Chapter 2

I let out a dry laugh. It was incredibly ironic.

"Ethan, you personally put me in there, and now you're here to take me home? Are you insane?" I stepped around him.

But he grabbed my wrist.

"Chloe, I know I made you suffer. It's my fault."

"But please, come home with me first. Take a shower, change into clean clothes, okay?"

After seven days in custody, my phone was dead.

I had no money on me, and I had been wearing the same clothes for a week. I looked like a total mess.

After a moment of hesitation, I pulled open the passenger door and climbed in.

The entire ride, I stared out the window in absolute silence.

After a long, suffocating quiet, Ethan finally spoke.

"Are you still angry with me?"

Hearing the familiar sigh of helplessness in his voice, the anger inside me suddenly flared up.

"Am I not supposed to be angry, Ethan?"

"She killed my baby, ruined my hand, and destroyed my marriage. Yet she gets to live her life completely fine."

"And I'm the one who got thrown into a holding cell by my own husband."

By the end of it, my voice shook. I didn't even know if I was angry or just incredibly sad.

Tears welled up in my eyes, burning hot.

"Ethan, you are my husband. Why are you always, always protecting someone else?"

His hands tightened on the steering wheel.

Finally, he spoke in a raspy voice.

"I'm sorry. But I owe her."

That same old excuse.

Years ago, our families had a joint business venture. A massive accounting fraud occurred, and someone had to take the fall to save Carter Enterprises from bankruptcy.

Victoria's parents took all the blame and went to prison.

Since then, Victoria was left alone, and the Carter family took on the responsibility of caring for her.

But after all these years, whatever debt he owed should have been paid off.

Now that Victoria's parents were out of prison, Ethan had even funded their new business to help them get back on their feet.

Was he really doing this out of guilt, or was it because of his own selfish feelings for her?

I didn't care to expose him anymore.

I didn't even want to bring it up.

The car pulled into the underground garage of our apartment building.

I got out, walked to the elevator, and went upstairs.

The moment I unlocked the front door, Victoria's voice drifted over from the living room.

"Ethan, you're back."

She froze when she saw me, the smile instantly vanishing from her face.

"Wow, they let you out fast. Lucky you."

I didn't say a word. Ethan walked in behind me, changing his shoes, and quickly explained.

"I just got discharged from the hospital the day before yesterday. The doctor said I need someone to look after me, so I asked Victoria to move in temporarily."

I nodded and walked toward the master bedroom.

But the moment I pushed the door open, I froze.

My skincare products on the vanity were gone.

The closet doors were wide open, packed with Victoria's colorful dresses. Not a single piece of my clothing was left.

Victoria leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms.

"The doctor said Ethan is in his recovery phase and needs intimate, round-the-clock care."

"So, I moved into the master bedroom."

She emphasized the word "intimate" with a smug grin.

"I threw your stuff into the storage closet down the hall. No need to thank me."

I turned around, looked her dead in the eye, and smiled.

"Victoria, do you know what I admire most about you after all these years?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"How utterly, shamelessly trashy you are."

Her face went pale, and she opened her mouth to scream at me.

But Ethan quickly walked over and grabbed her arm.

"Let it go, Victoria. Don't argue with her."

"She just got released. She's not in a good place."

Victoria pouted, huffed, and walked away.

I didn't spare either of them another glance.

I walked to the storage closet, dragged out my suitcase, and took it into the guest bedroom.

They had slept in the master bed.

It felt too dirty for me to touch.

At dinner, Ethan sat across from me, constantly putting food onto my plate.

"These are your favorites. Eat up. You've lost weight this past week."

Without saying a word, I picked up the steak he had placed on my plate and tossed it directly into the trash can.

Ethan's brow furrowed. But before he could speak, Victoria suddenly gasped.

Her face went pale, and she pushed her chair back, rushing into the bathroom.

The sound of dry heaving echoed from inside.

Ethan froze, then immediately ran after her.

"Victoria? What's wrong? Did you eat something bad?" He banged on the door, panic in his voice.

Five minutes later, the door opened. Victoria walked out, holding a plastic stick in her hand.

"Ethan, I'm pregnant."