Chapter 4
By evening, the beach was alive with the buzz of the wedding.
Dressed again in their wedding clothes, Emily and Ethan made their way back down the aisle, with locals lining the street to watch.
Through her veil, Emily's reddened eyes—brimming with tears—never left the man before her.
She asked, "Ethan, do you remember what you said back then?"
Maybe it was the atmosphere, but Ethan couldn't help recalling the emotions of their wedding day.
He nodded and repeated his original vows.
He said, "Of course, I remember. I, Ethan, love Emily—every single day, every single year, now and forever."
Emily asked, "And what if you ever break your vow?"
Ethan swore solemnly, "If I ever break my promise, I'll lose you forever. That would be the harshest punishment I could imagine."
His words rang out over the crowd, amplified by the speakers, hitting Emily deep in her soul.
Emily kept telling herself not to cry, but her tears wouldn't listen—they just streamed down her cheeks anyway.
Yes, Ethan had sworn that vow once before.
And now, it was time for him to honor it.
Ethan was momentarily stunned.
He'd rarely seen Emily cry. Even when others had left her out, she'd never been this heartbroken.
For a moment, his heart melted.
He teased, "Come on, we've been through this before. What's with the tears?"
Ethan helplessly reached out to wipe away her tears.
But in that moment, a voice echoed from afar, breaking the two apart.
The voice called out, "Mr. Rivers."
At the entrance stood a woman with stunning looks.
Emily's eyes flew wide—she'd seen that face a thousand times on her phone.
The woman was the main character in all those videos that kept piling up in Emily's inbox.
Emily knew her name—Claire.
She was supposedly Ethan's new secretary.
The moment Ethan saw Claire at the entrance, his face went stiff.
He immediately strode off the stage, ignoring the stares of the guests, and pulled Claire out of the hall.
Ethan didn't offer Emily a single explanation.
All around, guests gave Emily sympathetic looks.
Emily held herself together just long enough to finish the ceremony, then, all alone, hurried after Ethan in the direction he'd gone.
Just as she was about to reach them, the System spoke up in her mind.
The System said: [Host, I strongly advise you not to go any further.]
But Emily didn't listen. Jaw clenched, she kept going anyway.
As she drew near, Emily caught Claire's voice, trembling with both grievance and hope.
Claire said, "Don't be upset, okay? I've got some big news—I'm pregnant."
The air froze in an instant.
Emily stood there like she'd been struck by lightning, her mind totally blank, a dull ringing in her ears.
The next moment, Ethan's voice sliced through the air, icy and ruthless.
He said, "I'll give you the cash. Go take care of it—get it aborted.
"And let me remind you—my wife is where I draw the line. You've crossed it. From now on, stay out of my sight."
Claire was completely caught off guard by his reaction—her mind went blank, shock plastered all over her face.
She demanded, "Why? You said you liked me."
Ethan looked at her like she was just another prop on the stage, totally devoid of emotion.
He said, "Get it straight. If you didn't sort of resemble her, you really think I'd have ever given you the time of day?"
Claire flinched, letting her words die in her throat.
Hidden around the corner, Emily couldn't help but find it all absurd. So that was the truth—after everything, the woman Ethan got involved with was just a stand-in for her.
She'd been there for him this whole time. So why did he still go and look for someone else?
Emily realized that Ethan had just gotten tired of her. That's all there was to it.
Only after Claire had left did Ethan finally turn around and head back.
The moment he saw Emily, a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes.