl in the world would envy.

But I knew he didn't want to marry me anymore.

I took out the photos and put them in front of him. "The client you mentioned," I said. "Is she your secretary?"

I expected him to panic, look uneasy, or maybe even just admit it straightforwardly, with the evidence right there.

Instead, he just lit a cigarette calmly, taking a few drags before speaking slowly.

"Madison's boyfriend died in a car accident. She said I looked a lot like him and asked me to take a photo with her to fulfill a dream."

"There's really nothing going on between us."

My eyes stung when I heard that, and a prickling pain spread through my heart.

"Ethan, do you know something? When you truly love someone, you notice every change in them right away."

"I've always known you were the one eating hot pot with Madison. So many times you came home, I could smell the strong hot pot scent on you."

"And you've always had a sweet, cloying perfume scent on you."

Ethan lifted his sleeve and sniffed. His face went instantly dark.

"You never used to smoke in front of me."

Ethan stared at me, dazed. He immediately put out the cigarette. Only now, belatedly, did he look at me with panic.

"Clara, let me explain..."

"You listen to me first."

I cut him off.

"I came here once before. I used her social media check-ins to figure out which booth this was. I asked the owner if I could reserve it."

"He smiled and told me this booth was reserved indefinitely by a big shot. He said the big shot's girlfriend loved hot pot and this spot because of the view of the river, and he was afraid she'd be upset if she couldn't get her favorite seat next time."

"Also, I'm allergic to shrimp."

I picked up a piece of shrimp paste from the spicy side of the pot, then held up the drink in my hand. "And drinking mango juice, too."

"Were you treating me like her?"

Ethan's face turned paler and paler. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

The more I spoke, the more hurt I felt. Finally, I choked back a sob, and the tears I'd been holding back started to fall.

Chapter4

"Those two hours I waited for you," I choked out. "Did you really think I didn't know what you were doing?"

When Ethan heard that, his pupils dilated. A look of pain flashed in his eyes, which finally turned red. He came over and pulled me into a tight hug, apologizing over and over.

"I'm sorry, Clara. I was wrong. I was so wrong."

"It was just a moment of madness. I'll fire her. I'll make sure you never see her again. Can you please forgive me this one time?"

"No."

I pushed him away abruptly, yelling at him, my voice hoarse.

"Ethan, I already forgave you once!"

Ethan had forgotten, but about five years ago, when we were just talking, he'd constantly bring up his female investor. He'd say how she took good care of him, how much she valued him.

Later, I had a huge fight with him about this investor and broke up with him.

He panicked. He went to her place that very night and begged the investor to come to my place and explain.

"She has a cute baby, and her husband is way more successful than I am. You believe me now, right? Please don't talk about breaking up anymore. I'm terrified."

Back then, Ethan held me tightly, truly afraid of losing me.

But at the time, I didn't understand the meaningful smile that woman gave me before she left.

It wasn't until much later that I understood.

Ethan had used her to test my boundaries.

If I had acted like I didn't care, or chosen to swallow my anger because I loved him, then the next step would have been him cheating without a second thought, moving freely among countless other women.

But after that, he really didn't mention other women, so I chose to give him another chance.

Until Madison appeared.

He let Madison take photos and post them on social media. He let her wear the wedding dress and the ring, and take wedding photos.

He let her provoke me.

I took a deep breath, forcing a bitter smile.

"Ethan, do you think I can't live without you? Is that why you feel you can treat me so carelessly?"

"I admit the sunk costs are huge, and I am deeply invested in this. But nobody is indispensable. I told you the first time we broke up: if you can't sort out your relationships, then I will choose to sort you out."

Ethan was sobbing, kneeling on the floor, desperately clinging to my hand.

"Clara, I was just foolish for a moment. I truly know I was wrong. I promise, I promise this is the last time. You know how hard the past ten years have been for us. I admit I was distracted by what was outside, but I promise there won't be a next time."

These ten years, it really wasn't easy for us.

Ethan and I both came from difficult backgrounds.

Ethan was an orphan. My parents remarried, and neither of them wanted me, so I was raised by my grandfather.

From high school, we were always competing for first and second place.

Everyone in class said we were rivals, but none of them knew that Ethan would secretly put a carton of milk in my desk every day, or that he'd follow me home after evening study hall to make sure I got there safely.

I remember one year, a guy from the vocational school next door took a liking to me and blocked me at the school. Without a word, Ethan jumped in and fought him, bleeding from his head, like he didn't care if he died.

After that, no one dared bother me again, because they all knew Ethan was crazy when it came to protecting me.

After high school, it was natural for us to start dating.

After college, neither of us wanted to give up. Driven by pure willpower, we insisted on staying in New York City, a place where every inch is worth a fortune.

We lived in a dark, damp basement apartment and shared countless bowls of ramen.

In his first year of starting his business, he lost a lot of money.

To pay off the debt, he worked three jobs a day.

We tightened our belts and lived on a shoestring budget.

I remember, back then, a guy from a wealthy family took an interest in me and wanted me to be with him.