8
413words
"You said you were meeting someone.I was passing by,thought I'd back you up.Decent business partner,right?"
This was far from downtown—passing by?But since he didn't say,I didn't press.
Months later,with my help,Lucas won his business war with Ethan easily.I ignored Ethan's calls,no matter the number.
One tired night,I saw April Sterling in my neighborhood,sitting alone like a stray.I stepped back—she'd framed me before.
She gave a bitter smile:
"Can we talk?"
I didn't take her home,instead I chose a nearby teahouse,checking that the surveillance cameras work first.I shoved the brewed tea to her,then took it back,unsure if pregnant women could drink.She smiled faintly:
"The baby's gone."
I wanted to mock her but,seeing her dazed look,held back.She spoke,ignoring my response:
"It's for the best.He doesn't love me—why stay?But without him,what can I do?"
"The Sterlings have many kids.I was just the right age to be Ethan's betrothed,a tool.In Europe,my family abandoned me.I came back for Ethan and them,I just want someone to love me."
"Chloe,you ruined everything.Ethan loves you,so I lost it all—my love,my family,my wealth."
I understood but didn't agree:
"April,do you love him?Have you asked yourself what you truly want?Being abandoned by your family means you don’t owe them anything anymore.You have the freedom others envy.You're an independent person,with endless possibilities.Live for your own love,not others'."
"You're an Ivy League grad.You can get what you want with your hard work.You're worth more than trapping a man or pleasing parents."
Her eyes held confusion,shock,fear.I didn't know how much sank in,but as a fellow female,I said more than I had intended to.
I never saw her after that.
But Ethan kept shwoing up,crazed,claiming he loved me,thrwoing away completely his pride:
"Chloe,I was wrong.I love you.I didn't know you suffered so much,that my mother tormented you.I thought you were happy these four years."
I looked down at him:
"Did you know we had a child once,yet your mother forced me to get rid of it?That she drugged me so that I couldn’t conceive again?That I knelt twelve hours at your family's estate before I could leave?"
Each word paled him.I pressed:
"You sensed it but didn't care.You cared more about what your mother's chosen bride could get you,feared she'd favor your brother.Power's your true love—don't play devoted here.It's disgusting."
I'd loved him once,so even seeing his truth face,I stayed for a while.He still thought April's return drove me away,not the countless betrayals that broke me.
