Chapter 6
Ethan’s phone kept ringing while he was driving back to the villa.
When he saw “Grandma” flashing on the screen, his head began to ache.
He finally hit the brakes and picked up the call just before it went to voicemail.
“Grandma,” he greeted her in a gentle voice.
“So you still remember I’m your grandmother!” Her voice rang out loud and forceful. “What’s going on with that Lilian girl?”
Ethan rubbed his brow and replied patiently, “Lilian is sick. She doesn’t have any ill intentions.”
“Ethan, have you lost your mind?” his grandmother snapped. “She doesn’t have ill intentions? She knows full well you’re
married and still keeps tangled up with you. She wants to act like a mistress and play the victim too? I’ve never seen
someone so shameless! Cut her off immediately and go make things right with Aura!”
Ethan frowned deeply, Aurora’s face flashing through his mind.
A wave of irritation washed over him.
“So Aurora complained to you all?” His voice cooled.
“She didn’t have to,” his grandmother barked. “The news is everywhere online. Ethan, let me remind you-your wife is
Aurora. How could you just stand by while she fell to the ground, and then side with another woman in public? There were
paparazzi all around!”
Ethan suddenly recalled the scene earlier, the hurt in Aurora’s eyes. Maybe it hadn’t looked good.
But the next second, he dismissed the thought.
“No, Grandma. She saw the news online and went to the hospital on purpose to confront Lilian.”
“Let me speak to him.” His grandfather, Damien, took the phone.
“Ethan,” Damien’s voice came through the receiver. “You were the one who brought Aurora home and told us you were
getting married. Since you chose to marry her, you need to take responsibility.”
“Grandpa…”
“You’re coming to the family estate for dinner tonight,” Damien cut him off. “And you’re bringing Aurora.”
With that, he hung up, not giving Ethan any room to argue.
Ethan sat in the car, staring at his phone in silence.
His fingers tapped the steering wheel as he pulled up Aurora’s contact.
She still hadn’t replied to any of his earlier messages.
Irritated, he forced himself to calm down and dialed her number.
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It took a long time before she finally answered.
“What are you doing?” he asked coldly.
“Is there something you need?” Aurora didn’t answer his question. Instead, she asked one of her own.
Ethan massaged his temples and said, “Why did you go to the hospital today to confront Lilian?”
“I didn’t,” Aurora replied calmly. “I was there to see Isabella.”
“Aurora, don’t lie to me,” he snapped, the irritation rising again in his chest.
On the other end of the line, all he heard was her soft laugh.
That laugh was carefree and detached.
It only made him angrier.
But with his grandfather’s order hanging over him, he had no choice.
“You’re coming with me to the family estate tonight,” he said at last.
“I don’t have time,” Aurora replied clearly, without a hint of hesitation.
“It’s Grandfather’s request,” Ethan pressed, his brow furrowing.
The next moment, Aurora hung up.
The busy tone beeped repeatedly in his ear.
Ethan froze, stunned. His frown deepened.
He tried calling again, but this time she didn’t answer at all.
Cars rushed by on the road outside as Ethan sat in silence, staring at his phone.
Finally, he slipped it back into his pocket, restarted the car, and drove straight to their villa.
The sky had already started to darken.
When he pulled up and stepped inside, he wore a cold expression.
“Aurora.”
He called her name sharply.
No one answered.
That was when he noticed-the entryway light wasn’t on. The house was completely dark.
Ethan paused, because every time he came home before, at least one light had been left on for him. Sometimes he’d even find Aurora asleep on the couch, having dozed off reading while waiting for him.
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Click.
He turned on the lights and looked over at the couch.
It was empty. No sign of her.
Earlier, he had only been annoyed by Lilian and his grandmother’s nagging, but now, an unfamiliar unease began to creep
He went through the house, flipping on every single light. Room by room, he searched.
She wasn’t in the living room, not in the kitchen, not in the bathroom.
He checked the bedrooms, the study-still nothing.
She wasn’t home.
She wasn’t answering her phone either.
Where had she gone?
This fake divorce must have made her furious. She was throwing a real tantrum this time.
Let her cool off, he thought.
She’d come around.
Lilian only had six months left. Mrs. Steele’s title would always belong to Aurora.
But for now, even if she refused to go to the family dinner, he couldn’t avoid it.
With that thought, Ethan headed to the storage room.
He picked up a few health supplements.
Just as he stepped out, he paused. Then he turned around and walked into their bedroom.
The room still carried the scent of Chanel No. 5.
The perfume he had given her.
His brows relaxed slightly.
He grabbed a few of his outfits and left in a hurry.
He didn’t notice that the wardrobe, once shared between them, now only held his clothes.
He also failed to see that all the once-matching items in the room had been reduced to just singles.
The warmth had vanished. Only a cold emptiness remained.
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Meanwhile, at a beauty salon…
Aurora and Isabella were getting their nails done.
Isabella noticed Aurora had specifically asked for pregnancy-safe materials and couldn’t help but shake her head.
“I thought you said you were getting an abortion,” she said. “Why are you using maternity-safe polish?”
Aurora smiled. “If I still have a choice, I’ll take it. It’s still inside me, after all.”
Isabella shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
She gazed happily at the glittering polish on her fingers, clearly pleased.
Aurora lowered her eyes slightly and looked at her own nails.
Ethan had a chronic stomach condition.
Ever since she married him, she had done all the housework herself. It had been a long time since she’d done anything like this.
“Whatever,” Isabella said, waving a hand. “As long as you’re finally starting to change.”
“Nails are just the beginning. Your hair, your clothes-”
“Aurora, don’t think I’ve forgotten. We weren’t even ten when we used to sneak around in our moms’ pointy heels.”
“There’s no reason you should be getting more boring as you get older.”
She admired her nails again and added, “Too bad I’m a doctor now. I can’t go around all glammed up anymore.”
Aurora laughed softly.
Yes, she had always been someone who embraced boldness.
But after falling in love with Ethan, she had bent herself to suit his tastes.
For so many nights, she had thought that true happiness meant being with the one you love-cooking for him, raising a family together, growing old side by side.
But now, it all seemed like a cruel joke.
Luckily, it wasn’t too late to rewrite the ending.
She would reclaim her life.
