Chapter 11
To be exact, it was Ethan and Amber.
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It seemed that when Ethan climbed the mountain to “apologize” to me, Amber had been waiting conveniently at the foot of it.
What was this?
Some twisted power play between the wife and the mistress?
The thought made my stomach churn. I clung to Julian’s arm and said, “Let’s get out of here.”
Ethan quickly closed the distance between us. “Mr. Reid, could I
trouble you for just a few minutes?”
“No,” Julian replied, his voice curt and firm.
“Mr. Reid…” Amber’s voice was saccharine sweet, dripping with a syrupy charm. “Please, just one chance.”
“Not happening.” Julian’s tone was even colder this time.
Amber froze, clearly taken aback.
Ethan turned to me instead. “Clara, don’t you think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding between us?”
He gave me a soft, familiar smile, the kind I hadn’t seen in ages.
Chapter 11
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For a brief second, I faltered. My body, guided by muscle memory, nearly nodded in response.
Julian pinched the back of my neck sharply.
I jolted back to my senses, nearly slapping myself for the lapse.
Ethan’s smile faltered, but he quickly composed himself. “Don’t forget the promise you made me.”
I laughed coldly. “What promise?” I crossed my arms and raised
an eyebrow. “If you really want to hear it again, fine. Let me spell it
out for you.”
I announced, “You broke your vows, cheated on me during ou marriage, and Amber knowingly stepped into all of this. You even
hired trolls to slander me. And the way you both behaved at the
banquet? I will never forgive you.”
Ethan’s face darkened, Amber’s smile froze in place, but Julian
looked rather amused.
He slid his arm around my waist and, without missing a beat,
brushed past Ethan. “I wish you and Amber Vaughn all the best. May the two of you live shamelessly ever after.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched as he turned to me, anger flickering in his
eyes.
“Clara, are you really going to debase yourself like this?”
Chapter 11
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I felt Julian’s arm muscles tense, his restrained anger palpable. I
quickly grabbed his wrist and whispered, “Ignore him.”
The ultimate insult is indifference. Against someone like Ethan,
that was all it takes.
For the next few days, I committed to ignoring him completely.
Ethan didn’t have my new number, and I’d already blocked him on
every social platform.
If he wanted to contact me, he wouldn’t even know where to
begin.
Meanwhile, I spent my time at Julian’s hillside villa, tending to flowers and feeding the birds. It was as if time itself had slowed
down.
The next time I heard about Ethan was while watching a dance competition show I loved.
After a group of contestants finished their performance, the host. announced a surprise guest.
Amber stepped onto the stage.
Her appearance didn’t exactly shock me, but it did pique my curiosity.
Amber had always been good at self–promotion. That whole “dream girl of the dance world” title? Self–appointed.
Chapter 11
She’d never stay quiet for long.
And here she was, clawing her way back into the spotlight.
Dressed in a simple white spaghetti–strap dress, her makeup
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perfectly natural yet impossibly meticulous, Amber smiled into the camera with an air of brave defiance.
“I know I’ve made mistakes,” she began, her voice steady and
earnest.
with
¡ade.
“I’ve hurt people who didn’t deserve it. And no matter how much I try to explain, those mistakes are unforgivable. But e everything I’m facing now, I don’t regret the choices True love is never wrong. Suppressing your feelings for someone is cruel–to yourself and to them. I’ll do my best to make amends to those I’ve unintentionally hurt, but I won’t give up on Ethan. Love is never a sin.”
Her words, soaked in faux sincerity, were typical Amber.
She announced that she’d perform a solo dance titled Love.
At first, I barely paid attention, my gaze lazily flicking to the screen now and then.
But the moment the music started and Amber began moving, I shot up from my seat.
That dance–it was mine.
