We’d celebrate our love for each other.
We’d promise ‘forever and always.’
His tears would trail down his cheek and onto my shoulder, over and over again.
At the time, I joyfully believed he loved me to his core.
Now, I understood he was just longing for another woman.
20 26
Chapter 1
Inside the private room, Ethan Carter was expertly deflecting drinks for Chloe Davies.
He hadn’t even noticed me standing at the door.
His cheeks were flushed, a constant smile gracing his lips.
This was the first time in three years I’d seen him like this.
In that moment, Ethan Carter was joyous, fulfilled.
There was none of the carefulness he always showed when he was with me.
They complemented each other perfectly, completely oblivious to the teasing of their friends.
“Well, well, well, let’s congratulate Ethan on finally getting his true love!”
“Yeah, he’s finally not moping around like a lovesick puppy anymore!”
“Chloe, you wouldn’t believe it, when you got married, Ethan disappeared for a whole month. We were worried sick!”
“Exactly! Good thing he met Jenna Miller back then, otherwise who knows what state he’d be in now.”
My name, like a needle, instantly chilled the atmosphere around them.
I looked at the silent crowd, my heart yearning for Ethan’s affirmation.
I stared at him intently, as if by doing so, he would acknowledge our relationship.
But persistence doesn’t always yield answers.
After a long moment, Ethan tightened his grip on Chloe’s hand, then slowly, unhurriedly spoke.
“Chloe is my true remedy.”
Suddenly, the whole room erupted in cheers.
Chloe Davies had noticed me at the door long ago. Her arrogant gaze already proclaimed her victory.
Knowing I wasn’t welcome in such a boisterous scene, I signaled for a server to deliver the wine.
“Mr. Carter, this is the wine you requested.”
The man, who had been smiling moments before, looked flustered for an instant when he saw me at the doorway.
Just as Ethan was about to step towards me, Chloe unabashedly kissed him.
Meeting his gaze, I chose to turn away.
In that moment, I fled the battlefield.
I was a coward in love.
I didn’t have the courage to reclaim what was mine in front of everyone.
In the taxi, Chloe Davies’s messages kept pinging.
In the video.
Ethan Carter, urged on by the crowd, grandly confessed his love to Chloe.
He knelt before her, holding a bottle of Memory’s Embrace.
“Chloe, this is the wine I made for you. Do you like it?”
‘Chloe, this wine is my essence, and so are you.”
Ethan spoke with conviction, and Chloe’s face flushed.
Then, a message from Chloe popped up:
“Jenna Miller, thank you for the wine you made for me. Ethan Carter was never yours. I hope you know your place.”
After three years, the lioness had reclaimed her territory
20 26 (
