Chapter 7

I hadn’t had my period in months.

…

With Ethan’s lack of restraint and the fact that he never gave me any birth control, this outcome seemed inevitable.

I was pregnant.

Ethan probably didn’t know yet.

I stared blankly at my flat stomach, lost in thought.

The sad part was, did I even have a say in whether to keep this child or not?

Lately, Ethan had been coming home early.

And the moment he walked through the door, he would pull me into his arms.

Sometimes, I struggled to reconcile this man with the one who used to kick me to the ground the moment he got bored.

At some point, his bottom line had shifted—lowered to an extent I never thought possible.

Sometimes, I overheard his phone calls with his friends.

It was probably one of them inviting him out for a game of cards.

He let out a low chuckle, his gaze dropping to where I was curled up on the couch.

"I’m keeping my wife company."

A burst of exaggerated groans and jeers erupted from the other end, loud enough for me to hear.

"Still spoiling that crazy little thing of yours…?"

Their voices faded, laced with disdain.

Yeah. In Ethan’s circle of friends, that was exactly how they saw me.

A lunatic. A mess. The unhinged girl who refused to be the perfect Mrs. Chambers and instead spent her days kicking up storms.

…

One night, I had a nightmare.

Or maybe it wasn’t a dream at all. Maybe it was just a memory.

Ethan, leading a group of guys, had me cornered in the classroom.

He read my test scores out loud, his voice ringing through the space.

I had been so drained from their constant torment that I never had the energy to focus on school.

My grades were a disaster, utterly humiliating.

But Ethan was always first. He had never been anything but first.

He dangled my test paper above my head, his grin dripping with mockery.

"OMG, how can you be this stupid?"

I jolted awake, the distant hum of cicadas drifting in from outside.

The night stretched endlessly, swallowing everything in its darkness.

Beside me, his breathing was steady and light.

I straddled him, my hands tightening around his throat.

In the dim light, he lay there, silent, watching me with quiet resignation.

"Planning to strangle me?"

"Ethan Chambers, you were the one who dragged me into hell."

I spoke softly, fingers slowly curling, pressing into his skin.

He just looked at me.

I thought—one day, there would come a moment when I wouldn’t hesitate to finally end his life.

Yet, even though he didn’t resist, I still couldn’t go through with it.

…

At noon, someone I least wanted to see showed up at the house.

Even after all these years apart, the sight of her still made me instinctively tremble.

Serena Chambers—Ethan’s younger sister.

Back when Ethan bullied me the worst, Serena had stood up for me.

I foolishly believed she was my one ray of light, my salvation in the chaos.

She told me not to be afraid of her brother.

She swore she would protect me, that no one would dare touch me as long as she was around.

Only later did I realize that she only helped me because she was fighting with Ethan at the time.

And the moment they made up, she turned on me, finding new ways to torment me instead.

She once led a group of girls to corner me in the bathroom, forcing me to take humiliating photos.

In the end, every single picture ended up in Ethan’s hands.

The memory was so unbearable that just seeing Serena again nearly made me rush to the bathroom to throw up.

She hated me just as much.

When Ethan brought me back and forced me into this marriage, she had caused the biggest scene.

She screamed at me to my face, saying I wasn’t worthy, demanding to know why, of all people, her brother chose me.

Now, seeing me again, her expression was just as hostile.

But I was hoping for a fight, so I met her glare head-on.

She had always been the entitled, spoiled type.

Seeing me act this way, she crossed her arms and let out a mocking laugh.