Chapter 1
Three years had passed since I parted ways with my sugar baby. Out of the blue, he showed up and asked me to marry him.
He said, "Marrying her back then was just to set things up for us. I promised you I wouldn't leave you hanging."
To show he meant it, he transferred tens of millions to my name as a gift.
I thought he was crazy.
I patted my pregnant belly, silently telling him I'd moved on and already started a family.
But he just glanced at me, looking like he was deep in thought.
After a while, he said, "Looks like you've put on some weight since we last met."
*****
Ethan looked me up and down, an amused smirk playing on his lips.
"I remember, whenever you're in a bad mood, you start overeating," he said.
I paused mid-sip of my soda water and looked up at him.
I could hardly believe his audacity—he actually thought I'd gained weight from pining away for him.
I scoffed, shaking my head at how absurd this was.
I shot back, "Why would you ever think you're someone I'd spend three years hung up on?"
"Let me show you," Ethan said.
With that, Ethan reached out and pressed his fingers against the web of my hand.
Right there, even now, a tiny splinter of glass was still wedged in my skin, never quite coming out.
Three years ago, I was head over heels for Ethan.
Back then, he was the resident singer at a bar.
Even with all the chaotic neon lights swirling around, his eyes always looked so clear, almost cutting through the haze.
For some reason, I couldn't help but feel a little flutter in my chest when I first saw him.
After that, I started showing up every night, ordered a glass of soda water, and just sat there listening to him sing.
One of my friends teased me.
She said, "A sheltered heiress falls for the innocent-looking singer at a bar? I'd binge that storyline."
I just shrugged.
I knew perfectly well that fooling around with Ethan was one thing, but if I ever brought him home, my father would break my legs.
Suddenly, a pack of potbellied men slathered in tacky makeup barged over, trying to rope Ethan into drinking.
Ethan was wearing nothing but a crisp white shirt, and the way he awkwardly refused just made him look even more helpless and innocent.
My friend nudged me.
"Time to swoop in and play hero," she whispered.
I figured I'd stroll over, say something polite, and those men would give me some respect and leave Ethan alone.
But those guys were so hammered they didn't even recognize me. Instead of backing off, they got even rowdier, as if my stepping in had only given them fresh ammunition.
One of the guys said, "We're not interested in you. It's him we want."
Ethan stepped in front of me, putting himself between me and those men.
"If you're looking for trouble, take it out on me," he said.
Then, out of nowhere, a beer bottle exploded right in front of me.
Someone shoved me, and as another glass shattered, I found myself standing directly in front of Ethan.
A shard of glass stabbed into the web of my hand.
The bar erupted into chaos in an instant.
Ethan's eyes reddened.
"No one's ever protected me like this before," he choked out, almost overwhelmed.
He kept fussing over my hand, inspecting the wound again and again, so worried he looked like he might cry.
It was the first time I got to really see Ethan up close.
Ethan was so damn good-looking.
My heart was pounding like crazy.
Right then, I knew I'd totally fallen for him.
After that, we naturally ended up together.
I told him to quit singing for good—I'd support him now.
He just chuckled like I'd cracked the world's best joke and affectionately messed up my hair.
He said, "My princess, if we really run out of cash, we'll be living on air."
He thought I always ordered soda water because I was strapped for cash, but little did he know—I just wasn't into alcohol.
I had planned to stick it out for a year and then show him just how rich and powerful I really was—only to get cheated on.