Chapter 3

I snapped my head toward him. "Then pay me back right now!"

I slammed my phone onto the table, the bank transaction glowing in plain sight.

"$26,000."

"The hospital deposit is $25,000."

"Ethan, transfer the money back to me right now, and I'll walk out of here."

His throat bobbed nervously.

"My accounts are tight right now. I don't have liquid cash."

Daisy spoke up in a soft, fragile voice. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have thrown this party."

"I've just been away for so long, and I wanted to see everyone."

"I didn't mean for this to happen..."

Ethan immediately reached out and took her hand, his eyes filled with sympathy.

"It has nothing to do with you."

He turned back to me, his gaze dripping with irritation.

"Chloe, do you really have to ruin her birthday like this?"

It was so absurd I almost laughed.

My grandmother was on the brink of death.

Yet in his eyes, I was the one being unreasonable to Daisy.

I lunged forward, shoving Daisy aside to grab the bag off the table.

If I took it back to the boutique right now for a refund, I could still make the deposit in time!

Ethan caught my wrist in a vice-like grip, squeezing so hard I felt the bones grind.

"Chloe, push me any further and I'm going to lose my temper."

I looked up at him, my eyes bloodshot and burning.

"Then lose it!"

"My grandmother is dying! You think I give a damn about your temper?!"

Daisy rushed in between us. "Stop, please! It's all my fault, don't fight over me..."

Sick of her act, I shoved her away. "Get away from me!"

I barely pushed her, but Daisy stumbled dramatically backward, slamming into the corner of the table. She collapsed to the floor, trembling and weeping.

Ethan's face darkened, and his hand flew across my face in a vicious slap.

The force snapped my head to the side. My ears rang with a deafening buzz. Slowly, I turned back to face him.

Ethan and I had been together for five years.

He used to tell me that since I had lost my parents and Grandma was getting older, he would never let anyone treat me badly.

And now, he had just slapped me for Daisy.

My cheek burned, but the agony inside my chest hurt a thousand times worse.

It hurt so much I could barely stay on my feet.

Ethan's hand remained frozen in mid-air.

He clearly hadn't expected himself to actually hit me.

A second later, Daisy threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

"Ethan, don't. Chloe's just panicked, please don't be mad at her."

He wrapped his arms around her, and the brief guilt in his eyes hardened into cold fury.

"Apologize."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"You want me to apologize to her?"

"You ruined her birthday and you hurt her."

"You should get on your knees and apologize to her right now!"