Chapter 3

3.

I left the hospital and went straight home.

The first thing I saw when I opened the door was the toy car I had bought for the baby.

Sweet memories attacked me again, and I leaned against the wall, gasping for air as my chest tightened.

I thought I was numb, but the warmth of our home made the pain unbearable.

I realized my subconscious still cared deeply.

This house was the only thing my parents left me, and I wasn't about to give it to Sienna.

I packed up everything I had bought for the baby and threw it all into the dumpster outside.

"Young man, these still have the tags on them. Are you sure you don't want them？" a neighbor asked.

I didn't look back. "I don't want any of it."

As I walked back up, my phone rang. It was Sienna, and she sounded furious.

"Ethan, what did you say to Ian？ Get over here and apologize to him right now！"

I frowned. "Sienna, are you out of your mind？"

In the background, I heard Ian's whimpering voice.

"Sienna, it's okay. Don't blame Ethan. It's all my fault."

Sienna cooed to him softly before snapping at me again.

"Don't play dumb with me！ Even if we're getting a divorce, I won't let you bully Ian！"

"Sienna, are you really divorcing him for me？" Ian's voice rose, filled with excitement he couldn't hide.

Sienna replied shyly, "Yes. I've realized we're the ones who belong together."

I gripped my phone tight, a cold laugh bubbling in my throat.

Ian's family used to have money, but he and his father had gambled and squandered it all.

I heard his parents even divorced because of the debt.

Sienna and I had started a business after college. We weren't millionaires, but we were comfortable.

It was obvious why Ian had come crawling back to her.

Only Sienna was stupid enough to think it was fate.

"Sienna, do whatever you want with him, but leave me out of it. I'm not your third wheel."

I hung up on her for the first time in my life.

She tried calling back immediately, but I rejected it.

A second later, the texts started flooding in.

[Ethan, don't think ignoring me will make this go away！]

[I can't believe I ever married someone like you. You're the biggest mistake of my life！]

[You're a stain on my reputation！]

My chest heaved with anger. I blocked her number and every social media account she had.

I spent the next hour packing her things and piling them in the master bedroom.

Only then did I finally feel like I could breathe.

Once I calmed down, I realized the house was full of her stuff.

We both worked, but almost all the money went to her.

The fact that I had spent it all on her willingly made me feel like an idiot.

The room started to spin, and I had to grab the doorframe to stay upright.

I dragged myself to the guest room and collapsed onto the bed.

I fell into a heavy, feverish sleep full of nightmares.

At some point, I felt something tickling my nose.

I struggled to open my eyes and saw Sienna curled up in my arms, sleeping peacefully.

I was confused and reflexively poked her cheek.