The day my appendicitis flared up, I was in agonizing pain. The doctors said I needed immediate surgery, but they required next-of-kin authorization on the insurance paperwork, and I was in too much pain to think. I called my husband, Ethan, dozens of times, but every single call went unanswered. It wasn’t until my best friend, Sarah, rushed over from thirty miles away that I was finally wheeled into the operating room. When the anesthesia wore off, I lay in the hospital bed, pale and drained. My phone buzzed. An Instagram notification popped up with a video from Melody. In the video, Ethan’s eyes were flushed with excitement as he cheered loudly for Melody, who was shining on stage. He was even holding a pink light-up wand with her name on it. No wonder I couldn’t reach him. While I was writhing in pain on a hospital bed, fighting for my life, he was busy playing the devoted fanboy at his first love’s comeback concert. Whenever Melody needed him, Ethan would drop me in a heartbeat. I looked up at the ceiling and let out a bitter, relieved laugh. This marriage was truly over. I dialed my brother, Sebastian. “I’m coming home. I’ll take over the family empire.”
The moment I hung up, the hospital door was pushed open. Ethan, still wearing that ridiculous pink bunny headband from the video, rushed in. He was holding Melody’s hand, looking frantic as he knelt by my bed. “Chloe, why didn’t you tell me you were having surgery?” I didn’t tell him? I had sent him over a hundred messages. He just didn’t care enough to look. Seeing my silence, a flash of guilt crossed his face. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have been so busy. Does the incision still hurt?” Busy? He had all the time in the world for Melody, but not a single second for me. I looked at him with cold sarcasm. “Your first love’s comeback concert is obviously way more important than my life. I don’t blame you.” Ethan froze, panic flickering in his eyes. Before he could explain, Melody interjected in her sweet, high-pitched voice. “Chloe, please don’t get the wrong idea. Ethan was just helping me out. I was so nervous about my show.” “If it bothers you, I won’t ask him for help ever again.” Her faux generosity made me look like the petty, jealous wife. I sneered. “Did I ask you?” Melody’s sweet smile stiffened. Her eyes welled up with tears instantly, looking like a kicked puppy. “I know you’re mad at me for taking up Ethan’s time. Fine, I’ll stop seeing him altogether.” “Ethan, I’m clearly not welcome here. I should just go back to Europe.” With that, she turned and ran out. Ethan’s eyes went red. He quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “With me here, nobody dares to make you feel unwelcome.” He whipped his head back to face me, his brow furrowed in anger. “What is wrong with you? I just went to a concert! Why are you throwing a tantrum over nothing?” The stitches in my abdomen throbbed, sending a jolt of pain through my nerves. I couldn’t hold back my pain and anger anymore. I screamed at him. “Ethan, don’t you dare yell at me!” I had never raised my voice like that in our entire marriage. Ethan, who was gently wiping a tear from Melody’s face, paused. He looked like he wanted to say something. But a second later, Melody’s soft, fragile voice pulled his attention right back. “Ethan, Chloe is just emotional right now. Don’t fight with her because of me.” “Actually, some fans wanted us to take a couple of backstage photos. Let’s do that first and come back to see Chloe later, okay?” Ethan glanced at me instinctively, then grabbed her hand and walked out without looking back. The empty ward was silent, save for the dripping sound of my IV. This wasn’t the first time Ethan had abandoned me for Melody. Whether it was something as big as her having a mild fever, or something as trivial as her cat running out of food or her faucet leaking… Ethan would always choose her without a second thought. Just two nights ago, I had a severe allergic reaction to mangoes and ran a dangerously high fever. Meanwhile, Ethan was sitting in a movie theater with Melody, watching