Chapter 4

Three days after the crash, Ethan took me to the Vance family estate for dinner.

He said Chloe was shaken up, and the family wanted to check on her.

I had just finished surgery, and I still had to hold the walls to walk.

Before we left, he looked at me.

It wasn't out of concern.

It was a warning.

"Don't let the elders see you looking miserable."

I lowered my head and wrapped my scarf.

I didn't answer.

The dinner table at the Vance estate was lively.

Every dish was Chloe's favorite.

Honey-glazed ribs.

Sweet potato casserole.

Sweet butternut squash soup.

I couldn't eat sweet foods due to my stomach condition.

Ethan knew this.

In the past, when my stomach flared up, he would push all the sweet dishes away.

He used to say, "My girl isn't going to the hospital over a plate of food."

Back then, I really thought he loved me.

But today, Chloe placed a honey-glazed rib into my bowl. "Elena, eat more."

I looked at the sticky, sweet rib.

I slowly put down my forks.

Ethan's face darkened instantly. "She's just being nice. Don't ruin the mood."

The relatives fell silent for a second.

Soon, someone laughed to break the tension. "These two sisters are just like when they were kids. One is delicate, the other is stubborn."

"Back then, we all thought Ethan would marry Chloe."

"But Elena is lucky. She got a great husband in the end."

Chloe lowered her head.

Her voice was soft. "Don't say that. It will make Elena sad."

Ethan didn't defend me.

He only said, "Let's not talk about the past."

*The past.*

Those words fell so lightly.

Sitting there, I suddenly felt like an outsider.

I was the one who was legally Ethan's wife.

Yet the way they looked at me.

It was like I was a thief who had stolen Chloe's rightful place.

My mother-in-law pulled out a brochure. "Chloe is psychologically fragile right now. The doctor suggests she spend three months at a coastal recovery retreat."

"The retreat has a great environment, and Ethan has already paid half."

She pushed the brochure in front of me. "For the rest of the bill, you should take out your fertility savings."

"You're still young anyway. You can always have kids later."

My fingers froze.

That savings.

I had saved it dollar by dollar.

I had dreamed of buying a crib, baby clothes, and a stroller once the baby was born.

But now the baby was gone.

And they wanted to take that money to pay for Chloe's luxury retreat.

I looked at Ethan.

He didn't look away.

He only said, "We need to prioritize her right now."

I asked, "What if I told you the baby is already gone?"

The table fell dead silent.

Chloe's tears instantly started flowing. "Elena, are you still blaming me for sitting in the front seat?"

"Please don't use a baby to scare me. I'll die of guilt."

Ethan's brow furrowed deeply. "That's enough."

I looked at him.

His voice was extremely low. "Don't use a child to fight for my attention."

"You know how easily she blames herself. Why do you have to trigger her?"

At that moment.

I suddenly lost all energy to explain.

Even when I admitted to losing our child.

In his eyes, it was just a cheap trick to make him jealous.

Chloe clutched her chest, saying she couldn't breathe.

Ethan immediately stood up to support her.

He brushed past me, yelling for the family doctor.

I looked down and opened my phone.

I searched for a divorce agreement template.

And I typed Ethan's name in, letter by letter.

I had written his name so many times before.

On our wedding invitations.

On our house deed.

On my pregnancy checkup forms.

But it had never felt as smooth and effortless as it did now.