Chapter 4

The confrontation came two days later. I had to go back to the house to pick up my last few personal items. I knew Ethan wouldn't be there. He was at a site visit. But Sophia was.

She was waiting for me in the living room. As I walked past her to go upstairs, she suddenly cried out and stumbled, falling to the floor. She clutched her ankle, her face contorted in pain.

"What are you doing?" she shrieked. "Why did you push me?"

Before I could even process what was happening, Ethan burst through the front door. He must have come home early. His eyes, wild with fury, landed on me, then on Sophia crying on the floor.

He didn't ask what happened. He didn't wait for an explanation. He strode over to me and slapped me across the face.

The force of the blow sent me staggering backward. My cheek exploded in pain. The sound echoed in the silent, cavernous room.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he roared, his face inches from mine. "She just came back! Are you so jealous you have to physically attack her?"

"I didn't touch her," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "She fell on her own."

"Liar!" he spat. "I saw you! I saw you standing right over her!" He didn't see anything. He just assumed. Five years of marriage, and he didn't have a shred of trust in me. It all meant nothing.

He rushed to Sophia's side, scooping her up in his arms. "Are you okay, darling? Does it hurt?"

"Ethan, I'm fine," Sophia sobbed into his chest. "Maybe I just tripped. Don't be angry with Chloe. It's my fault." Her fake magnanimity only made him angrier at me.

He looked back at me, his eyes cold and hard. For a moment, seeing the red mark on my cheek and my shocked expression, he seemed to hesitate. A flicker of doubt crossed his face. But then Sophia winced and let out another little cry of pain, and his expression hardened again. He was completely under her spell.

"Get on your knees and apologize to her," he commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument.

I stared at him, stunned. "What?"

"You heard me. Apologize. Now."

I didn't move. I couldn't. The humiliation was a physical weight, pressing down on me.

He walked toward me, his face a mask of rage. As he passed, he deliberately kicked a heavy wooden coffee table. The corner of the table slammed into my shin. A sharp, searing pain shot up my leg. I cried out and collapsed, clutching my leg. The pain was excruciating. I could feel the bone bruise forming instantly.

"Stop faking it," Ethan sneered, not even glancing down at me. "Your little act is pathetic."

Sophia, from the comfort of his arms, added, "Ethan, let's just go to the hospital to get my ankle checked. She's not worth our time."

He nodded, carrying her out the door as if she were a precious treasure. He didn't look back at me, crumpled on the floor in agony.

I pulled myself up, my leg throbbing with a sickening pain. I limped to the bathroom to find some ice. As I sat on the cold tile floor, pressing a bag of frozen peas to my swollen shin, my phone lit up. It was a news alert.

"CEO Ethan Vance and his love, Sophia Miller, spotted at a romantic celebratory dinner." The photo showed them at a fancy restaurant, smiling, a bottle of champagne between them. The picture was time-stamped just a few minutes ago. He took her to celebrate right after assaulting me.

I looked at the picture, at their happy faces. I looked down at my bruised leg.

With shaking hands, I picked up my phone. I found Ethan's contact and typed a short, simple message.

"I signed the divorce papers. They're on your desk. Goodbye."

I blocked his number. And then, I let myself cry.