a romance film. I once asked Ethan to go bungee jumping with me, but he refused, claiming he was terrified of heights. “Chloe, you should go with your friends. My vertigo is too bad for that kind of stuff.” Yet, I saw countless photos on Melody’s Instagram of Ethan bungee jumping with her. They were pressed tightly against each other, and Ethan had the most genuine, blissful smile on his face. It turned out he wasn’t afraid of heights. He was just only willing to conquer his fears for her, not me. When Ethan and I first got together, he was the one who chased me. He knew I loved Ed Sheeran, so he practiced guitar for days and nights just to play for me. He knew I was allergic to pollen, so he hand-crafted 999 paper roses for my birthday. For him, I defied my family and moved to New York all by myself. I truly believed Ethan loved me with all his heart, just like everyone said. Until one day, I found a locked notebook in his study. I remembered the silver necklace Ethan always wore, the one with a scratched-up pendant of numbers that he never took off. Using those numbers as the code, I opened the notebook. Inside were hundreds of photos, and every single one was of Melody. Crying, laughing, sleeping, eating. He had documented every moment of her life. As it turned out, the pendant he never took off was their couple’s necklace from college. No wonder he was so reluctant when I wanted to buy matching wedding bands. “What’s the point of wearing those? We’re already married.” That was the moment I realized… It was Melody who loved Ed Sheeran. It was Melody who was allergic to pollen. Even the love Ethan showered me with was just a cheap imitation. He only loved me because I shared some similarities with Melody. He married me simply because Melody had moved abroad, and he felt it didn’t matter who he ended up with. I didn’t throw a fit back then. We had been married for eight years. I believed even the coldest stone could be melted. I was confident I could make him love me. But today, as I lay dying in a hospital bed, Ethan’s heart was entirely with Melody. He took me for granted because he believed I would never leave him. That was why he was so shameless. Thinking about this, my heart felt like it was being pierced by a thousand needles. I knew it was time to step off the stage. I called my brother, Sebastian. “Sebastian, I want the Miller Group bankrupt within three days.” Ethan, I don’t think I ever told you. My father is the most ruthless billionaire tycoon in New York.
I didn’t wait for my incision to fully heal before discharging myself from the hospital. Ethan felt guilty, so he texted saying he would come pick me up. But I waited at the hospital entrance for two hours, and he never showed up. The freezing wind was biting, and then, a Snapchat video from Melody popped up on my screen. Ethan was holding her in a bridal carry, looking down at the crying woman in his arms. “Ethan, I told you not to touch my hair! It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t suddenly messed with my hair, I wouldn’t have tripped!” Ethan laughed, looking at her with a tenderness I had never seen before. “Okay, okay, you’re always right. I promise I won’t let you get hurt ever again, deal?” The woman snuggled deeper into his chest, giggling happily. “That’s more like it…” The wife who had shared Ethan’s bed for eight years had just undergone surgery, her wound still fresh, waiting for him in the cold. Yet, he was sweating with anxiety over Melody’s pathetic, staged fall. Looking at the video, no matter how cold the winter wind was, it couldn’t compare to the iciness in my heart. The rain started mixing with snow. I got drenched on my way home. The cold rain soaked through my clothes, and my incision began to bleed, but my body was too numb to feel the pain. When I reached the front door, the warm air from inside carried the sound of a man and a woman laughing through the gap. On the living room sofa, Ethan was gently massaging Melody’s ankle. There wasn’t a trace of impatience on his face. I recalled the morning I burned my hand with hot oil