Following Ethan Vance around for ten long years, he finally asked me to marry him. He even put a blindfold on me, whispering that he had a massive surprise waiting. But the second I took a single step into the room, a bucket of freezing cold water splashed right over my head. "Chloe, when the hell are you going to wake up?" "Did you honestly think I would ever marry you?" My hands trembled as I ripped off the blindfold. There he was, sitting on the plush leather couch, casually sipping a glass of whiskey. "See? I told you she’d fall for it! Whoever bet against me, pay up!" Seeing my silence, Ethan scoffed, his eyes flashing with amusement. "Honestly, Chloe, you’re not getting any younger. You should find some random guy to marry before you end up dying alone with ten cats." The moment the words left his mouth, his friends burst into roaring laughter, throwing me looks of pure disgust. But when I actually took his advice and married someone else, why did he end up on his knees, begging for me back?
Ethan smiled warmly and waved at the waitress. "Hey, bring us a glass of every single alcohol on this menu!" "And one of every appetizer too!" With that, he snatched a thousand-dollar bill from his friend’s pocket and tossed it to the waitress as a tip. Seeing this, the realization hit me like a physical blow. I was just a clown to him. Again. One of Ethan's friends complained loudly. "Oh my god, Chloe, how can you be so stupid?" "Anyone with half a brain could tell this was a prank! Why would a guy like Ethan ever put a ring on you?" "Seriously, stop being so delusional. He would never marry you!" Listening to their back-and-forth mockery, I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. Ethan threw back a shot of whiskey, his voice dripping with fake sincerity. "Ah, free drinks taste the best. Thanks for paying the tab, boys!" "But hey, Chloe, don’t be too sad. I did promise you a surprise, didn't I?" He reached into a nearby trash can, pulled out a cheap, tarnished metal bracelet, and tossed it to me. The girl sitting next to him couldn't help but chime in, giggling. "Ethan, how could you give her something someone literally threw away?" She intentionally shook her wrist, letting her expensive designer bracelet catch the light. Her eyes were filled with mockery. Ethan stared at me, his lips curling into a smug smirk. "Our Chloe isn't that superficial." "As long as it's from me, she’ll cherish it like a treasure. Am I right, Chloe?" Seeing me actually take the bracelet, his friends burst into another round of snickers. "Wow, she really is a cheap doormat. She’ll take literally anything." If this were the old me, I would have screamed, cried, and fought to defend my dignity. But now, I just calmly used the cheap bracelet as a hair tie to pull my hair up into a neat bun. "Thanks. I actually have wedding toasts to make today, so having my hair down isn't really practical." Hearing this, Ethan froze for a second before letting out a loud laugh. "Wait, Chloe. Are you seriously still playing along with this fantasy?" "Toasts? Do you honestly think I’d ever introduce a girl like you to my parents?" "You're daydreaming in broad daylight. There must be something seriously wrong with your head." He crossed his legs, looking at me with nothing but disgust. Even though I had expected this, hearing those words directly from his mouth still made my chest ache with a dull, throbbing pain. The truth was, I already knew today’s proposal was a setup. Yesterday at noon, I had made lunch and brought it to Ethan’s office, just like I always did. But as I reached the door, I heard loud laughter coming from inside. Peeking through the crack, I saw Ethan sitting on his couch, smoking a cigarette. "Ethan, you’re the king of savage bets. Only you could pull this off." "Let's see if that delusional girl actually believes you're going to marry her!" "But you've played her so many times. Will she really fall for it again? She looked pretty pissed off last time." "Tell you what, if you lose, you have to make Serena sing for us. I heard she’s a music major at—" Before the guy could even finish his sentence, Ethan kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him sprawling to the floor.
