Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
When Melanie, my husband Ethan's first love, found out I was pregnant, she was the one who lost her mind.
She came pounding on our door in the middle of the night, sobbing, and shoved me to the ground. That was how I lost my baby.
When I woke up in the hospital bed, Ethan handed me a three-leaf clover necklace.
"Each leaf represents a wish," he said. "Whatever you want, I'll make it happen. Consider it my way of making things up to you."
"Just drop the charges against Melanie."
I agreed.
My first wish was for Ethan to cut all ties with Melanie.
He agreed at first.
But when the Vance family went bankrupt, Ethan immediately rushed to her rescue.
My second wish was for Ethan to give me a real wedding.
He agreed again.
But the day of our wedding coincided with Melanie's grandfather's funeral.
He stood me up.
I took off the clover necklace and made my final wish in silence:
I want a divorce.
My second miscarriage had nothing to do with Melanie, but when it happened, Ethan was still by her side.
When he heard the news, he texted me:
"I'll come see you as soon as my meeting is over."
I put my phone down, completely done with him.
I still vividly remembered the day of my first miscarriage.
Melanie had just gone through a bad breakup, and Ethan insisted on going over to comfort her.
I couldn't stop him, so I went along.
When Melanie saw my slightly rounded belly, jealousy flared in her eyes.
While Ethan was in the restroom, she walked up to me and hissed,
"If it weren't for you, Ethan and I would never have broken up. Are you happy seeing me like this?"
I was taken aback. I looked at her, utterly confused.
Ethan had never mentioned they used to date.
In fact, if she hadn't crashed our wedding, I wouldn't have even known she existed.
But someone had warned me before:
"She and Ethan grew up together. They spent years abroad, and things were pretty blurry between them. Keep your guard up."
But I hadn't taken it seriously.
I always figured that if they were "blurry" but never actually got together, it just meant they didn't love each other enough.
Especially when Ethan introduced her to me, he simply said,
"An old friend."
There was no lingering affection in his eyes.
So, I never saw her as a threat to my marriage.
Until that day, when she screamed her obsession with Ethan right to my face. Only then did I realize I had been too naive.
She hysterically told me that she and Ethan had done everything together except sign a marriage license.
"Did you know? Ethan's first time was with me," she bragged.
I didn't want to argue with her. Sensing she was getting more and more unstable, I turned to leave.
But as I stood up, she grabbed my arm and yanked me.
Someone had spilled a drink on the floor.
My foot slipped, and I fell hard onto the ground. Instantly, a sharp, agonizing pain shot through my lower abdomen.
When Ethan walked back in, he saw me lying in a pool of blood.
His face went pale. But he looked at Melanie, who was standing there frozen in shock, and didn't ask a single question.
He rushed me to the hospital. In the car, I gripped his hand and whimpered,
"Melanie pulled me... I wouldn't have fallen if she hadn't..."
But the pain was too overwhelming.
I expected comfort.
Instead, he remained silent. It wasn't until the doctor broke the news that the baby was gone that he finally spoke.
"It was an accident. We can have another baby in the future. Don't be too sad."
I couldn't believe my ears. I cried,
"So you're just going to let our baby die like this? I told you, if Melanie hadn't pushed me, I wouldn't have lost the baby!"
He pulled me into his arms, kissing my forehead repeatedly.
"Stop it, Chloe. She just went through a breakup and she was drunk. Let's not overthink this, okay?"
Then, he gave me the necklace as an apology.
I didn't reply to Ethan's text.
Because ten minutes ago, a friend had sent me a photo of his car leaving Karen Gardens.
"Hey, I just saw your husband's car. Are you with him? Why don't you guys drop by my place?"
It was 10:00 PM now.
I was sitting in a café. I had seen Ethan driving past at 6:00 PM.
No one knew where he had been for those four hours.
But there was one thing I knew for sure: Melanie lived in Karen Gardens.I dragged my feet and didn't go home until midnight.
Seeing Ethan standing at the door, I felt an inexplicable bitterness in my chest.
He was pacing around anxiously, smoking a cigarette. The moment he saw me, he rushed over.
"Why didn't you answer my calls? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
In the past, I always told him where I was going.
He used to say I was his only wife, and he couldn't afford any risk of losing me.
I believed him.
After the miscarriage, I suffered from severe insomnia and started seeing a therapist.
Ethan would always ask for my appointment times in advance and arrange for a driver to drop me off and pick me up.
One day, the therapist had an emergency and ended the session early. I didn't tell Ethan.
I wanted some time to myself for once.
But at a restaurant down the street, I ran into Ethan having lunch with Melanie. The atmosphere between them was incredibly warm and cozy.
During that period, Ethan claimed he was too busy to have lunch with me, though he made sure the housekeeper cooked all my favorite meals.