while frying eggs for him. I had shown him the burn, wanting a little comfort. But he had just frowned, his eyes filled with annoyance. “Chloe, don’t complain to me about such a tiny scratch, okay? I’m busy with work. Try to be a little more understanding.” I pushed the door open. Ethan looked up and saw me. I was soaking wet, shivering, with blood seeping through my clothes, a complete mess. A flash of worry crossed his eyes. He let go of Melody’s foot and rushed over to grab my cold hands. “What happened to you? Didn’t we agree you’d wait for me at the hospital? I was going to pick you up as soon as I finished here.” His voice carried a hint of panic. I looked at his familiar yet completely stranger face. My heart felt absolutely nothing. On the sofa, Melody was smugly enjoying my pathetic state. I slapped Ethan’s hand away as he reached out to dry my hair. “Ethan, let’s get a divorce.” “The divorce papers will be delivered tomorrow. Just sign them.” Ethan froze, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. “Divorce? Chloe, stop joking. Marriage isn’t something you can just throw away because you’re throwing a tantrum!” He paused, convinced I was just trying to get back at him. “Alright, stop it. I know I messed up by not picking you up.” “But I don’t have superpowers. I couldn’t just leave Melody on the street when she was hurt, could I?” I laughed, looking him dead in the eye, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “So, for her, you left your wife, who just had major surgery, waiting in a freezing storm for two hours.” My firm stance and repeated mention of divorce finally sent a wave of panic through Ethan. He tried to grab my hand again. But Melody limped over, crying as if I were the bully here. She made me look like an unreasonable, jealous monster. “Chloe, please don’t be mad at Ethan. He was just being nice.” “If you hate me that much, you can hit me or yell at me. I won’t fight back.” She sounded so sincere, as if she wasn’t the one who had sent me the provocative Snapchat video just hours ago. I smiled at her. “Sure. Since you asked for it.” I raised my hand to slap her. But a crushing grip clamped down on my wrist, squeezing so hard I felt my bones might break. “Chloe, stop being so unreasonable! I’ve told you a thousand times, there is nothing going on between Melody and me!” “Do you have to ruin everything for us? She’s already hurt, and you still want to hit her!” Ethan’s face was twisted in anger, his cold glare stabbing into me. It was colder than the winter storm outside. A thousand times? From the moment I was hospitalized until now, I had sent him over a hundred texts, and he had only offered that one cheap explanation over the phone. He was too stingy to type a single extra word to me. Yet on his Instagram, he had personally typed a thousand-word post to promote Melody’s new single. He seemed to completely forget that I was the one who was injured, ignoring the blood slowly soaking through my shirt. Right now, Ethan’s mind and soul belonged entirely to Melody. I bit my lip so hard I tasted copper. With tear-filled eyes, I raised my other hand and slapped Ethan hard across the face. “Ethan, we are over!” Seeing my tear-streaked face and bloodshot eyes, Ethan seemed to realize he had overreacted. But he was still convinced I was just acting out. He cast a tense look at Melody, then, without hesitation, picked her up and carried her back to the sofa. “Be good. Chloe and I have some things to sort out.” Then, he turned to me with a guilty look and dragged me upstairs by the wrist. He looked like he wanted to appease me, but his words cut deeper than any knife. “Baby, please just cooperate. You know Melody’s parents fought constantly when she was a kid. Let’s not scream in front of her.” He dragged me into our bedroom without giving me a choice. My tears finally fell. Even when he was trying to comfort me, his every thought was about Melody. He shoved me into the bedroom, making sure the soundproof door was shut tight. I wiped my tears, looked at him with absolute finality, and exposed everything.