Ethan's face was terrifyingly dark. "Who the fuck do you think Serena is?" "She’s a classical music student! Not some cheap bar singer!" Everyone in our circle knew that Serena was Ethan's ultimate muse. Her reputation was more important to him than his own life. If anyone dared to say a single bad word about Serena, they’d pay for it dearly the very next day. The guy who made the joke quickly scrambled to his knees, begging for mercy. "I'm sorry, Ethan! I was being an idiot! Please, don't take it seriously!" Watching that scene yesterday, I felt like my heart was being shredded by a thousand knives. I hadn’t even realized my collar was soaked with my own tears. Ethan had completely forgotten. He forgot the promises he once made to me. "Hey, little girl. Follow me from now on. I’ll protect you, and no one will ever hurt you again." "Chloe, if neither of us is married in ten years, let’s just settle down together." Those two promises were engraved in my heart. Too bad the one who said them forgot, while the one who heard them was trapped by them. Today marked exactly ten years. And yes, I was indeed getting married. But my groom wasn’t Ethan. Pulling myself back to reality, I forced a tight smile. "Anyway, I have to go sign my marriage license now. Enjoy your drinks." But the moment I took a step toward the door, Ethan grabbed my wrist in a vice grip. "Chloe, what kind of act is this?" "Do you seriously think you can drag me to City Hall by pulling a stunt like this? Have some self-respect!" Looking at his exhausted, annoyed face, a wave of profound weariness washed over me. The Ethan who once fought off a gang of thugs just to keep me safe was long gone. The man in front of me only wished I would vanish from his sight. Before I could speak, a sweet, high-pitched voice echoed from the doorway. "Ethan!" I turned my head. Serena was running toward him, her eyes wide and innocent. Ethan instantly let go of my wrist. He even wiped his hand on his pants several times before reaching out to clasp Serena’s hand. His gaze softened into pure tenderness. "Why are you here, babe? This place is too loud for you." Serena crossed her arms and pouted. "You’re one to talk!" "I heard your friends were celebrating a proposal today! How could you not invite me to such an important event?" Panic flashed through Ethan's eyes. Thinking quickly, he pulled one of his friends, Brad, forward with a nervous laugh. "Oh, you know how busy your music rehearsals are. I didn't want to bother you." "Actually, today is the day Brad is proposing to Chloe! You came just in time to witness their special moment!" With that, he nudged Brad hard. Brad quickly wrapped a sweaty arm around my shoulders, playing along. "Yeah, absolutely! We’re heading to the courthouse to get married right after this!" I looked up and was met with Brad's greasy, acne-scarred face. Out of all of Ethan's friends, Brad was the one I loathed the most. He was a creep who constantly made inappropriate, highly sexual jokes about me in public. He had ruined my reputation in our social circle. Brad leaned down, whispering in my ear so only I could hear. "Ethan’s never going to touch you, sweetie." "Why not just roll with me? I promise I can show you a real good time in bed." An overwhelming wave of disgust surged inside me. I violently shoved him away and bolted for the door. But Brad lunged forward, trying to grab me into a tight embrace. In sheer panic, I screamed at the top of my lungs. "I already have a husband! He’s waiting for me outside!"
The room fell dead silent for a second before exploding into a collective roar of laughter. "Chloe, stop acting. Don't you get tired of living in a web of lies?" "Seriously, Brad is being so sweet to you. Don't break his heart!" "Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" Watching me get humiliated, Ethan didn't look worried at all. Instead, he joined in on the chanting. "Honestly, Chloe, I think you and Brad make a perfect couple." I clenched my fists, staring Ethan dead in the eye. "I said, I have a husband." "If you don't believe me, you can come to City Hall right now and see for yourselves!" To prove my point, I reached into my bag to grab the wedding invitation, only to realize I had mailed out the last of the physical ones last night. Seeing my hesitation, Serena stepped forward, putting on her best fake-nice face. "Chloe, you know I’m always on your side. But this time, you're being really unfair to Brad." "He gathered so much courage to confess to you. Even if you want to reject him, you shouldn't make up such a pathetic lie to hurt him." "After all... everyone knows you've been chasing Ethan for a decade. How could you suddenly have a husband?" "Don't be mad. Everyone is just looking out for you. Lying like this is only going to ruin your own life." The moment Serena finished speaking, the crowd nodded in agreement. "As expected of a classical music student—so elegant and sensible." "No wonder Ethan loves her. If I were him, I'd choose her in a heartbeat over someone as crazy and dramatic as Chloe!" Hearing their praise, Serena frowned slightly, looking at me with mock pity. "Chloe, just apologize to Brad, and we can all pretend this never happened, okay? We’re still friends." There it was. That line again. Every single time there was a conflict, she would play the mediator. She always pretended to support me, but in reality, she was just forcing me to bow my head and apologize. And Ethan and his friends absolutely ate it up. I pulled out my phone, tapped the screen a few times, and held it up in front of their faces. "The paper invitations are gone, but I still have the digital e-vite." "If you guys are so curious, you’re more than welcome to join. I’ll make sure you're well accommodated." A few of them leaned in to look at the screen. Suddenly, one of them gasped. "Holy shit... a private island wedding?!" "Isn't that Sterling Island? That place is worth hundreds of millions!" Ethan scoffed and slapped my phone down. "Please, it’s obviously fake." "Look at Chloe. Does she look like someone who could get married on a private island?" "She probably just photoshopped her name onto someone else's invitation. Talk about desperately trying to look rich." The mocking sneers on everyone's faces deepened. "Chloe, your delusions are getting out of hand!" "Exactly! As if a billionaire who owns a private island would ever look at someone like you!" Serena walked over, trying to grab my arm gently. "Chloe, please don't do this to yourself." "Why must you embarrass yourself like this?" "Ethan might not love you back, but he’s always treated you like family. Doing this is only going to make him hate you more." Ethan laughed dismissively. "Serena, don't waste your breath on her. You can't talk sense into a crazy person." I let out a soft sigh and slowly pulled off my glove. On my ring finger, a massive, flawless pear-cut diamond ring caught the light, sparkling brilliantly. Serena gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "Is that... 'The Star of the Ocean' from the Christie’s auction?!"
