4

Chapter 4

I thought he would at least show some restraint. But I never expected him to be so impatient.

At my friend Lucy's birthday party, he actually showed up with Amelia. At that moment, all the guests' eyes fell on the three of us, the air thick with suffocating awkwardness.

Robert—Lucy's husband—tried to reason with him: "Ethan, are you serious? Tara stood by you through the hardest times. She's your true partner. Don't destroy your family over a momentary infatuation."

But Ethan just leaned back in his chair, looking weary, his tone cold: "Amelia isn't what you all think. She's pure. I'm tired of this bland married life."

"God, you're going to regret this," Robert shook his head.

Lucy let out a cold laugh, raised her wine glass, and fixed Amelia with a sharp gaze: "Newcomer should know the rules. Come on, toast everyone, starting with Tara."

The atmosphere suddenly froze. Amelia's face went pale, her fingers trembling as she gripped the wine glass, her voice barely audible: "I... I don't drink much."

Lucy's smile deepened, tinged with provocation: "The first time is hard, the second time gets easier. Since you could climb into Ethan's bed, you should at least have this much courage, right?"

At that moment, Ethan spoke up, his tone suddenly sharp: "That's enough, Lucy. She's not like you—she's innocent, shy. Stop making things difficult for her."

I sat at the table, watching quietly, but inside I felt only cold laughter. He could publicly defend her while remaining blind to my humiliation.

Halfway through the party, I excused myself to the restroom. In the hallway corner, I ran into Amelia who was touching up her makeup. At this moment, she no longer wore the pitiful expression she showed everyone else, but had sharp eyes and a smirking smile.

She slowly turned around, looking at me coldly: "Tara, are you jealous of me?"

I replied coldly: "Jealous of what? Jealous that you're young but have nothing? Or jealous that you're content being a mistress, destroying someone else's family?"

Amelia's face stiffened, fire igniting in her eyes, her lips trembling: "Tara, don't be so smug. Ethan doesn't love you anymore. You can't change that. Your desperate attempts to save your marriage only make you look pathetic."

I met her gaze fearlessly: "Our divorce is entirely Ethan's fault. I'll make sure he leaves with nothing. The house, money, daughter—all mine. Doesn't that sound wonderful? Why would I be upset?"

"And you? A girl in her twenties, you'll have to help a penniless Ethan start from scratch, while taking care of his paralyzed mother."