Chapter 4 Four

I changed into a turtleneck borrowed from Anna before going to meet Ethan Fletcher because I was afraid of him seeing me covered in wounds. Anna saw me changing and was angered by the sight of my injuries, hurling curses left and right. I bet if Ethan Fletcher saw me in this state, he would go head-to-head with Xavier. This is no exaggeration. I've known Ethan Fletcher since we were eight years old and we've been through thick and thin. Aside from dating and sleeping together, we've done everything together.

We've cut off the braids of girls we disliked, punctured our teacher's tires, secretly socked the school's unpopular senior in a sack, and drank late into the night on the rooftop... Ethan Fletcher once said, aside from him, no other man in this world could bully me. I said he was too domineering, how could he control all the other men in the world? But Ethan Fletcher said he'd do what he said and fight anyone who bullied me. If he won, it meant he kept his promise, and if he lost, then dying to keep his oath was worth it. As I went on reminiscing about our youthful escapades, I had already put on a smile by the time I arrived at Ethan Fletcher's designated booth. "Eve!" The moment Ethan Fletcher saw me, he spread his arms wide, attempting to hug me. His too-tall and straight figure was like a mountain, consuming the light in front of him as he lunged towards me. But I dodged him because if he were to hug me with all these injuries, I couldn't guarantee that I could hold back from screaming. Failing to hold me in his arms, Ethan Fletcher seemed a bit disappointed, pouting as he expressed his dissatisfaction. "Why! I went to the UK for half a month and the first thing I did when I came back was to see you, but you wouldn't even grant me a hug, Eve, you're truly heartless!" I raised the beer bottle in my hand towards him and said with a grin, "The hug, let's skip it. We can have a drink. As you know, I am spoken for now." I didn't plan to hide it from Ethan Fletcher and knew I couldn't anyway. While he may be my good friend, he's not in the same league as me. In fact, he's pretty much like Xavier, one of the most popular eligible bachelors in the city today. The Fletcher family, although not as prominent as the Ashford family, holds a small stake in the real estate industry of the capital. Ethan Fletcher was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. As expected, my words made Ethan Fletcher's face turn stern. "I was thinking of having a polite conversation before we got into a quarrel, but you were straightforward instead. Do you think being frank would be sparing me?" "I don't expect leniency from being honest, but I'm just too tired to keep up formalities at this point. You've been waiting for me for so long; you must know where I was last night." Ethan Fletcher's expression shifted as he looked up at me, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. "Evelyn, do you think I would congratulate you on your 'moving up in the world' like that heartless girl, Anne? I have told you long ago, that you should steer clear of Xavier; he's not..." His words choked off in his throat, but I went ahead and finished his sentence. "He's not someone I'm worthy of, right, Ethan Fletcher?" Ethan Fletcher averted his gaze, a look of discontent on his face, but his tone was considerably softer. "That's not what I meant. I'm just trying to tell you that by walking this path, you're setting yourself up for heartbreak. Hovering around Xavier will only wear you out after a month. Why would you want to degrade yourself like that? Or do you believe you will be the exception, able to win Xavier's heart?" Hearing these words from Ethan Fletcher made me want to laugh. He really shared Anne's perspective. All I wanted was to lose my virginity to a handsome man, and it just so happened that Xavier picked my card. Plus, under the warm haze of the evening lights and after a couple of extra drinks, we ended up together. But the straight-laced demeanor of Ethan made me want to tease him a little. "Ethan, if you think about it carefully, a month is a substantial amount of time. That's thirty days and nights..." Ethan looked at me as if I was a lunatic. "Evelyn, you have truly lost your mind!" Ethan probably thought I was daydreaming. I lowered my head and chuckled, thinking that agreeing to go with Xavier was pretty insane of me in the first place. The conversation I had with Ethan Fletcher that morning ended on a discordant note, but I didn't take it to heart. After all, we had known each other for more than a decade and it wasn't uncommon for us to have little squabbles. Sooner or later, we'd patch things up. I was just joking anyway. My life continued to be as mundane as the Hudson River during its dry season, devoid of any substantial excitement other than the occasional tiny ripples. The thirty-day and night period that I said I would keep in front of Ethan surprisingly came to an end quickly. On the last night, Xavier did not show up. In fact, during this one month, he wasn't often present. Despite saying it was a month, except for the first two continuous days, Xavier did not appear for about half a month. Just when I thought that Xavier was only with me for two nights during this month, his car appeared at the entrance of Pearl's Manor and took me to a scenic spot under the public eye. He seemed unafraid to let everyone know that the woman he had chosen this time was Evelyn, the owner of Pearl's Manor In the days that followed, Xavier's car would show up every other day. Now, two days had passed and it was the last day of the month. I got out of bed at 10:00 in the morning and woke up at 2:00 in the afternoon. I guess the feeling of imminent separation was lingering in my heart, and I felt a little restless. The girls in the shop joked that I had fallen sick from lovesickness, I just smiled and didn't say anything. By ten o'clock, I had almost given up. I didn't know if Xavier was always like this, not bothering to say goodbye to any woman who had accompanied him for a month. I wanted to curse him. Regardless, I was the one whose virginity he took. At midnight, all the girls in Peal's manor had left. Today, even Anna was not here. I could only sit alone at the bar, at the spot where Anna usually sat, turned on the gramophone, and sipped red wine with my eyes closed. Tonight, Xavier would not come. And from now on, he will no longer appear in my life. Like everyone else, I was very familiar with Xavier's rules. He would not touch a woman who has been with him for more than a month.