“I’ve already read the notebook in your study.” “Can you stop being so hypocritical? It makes me sick.” Ethan’s face turned instantly pale. He clearly hadn’t expected me to crack the lock. He reached out to grab me, flustered. “Chloe, listen to me. That was from years ago when Melody and I were dating. Don’t misunderstand.” “You know we broke up. We’re just friends now. I can’t just ignore her when she needs help.” I let out a bitter laugh, my tears and anger finally exploding. “So, you keep a beautifully wrapped notebook of a ‘just friend’ for eight years?” He had even put a custom leather cover on the notebook, and every single photo of Melody was carefully laminated. He was so afraid they would get damaged. Meanwhile, the wedding anniversary gifts I bought him every year were thrown carelessly into some dusty corner of the house. “You say she’s just a friend. Fine. Throw that notebook into the fireplace right now.” At those words, Ethan’s face darkened, and his remaining patience evaporated. “Enough, Chloe! Be reasonable! Everyone has things from their past they keep. It’s just a notebook, it doesn’t mean anything!” “Can you stop making a scene over nothing?” Making a scene over nothing? When Melody asked him to wear that ridiculous pink bunny headband, something he despised, he complied with nothing but indulgent smiles. But when it came to me, all I wanted was an explanation. An explanation from my husband, and it was labeled as “making a scene”? I didn’t understand, and honestly, I didn’t want to understand anymore. I let out a long sigh, feeling utterly exhausted. I stopped arguing, turned away from him, and started packing my clothes into a suitcase. Realizing what I was doing, Ethan panicked and rushed forward. “Okay, Chloe, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I lost my temper.” “Stop packing. Melody is still downstairs. What will she think if she hears us?” In his heart, everything I did was just a tantrum. But Melody’s manipulation was considered graceful and refined. I slammed his hands away. My cold, hard attitude made him freeze. “Don’t touch me!” Before Ethan could say anything else, Melody appeared at the doorway, limping and leaning against the frame. Her eyes were red, looking incredibly pitiful. “Ethan… my mom is pressuring me to get married again. She wants me to bring a boyfriend home today.” “Otherwise, she’s going to force me to marry that creepy old businessman who’s ten years older than me.” She looked so fragile, a perfect damsel in distress. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.” Ethan lost any desire to comfort me. He pushed me aside. I lost my balance and fell hard against the ceramic vase on the balcony. Ethan’s mind was so consumed by Melody that he didn’t even realize how hard he had shoved me. He scooped Melody up in his arms and rushed downstairs, throwing a final warning over his shoulder. “Chloe, stop throwing tantrums. My patience has its limits. Don’t push me.” His patience with Melody was infinite. But with me, every single word I said was a test of his limits. I pushed myself up from the floor, my eyes burning red. I sprinted down the stairs, caught up to him, and slapped the divorce papers right onto his face. “You’re not leaving this house until you sign this!” I grabbed his arm with all the strength I had left. My eyes were filled with pure, unyielding resolve. Ethan froze, unable to move forward. Melody began to cry even louder. Her weeping finally pushed me over the edge, releasing all the rage I had suppressed for years. I glared at her, bypassed Ethan, and slapped her across the face with everything I had. “Are you done acting yet? You and I both know damn well nobody is forcing you to marry anyone!” “Ah! Ethan!” Melody shrieked and hid behind Ethan’s back. “What did I do to make Chloe hate me this much?” She cried hysterically. Suddenly, a massive force struck my cheek. The impact sent me crashing to the floor. My hands landed right on the decorative cactus by the door, the needles burying themselves deep into my palms. “Have you lost your mind? You’re pure evil! Melody is being forced into a marriage, and you have the audacity to hurt her!” “You absolute monster!” He pointed a finger at my face, screaming at the top of his lungs. But then, he saw the trail of blood trickling down the corner of my mouth. His voice died down. His eyes flickered with a brief moment of hesitation, but his voice remained harsh. “This is a lesson for you. Keep your hands to yourself and stop bullying Melody.” The front door slammed shut. The stinging pain in my palms reminded me of the brutal truth: Ethan, the man I had dated for three years and been married to for eight, had just laid his hands on me. The last spark of hope in my heart died. I looked at my phone. A Snapchat message from Sebastian was on the screen. “Everything is ready. Just say the word, and the Miller Group is gone.” I let out a soft laugh. “Do it. Destroy him. And Sebastian, do me one more favor. Send some reporters over.” … On his way to the office, the image of Chloe’s final, despairing look kept flashing in Ethan’s mind. His chest tightened with an uneasy, suffocating feeling. Thinking about the slap he had impulsively given her, he pulled at his collar, feeling incredibly frustrated. He pulled out his phone and texted her. “Chloe, I bought your favorite strawberry cake. I’m sorry about earlier. Let’s talk when I get home.” The moment he sent the message, a red exclamation mark appeared. His mind went completely blank. Chloe had blocked him. Before he could process the panic rising in his chest, Melody grabbed his arm anxiously. “Ethan, why are there so many employees gathered outside the office?” Then, his assistant’s phone call came through, sounding like a death toll. “Mr. Miller, we have a massive crisis.”
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