11
After that, Jake never appeared in my hospital room again.
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Chapter 2
It was as if Ethan had completely erased him from my world.
I lay in that hospital bed for a full two weeks.
The fall down the stairs-I hadn’t controlled the force well enough.
The broken bones genuinely hurt.
But it was worth it.
On the day of my discharge, the sky was gloomy with cold, fine rain.
Ethan stood at the hospital entrance, holding my divorce certificate from Jake.
He handed it to me, along with an envelope.
“This card is Jake’s compensation.”
“Thank him for me.”
The car I’d booked was already waiting downstairs.
16:15
As my hand touched the door handle, Ethan’s voice came from behind, carrying an unprecedented brokenn-
ess.
‘Nicole. If… if it had been me from the beginning, could we possibly…”
I stopped, but didn’t turn around.
‘Ethan, there is no ‘if.””
‘From the first time you replaced Jake and possessed me in the darkness, you were already part of this
scam.”
‘Your so-called love, built on lies and deception, is full of calculation and unspoken possessiveness.”
I could feel the gaze behind me, burning like fire, scorching and painful.
But I no longer cared.
I opened the car door, got in, and told the driver: “Let’s go.”
The car slowly started moving.
In the rearview mirror, Ethan’s figure became increasingly blurred in the rain.
He stubbornly stood there, like a lonely island abandoned by the world.
I looked away, leaning against the cold window.
Whether it was Jake’s absurd affection that began as a game and ended with jealousy, or Ethan’s deep feeli- ngs hidden in the shadows, mixed with desire and calculation.
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Chapter 2
16.15
Neither was what I wanted, nor what I deserved.
It was time to open this window and welcome the wind that belonged to me-filled with sand and freedom.
