Chapter 2

Ethan kept his back to her, focusing on polishing a silver frame. His hands were shaking slightly.

"Can I help you find something?" he asked, his voice professional and distant.

"I'm just looking," Chloe said dismissively. She turned to the man beside her. "Liam, this is the man I told you about. The one who can't seem to stay away from me."

Liam Thompson, her fiancé, looked Ethan up and down with an arrogant smirk. He was the CEO of a rival corporation, a man known for his ruthless business tactics.

"So this is the famous gold-digger," Liam said, his voice smooth but laced with menace. "You don't look like much."

Chloe walked past Ethan, her shoulder brushing his. He flinched at the contact. She stopped and looked at him closely.

"You look terrible, Ethan," she said, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. "Pale. Have you been eating at all?"

It was a painful echo of how she used to care for him. He hardened his expression.

"I'm fine," he said curtly.

Liam stepped forward, putting a possessive arm around Chloe's waist. "Of course he's not fine, darling. He's probably spent all your money on gambling or something equally pathetic."

Chloe's gaze drifted around the shop, then landed on a small, intricately carved wooden bird on a high shelf. Her expression faltered for a second.

Ethan's breath caught in his throat. It was the first gift he had ever carved for her, back when they were just starting out, long before money and success. He had bought it back from a pawn shop years ago, a foolish, sentimental purchase he couldn't afford. He never thought she would see it again.

"That's a nice piece," Chloe said, her voice regaining its coldness. She seemed to have no memory of its significance. "How much is it?"

Ethan's heart sank. She didn't remember. To her, it was just another object. A part of him, a foolish part, wanted to tell her, to remind her. But that would undo everything.

He walked over to the cash register and looked at the price tag Sarah had put on it as a placeholder.

"Five hundred thousand dollars," Ethan said, his voice steady.

Chloe laughed, a sharp, ugly sound. "Five hundred thousand? For a piece of wood? You really are shameless, aren't you? You see me, and immediately the price skyrockets."

The words confirmed his worst fears. He was reinforcing her belief that he was greedy, that he saw her as nothing but a source of cash. It was what he wanted, but it still hurt.

"It's a rare piece," Ethan said simply.

Liam stepped forward, his eyes glinting with malice. "I think you're trying to rip us off."

He reached for the bird, but his hand "slipped," knocking over a heavy crystal statue on the shelf next to it. The statue crashed to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.

"Look what you made me do!" Liam shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Ethan. "You distracted me! This is your fault!"

The shop owner rushed out from the back room, his face pale with panic. "That was a one-of-a-kind antique! It's worth a fortune!"

"He did it," Liam said smoothly, gesturing to Ethan. "He was being aggressive. I think he should pay for it."

Before Ethan could react, Liam shoved him hard. Ethan, already weak, stumbled backward, his side slamming into the sharp corner of a display case. A searing pain shot through his abdomen, right where his surgical scar was. He gasped, clutching his side as his vision blurred.

"Ethan!" Chloe cried out, an involuntary sound of alarm.

But her concern was fleeting. She immediately rushed to Liam's side.

"Liam, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" she asked, fussing over him, completely ignoring Ethan who was now struggling to stay upright.

The pain was overwhelming. It wasn't just the blow; it was the strain on his failing body. His heart began to pound erratically, a frantic, desperate rhythm. Black spots danced in front of his eyes.

He saw Chloe's face, her brow furrowed with worry for another man. He saw Liam's triumphant smirk. The humiliation, the pain, the utter exhaustion of it all crashed down on him at once.

His legs gave out.

He collapsed onto the floor amidst the shattered crystal, the world going dark around him.

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