Chapter 3

Ethan drove me back to the hotel.

On the way, he started reminiscing about our childhood.

“Do you remember that time when you tried to save a stray cat from the sewer and almost fell in yourself?”

“Of course I remember! Then you hid the cat under your shirt and brought it back, only to get scolded.”

“And there was another time we snuck out at night to catch fireflies and ended up being punished to clean the toilets the next day.”

“It seems like we always got into trouble together.”

“No, it was always you causing trouble, and I had to take the blame for it. I’ve never met a little girl as mischievous as you were.” He giggled.

“Hahaha... Well, I’ll treat you to a meal sometime to make up for it,” I said with a grin.

“Deal!”

The atmosphere in the car grew lighter and more cheerful.

It felt like riding a time machine, traveling through the rain back to my childhood, leaving behind the tears and heartbreak of the past few days.

Before I knew it, we had arrived at the hotel.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and thanked him, “Thanks for driving me back tonight.”

Ethan turned to look at me. “No need to thank me. Talking with you has been fun.”

His gaze lingered on me, carrying a hint of melancholy.

As I opened the car door to leave, I hesitated for a moment.

“Do you want to come up to my room for a cup of coffee?”

“Sure!” he replied without hesitation.

At the hotel elevator, we both reached to press the button simultaneously, and our hands touched.

I flinched as though shocked, but he grabbed my hand tightly instead.

Dylan’s words from a few days ago flashed through my mind, and I stopped resisting.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Ethan pinned me against the wall and kissed me fiercely.

Once inside the room, Ethan suddenly seemed to snap out of it.

He let go of me and said, “Sorry, I got carried away. I shouldn’t have forced you.”

“You didn’t force me.” I tugged on his tie, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear.

“This time, you might be causing trouble again,” he said with a grin before sweeping me off my feet and tossing me onto the bed.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or my desire to take revenge on Dylan, or I just needed someone to fill the emptiness inside me.

I unleashed all my pent-up frustration on Ethan, leaving marks all over his body.

He didn’t hold back either, making the night feel like our last.

***

Seven days later, Dylan’s assistant called me.

“Lydia, when are you coming back? The project you’re responsible for is already delayed.”

“Didn’t I resign? I submitted my resignation email last week. Did Dylan not see it? Should I send it again?”

“Who approved your resignation?!” Dylan’s angry voice came through the phone. “You’ve got to stop being so reckless! Do you have any idea how much damage your behavior has caused the company?”

“Oh? Really? I had no idea a regular designer with a monthly salary of 5,000 could be so critical to the company,” I replied and hung up the phone.

I was initially a children’s book illustrator, but I joined Dylan’s advertising company three years ago because I loved him.

“You just need to spend more time with me. You don’t have to work too hard. Your salary isn’t even enough for me to buy you a bag,” Dlyan had said then.

I agreed, thinking this would give us more time together and make us closer.

I didn’t realize it would only speed up his growing indifference toward me.

I blocked Dylan’s and his assistant’s numbers.

This time, it was a clean break.