It was also during that time that I made my first wish on the clover necklace.
I didn't disturb them. I just sat at an inconspicuous corner table.
They were completely in their own world. It wasn't until Melanie finished eating and wiped her mouth that she finally spotted me.
Ethan came straight to my table.
The first thing he said was:
"What kind of compensation will finally satisfy you? Why are you stalking her?"
"Chloe, Melanie's grandfather is in critical condition. He's literally fighting for his life in the hospital. Can you please stop provoking her?"
The sudden accusation left me utterly speechless.
To this day, I still couldn't understand what I had done wrong.
My "reporting in" was merely a schedule he used to comfortably visit Melanie.
A cold breeze blew past, snapping me back to reality.
I looked at the man in front of me.
He claimed he had been waiting for me, yet he was fully dressed and had even changed into a fresh outfit, ready to go out.
Seeing me silent, he gently pulled my arm.
"I asked you a question. Why are you back so late?"
He frowned, looking genuinely worried.
I just smiled and asked,
"Do you have to go out again?"
Ethan stiffened, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"I didn't finish dealing with some work this afternoon. There's a morning meeting tomorrow, so I need to go to the office and prep."
He took my hand:
"Chloe, don't do this next time, okay? I don't mind you going out, but at least let me know where you are."
In truth, I knew his flight had landed early this morning and there was absolutely nothing urgent at his company.
He would rather sit there all afternoon than admit he had lied about his flight time.
"So you know my whereabouts and can time your visits to Melanie perfectly?"
I felt so exhausted.
Exhausted from maintaining this illusion of peace, and even more exhausted from lying to myself that nothing was going on between him and Melanie.
My words hit Ethan's sore spot.
He looked at me with instant suspicion.
"Did you stalk me again?"
"Melanie said someone took photos of her today. Was that you?"
He suddenly grew agitated, pulling me toward his car, claiming he was taking me to the police station.
"You've really lost your mind! Her grandfather just passed away, and she's extremely fragile. If I hadn't been with her these past few days, she might have done something reckless!"
"Do you have any idea how much those photos affected her? She's been crying nonstop. I've wasted so much time waiting for you to apologize!"
With one sentence, he let slip what he had actually been doing during his "business trip."
He didn't even bother to hide the fact that he was heading out tonight just to see Melanie.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ethan realized his mistake.
But he kept his face rigid:
"She already called the police. You're going to apologize to her right now and sign a statement. As long as I'm here, we can put an end to this."
He instinctively assumed I was the one who took the photos.
He didn't even ask how I was holding up after my miscarriage.
The moment we arrived at the police precinct, Melanie threw herself into his arms, sobbing.
Ethan's assistant was already waiting there.
He held her comfortingly and told the officer:
"I've found the person who was stalking her. Our demand is a public apology. If she does it again, we want her detained. No settlement next time!"
The officer, probably annoyed by Melanie's hysterics in the middle of the night, spoke to me in a rather harsh tone:
"Ma'am, why on earth would you stalk someone like a creep? This lady's husband is being kind enough to offer a settlement. If there's a next time, it won't be this easy!"
The officer slid a statement of apology and a settlement agreement in front of me:
"Write down your statement, and sign here. Do you have any family members we can call to witness and supervise this?"
I glanced at Ethan, who was being mistaken for Melanie's husband.
He didn't correct the officer, nor did he look at me.
I smiled and shook my head:
"I'm not signing any of this. Because I didn't take those photos."
"And I don't have any family."The officer looked confused.
Melanie immediately lunged forward, throwing the paper and pen at my face:
"Stop acting! Who else would stalk me besides you?"
"You're just jealous! You're jealous that Ethan actually cares about me! You're jealous that all I have to do is say one word, and he will drop everything to come to my side!"
"Chloe, why can't you just be honest? What did you gain from taking those photos? The rumors about Ethan and me online last week—was that your doing too?"
She was hysterical, her eyes red and puffy.
Ever since her grandfather passed away, Ethan had begged me more than once:
"Please don't provoke Melanie. Just do it for me, okay?"
I didn't know in what capacity he was begging me on her behalf.
Even now, Ethan shielded her without hesitation:
"Chloe, when did you become so petty?"
"Melanie just released her new artwork. You made a huge scene online just to ruin her career, didn't you?"
"I never realized you could be so calculating."
A month ago, Melanie's new painting, The Two of Us, was unveiled.
She openly admitted that the painting was dedicated to her lover, who had stayed by her side during her darkest days.
Though she only painted two silhouettes from behind, the crescent-shaped scar on the man's hand made my eyes sting.
It was Ethan's most distinctive physical mark.
The painting caused quite a stir online.
Everyone was guessing who the young, beautiful artist's mysterious boyfriend was.