Ethan, being a regular at high-end auctions, instantly recognized the name. He lunged forward, grabbing my hand and staring intensely at the diamond. After a long silence, he looked up, his voice sharp with suspicion. "Where did you steal this?" "This ring is worth over ten million dollars." I blinked, genuinely surprised myself. I knew Julian was wealthy, but I didn't realize the ring he gave me when we got engaged was *this* expensive. Seeing me space out, Ethan sneered. "Yeah, you definitely stole it." "With your bank account, you couldn't even afford a single dust particle on this ring if you sold all your organs." Before I could fire back, my phone vibrated in my palm. I pushed past the crowd to a quieter corner and answered the call. "Hey. Yeah, I’m on my way. Wait for me." The moment I hung up and turned around, Ethan was standing right behind me. He held a lit cigarette, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Let me guess. Was that your imaginary billionaire husband calling?" I nodded calmly. "Yes. It's time for our appointment at City Hall." "If you guys are so eager to watch, you're welcome to follow me." Before Ethan could say anything, his friends cheered. "Hell yeah! I want to see this 'billionaire' who supposedly bought a private island and the Star of the Ocean!" "Chloe, don't chicken out when we get there!" I turned to walk out, but Ethan suddenly grabbed my arm again. "Chloe, this is your last chance to tell the truth before we walk out those doors." "If we actually go to City Hall and no one shows up, you’ll be the laughingstock of the entire city." I frowned, looking at him with genuine confusion. "Ethan, why are you so convinced I'm lying?" "I am getting married. For real." Without waiting for his reply, I shook off his hand and walked out, the group trailing close behind me. Along the way, his friends pulled out their phones, recording me for their Snapchat and Instagram stories. "Guys, you won't believe this! Ethan’s ultimate simp is claiming she’s marrying a billionaire today!" "Look at her! The ultimate clinger says she's got a sugar daddy who bought her a private island!" They blasted the videos to their entire social circles. Within minutes, I became the joke of the town. Everyone was eagerly waiting to watch me fall flat on my face. When we arrived at City Hall, however, Julian’s car wasn't parked at the entrance. Ethan's friends immediately pounced on the opportunity. "Oh, look! Where is this mysterious husband? I don't see anyone!" "Did your billionaire husband turn into a pumpkin?" They laughed loudly, intentionally drawing the attention of bystanders. "Hey everyone, come look! This girl claimed she was marrying a billionaire and dragged us all the way here! Turns out she’s completely full of shit!" "People these days will lie about anything just to feel important!" "Tell you what! I'll make a bet right now! If her 'billionaire husband' actually shows up in the next fifteen minutes, I’ll hand everyone here a hundred bucks!" "But if he doesn't, this lying bitch has to pay everyone a thousand!" With money on the line, a crowd of curious onlookers quickly gathered, whispering and pointing at me. Everyone was waiting to watch me burn. Feeling the suffocating weight of dozens of judgmental eyes, I instinctively took a step back. "What's wrong? Are you scared now? Want to run away?" Brad sneered, stepping into my personal space. But before I could even open my mouth to speak, a warm, firm hand wrapped securely around my shoulder. A gorgeous bouquet of hand-woven, delicate wire roses was gently pressed into my hands. "I am so sorry, sweetheart. I got caught in traffic."
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