Chapter 2

I stared at Ethan.

"Does it really matter whose name is on the deed?" That line haunted me for the rest of my life.

I paid for the whole house, and he shrugged it off like it made no difference at all.

I looked at Summer, and suddenly I understood why they dared to act so shamelessly. Because deep down, they were sure I'd never turn against them.

Ethan and I had been together for five years. I stood by him from the days he earned 2,600 dollars a month, all the way to when he finally made it as an entrepreneur.

When his company hit rock bottom, I used my own savings to help him pay his employees.

When his mom was hospitalized, I was the one at her side in the hospital, handling everything for three days straight.

There was no down payment, no final payment. I scraped every dollar for this house myself, bit by bit.

My parents sold their tiny place back home and chipped in 260,000 dollars, so their daughter could have a proper home for her wedding.

I remembered hugging my mom and crying, promising her I'd live well and make things work.

But in the end, all that hope for a good life ended up under Summer's name.

I took a deep breath and looked at Ethan. "Give me the deed."

He paused, a hint of suspicion in his voice. "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm asking you one more time. Hand over the deed."

Summer quickly hid the deed behind her back, flashing a grin. "It's mine. Why would I hand it over to you?"

I strode over and grabbed her wrist.

She didn't expect me to actually grab her. Her expression changed instantly. "Let go of me."

"Give me the deed," I demanded.

"Ethan!"

Ethan rushed over, grabbing my hand to pull me away. "Stella, that's enough."

Without thinking, I slapped him hard across the face.

The living room went dead silent.

Ethan's head whipped to the side from the hit. He stared back, eyes full of disbelief.

I didn't expect myself to slap him so clean and hard. But after that slap, I actually felt a bit of relief.

"That slap was for me." I looked straight at him. "Ethan, I'm not making a scene. I'm finally awake."

With that, I shook him off and lunged for the deed.

In the scuffle, the deed slipped from Summer's hands and hit the floor, landing open with the crucial page facing up. [Property owner: Summer Roper. Co-owner was blank.]

My name wasn't anywhere in sight.

I crouched down, picked up the deed, snapped a photo, and turned to leave.

Ethan chased after me to the door. "Stella, don't be rash. Let's get through the wedding tomorrow, and we can talk about everything else later."

I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at him. "Do you think I'd still marry you?"

"Are you going to throw away five years of love over a house?"

"It's not about the house." I locked eyes with him, my words cold and clear. "It's because I finally realized that for five years, I was the only one who was truly invested in our relationship."

He opened his mouth to speak.

But I didn't let him. "The wedding's off. I'm taking the house back. And neither of you is getting off easy."

I stormed out, slamming the door. As the elevator doors closed, I finally noticed my hands were shaking.

It wasn't fear. It was anger, so strong that my hands were tingling.

In the elevator's mirror, my face was pale as a sheet.

I gritted my teeth, telling myself I couldn't cry. If I cried now, I'd be giving them what they wanted.

I grabbed a cab and headed straight to the Recorder's Office.

The place was about to close, but I managed to get a number and sat in the waiting area, feeling like I was perched right on the edge of a blade.

When it was my turn, the clerk glanced at the information and looked up at me. "Are you Summer Roper, the property owner?"

That one question snuffed out the last flicker of hope inside me.

I handed over my driver's license, keeping my voice steady. "No, I'm not. But I paid for it. Can I see how the house was registered and what went down?"

The clerk glanced at me, clearly used to this kind of mess. Her face stayed blank as she replied, "Sorry, because of privacy rules, I can't give you everything.

"But you can apply to see some of the paperwork. If you have a problem, you'll have to take it to court."

"I paid every cent for this place."

She must've seen how pale I looked, so her voice got gentler. "Easy. The system shows Summer Roper signed the contract, all the paperwork's in order, and everything's done."

My head was spinning. "Summer signed the contract?"

"Yes."

"How is that possible?"

I could still remember how I signed my own name on the paper at the sales office that day.

I remembered signing page after page, snapping a few photos to send to Ethan, telling him, "We finally have a home."

The clerk noticed how stunned I looked and reminded me, "You can check whatever records you saved yourself. If there's a forged signature or fake authorization, you should call the police and file a lawsuit."

I thanked her, grabbed the application form, and went outside to sit on the steps, scrolling through my phone.

The more I scrolled, the more my heart kept sinking.

That day, all I had were shots of the cover and the last page of the contract. The signature on the last page was blurry.

Back then, Ethan told me to leave some pages unsigned, saying he'd fill them in for me later.

The whole process was such a hassle, so I went along with it.

I really did.

My phone buzzed. It was Ethan.

He sent me a long, rambling message. [Stella, I know you are angry right now, but things aren't what you think. Summer's been through a lot these past few years, and I owe her.

[Putting the house in her name was my way of making it up to her. But the person I love has always been you. Otherwise, why would I be marrying you?

[Can't you be a little more mature and stop dragging up old stuff? The house is just property, but I'm yours, body and soul. What more do you want from me?]

I read his message and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"I'm yours, body and soul." He made it sound like he was doing me a favor.

I didn't bother replying.