The comments were flooded with praises like "match made in heaven" and "soulmates."
Yet, throughout all the online buzz, Ethan had remained completely silent.
One day, I printed out the painting and placed it in front of him.
I wanted to see his reaction, so I asked, "What do you think of this painting?"
He let out a cold scoff, his mockery evident:
"It's great. She painted me beautifully."
He thought I was just looking for a fight, so he simply admitted it to spite me.
Around that time, a thread went viral on social media:
The Beautiful Artist Melanie and Her Childhood Sweetheart.
Netizens matched their silhouettes and travel schedules, proving that she and Ethan had been traveling together frequently.
Someone commented:
"Wait, I heard Ethan is already married. Is it really him?"
"So what? They're childhood sweethearts. If they finally realize they love each other, they can just get a divorce, right? Melanie isn't the type to steal someone's husband."
Overnight, countless people rooted for them.
And I, his lawful wife, became the most irrelevant obstacle in their grand love story.
Ignoring them both, I calmly turned to the police officer:
"I was near 5th Avenue all day today. You can check the surveillance cameras."
"I didn't do any of the things they're accusing me of, so I won't sign."
A female officer immediately went to pull up the street camera footage.
The video showed the exact time I left Ethan's office building, how long I sat in the café, and me catching a cab home around midnight.
As the footage played, Ethan's expression shifted instantly.
"You... came to my office today?"
His voice trembled.
I didn't answer. We only heard the officer say:
"Since you all know each other, you should settle your personal issues privately. Dragging this to the station without knowing the facts is a waste of our time!"
The officer turned to me:
"What's your relationship with them? I need to log it so we can handle things quickly if this happens again."
"Nothing," I replied calmly. "Just acquaintances."When we left the precinct, Ethan chased after me.
He called my name from behind.
But Melanie suddenly fainted from distress, forcing him to scoop her up and rush her to the hospital.
As he drove past me, he rolled down the window and yelled:
"Wait for me at home. I'll explain everything. Don't overthink this!"
It was always like this.
He claimed to care about me, but whenever he had to choose between Melanie and me, he would always choose her.
This miscarriage had caused heavy bleeding.
The doctor had told me to contact my family.
Before Ethan went on his trip, he had repeatedly warned me not to bother him over minor things.
But that night, the pain was so unbearable that I called him anyway.
It was Melanie who answered the phone:
"He's already asleep. It's late. If you don't sleep, does that mean others shouldn't either?"
So, I knew long before anyone else that they had been staying together the entire trip.
Even when Ethan eventually found out I was hospitalized, his concern was half-hearted:
"It's not that I don't want to come back, Chloe. I'm just swamped here. I'll have my secretary upgrade you to a private suite and hire the best private nurse, okay?"
Maybe my final wish was slowly coming true.
Because as I recalled his lies now, I didn't feel as devastated as before.
Ethan's assistant hadn't left yet.
He quickly drove up to me:
"Ma'am, Ethan asked me to drive you home."
I didn't refuse.
The assistant was a smart guy. He tried to smooth things over the entire ride:
"Miss Vance's condition is really terrifying. She has these episodes constantly. If it weren't for her grandfather's dying wish, I doubt Ethan would even want to deal with her."
"You're the best, Ma'am. While we were away, Ethan kept telling me how much he missed you and how much easier his life is with you around. He really can't live without you!"
I just smiled and remained silent.
When I got out of the car, I took the manila envelope I had felt on the backseat.
I didn't know what was inside.
But an inexplicable urge drove me to see its contents.
With trembling hands, I opened it.
My heart rate spiked, but the moment my eyes fell on the divorce agreement signed with Ethan's signature, a strange, absolute calm washed over me.
...
It wasn't until Ethan arrived at the hospital that he realized his assistant had forgotten to take the divorce papers out of the car.
He immediately called the assistant:
"The envelope I gave you this morning—is it still in your car?"
He had only signed it to appease Melanie.
Lately, her mental state had been atrocious. She was constantly threatening suicide.
One day, she had held a blade to her wrist, screaming:
"Divorce Chloe, or I'll end my life right now!"
This scenario had played out countless times.
Having no other choice, he had drafted the papers just to pacify her.
The papers were too dangerous. When he signed them, he had feared what would happen if I ever found out.
But he couldn't bear to face that reality.
He had kept the document hidden carefully, but in the chaos of today, he had made a slip-up.
The assistant said he would check right away.
Ethan's heart pounded fiercely in his chest.
He didn't dare to imagine the consequences.
A few minutes later, the assistant called back, his voice trembling:
"I'm so sorry, boss... The envelope... I think Ma'am took it..."
Ethan felt the world spin around him.
As the phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor, he knew.
It was all over.
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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