Chapter 3

I froze, staring at Madison in confusion. "How did you figure out I still can't get over Ethan?

"Did I say something that gave you the wrong idea?

"Or was it something about my face today, or the way I looked at him?"

"Come on, Chloe, drop the act," Madison said firmly. "Ethan's doing so well now. There's no way you don't feel at least a little regret."

"I don't feel any regret at all," I replied, meeting her gaze and enunciating each word. "I chose my own path, and I'm happy with my life now."

Ethan sneered, clearly not believing a word I said. I had no intention of explaining myself any further.

There was really nothing to explain.

We were people whose lives no longer intersected. Running into each other today was a pure accident.

If I'd known Ethan was coming, I probably wouldn't have attended.

It was not about having unresolved feelings. There was simply no need to meet with someone who belonged to a former chapter of my life.

"I'll cover the cost of the clothes and the bag," I said, not wanting to waste any more words on them. "Just send me the prices and your bank account info, and I'll send you the money."

"You'll cover it?" Ethan cut in. "Do you even know how much Madison's outfit and bag cost? The dress alone is 15 grand, the bag's 60 grand, and that's not even counting the extras you need to buy with them.

"Even if we go with the lowest price, that's 80 grand. How are you gonna pay for that?"

I took a deep breath, telling myself not to let Ethan's judgmental attitude get under my skin.

The doctor said I needed to stay positive for the baby.

"Of course, I'm not that petty. Just apologize to Madison and we'll call it even," Ethan said, pretending to be generous.

"An apology isn't enough," Madison quickly chimed in. "You need to swear, right here in front of everyone, that you'll never covet Ethan again."

Seriously? I laughed out of anger.

Staring at Madison, who looked so smug and full of herself, I grabbed the half-empty bottle of wine sitting next to me.

The doctor said pregnant women shouldn't get angry, but bottling it up was even worse.

I walked up to Madison, calm and unhurried, and poured every last drop of the wine all over her clothes and bag.

Madison shrieked in shock, and her eyes widened with disbelief as she stared at me.

Ethan was momentarily stunned before he finally reacted. "Chloe! Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing?"

As he spoke, Ethan stepped in front of Madison to shield her and pushed me away.

Thankfully, Ben was right behind me. He caught me and quickly stepped in front of me, afraid Ethan might lose control and do something drastic.

Ben stepped in, trying to calm Ethan down. "Ethan, calm down."

"Chloe, I've been too nice to you, huh?" Ethan snarled, his face twisted with rage. "How dare you treat Madison like that? Who do you think you are?"

"I don't care how you treat me, and I'm not bossing around," I shot back.

Then, I added coldly, "I said I'd pay for it, so those clothes and that bag are mine now. Whatever I do with them is my business. You don't get a say."

"Can you even afford to pay for that?" Ethan demanded, his voice full of disdain.

"Give me your bank account number," I said, enunciating each word.

Ethan snapped, "Are you seriously gonna ruin yourself out of spite?

"Chloe, if you'd stopped being so stubborn, we wouldn't have ended up like this."

"Give me your bank account number," I said again, my voice a bit sharper this time.

"Don't regret it later," Ethan threatened.

"Ethan, stop wasting your breath on her!" Madison shrieked, looking like she was about to explode.

"If she doesn't want our favor, just hand her the bill. Let's see if she can afford them."

Ethan didn't hesitate. He rattled off a string of numbers.

I punched in the bank account number and tried to transfer the money, but the system told me that I got the wrong password.

I was sure that was the right password.

I paused, tried another password, but the error popped up again.

Ugh, people said pregnancy would turn people's brains to mush. Guess it was right.

How could I forget my own password all of a sudden?

Ethan and Madison stood nearby, watching me, and all our classmates were gathered around, watching the drama.

Madison let out a mocking laugh when she saw I still hadn't managed to transfer the money. "Chloe, weren't you acting all tough just now?

"So, where's the money? Why don't I see a single cent showing up in Ethan's account?"

Ethan was standing there with his phone in hand, waiting for a notification, but nothing popped up.

"I forgot my password," I explained. "If I try the wrong one again, my account might get locked."

"Oh, what a convenient excuse," Madison sneered, not even bothering to hide her sarcasm.

Ethan gave me a look that screamed pathetic as well.

The classmates around started whispering.

"I really thought Chloe was going to pay up. Honestly, I felt bad for her."

"Who'd be that dumb? That was 80 grand, not 80 bucks."

"Looks like she's embarrassed herself now. No way to save face, huh?"

Madison shot me a cold look. "So, are you planning to write an IOU or something? How long will it take you to pay it back? A year? Two?"

She sneered, her eyes full of contempt. "With how broke you look, I bet you'll never pay it off in your whole life."