Chapter 1

When I heard Chloe Morgan was coming back to the country, I was at home with Ethan Reed, watching TV shows.

Our group chat was blowing up with this news.

I glanced at Ethan with a teasing smile, asking, "Why aren't you reacting?"

He pinched my nose, looking helpless.

He said, "What kind of reaction do you want from me? Honey, maybe you should cut back on those cheesy dramas."

That was right. They had broken up for six years, and Chloe was married and had a baby.

I went to the living room to get some water, and when I returned, I found Ethan staring at his phone in a daze.

I subconsciously checked my phone.

Someone just dropped a message in the group chat.

[Have you heard? Chloe was divorced.]

My heart sank suddenly.

I called out, "Ethan, Ethan!"

There was a bit of hurt in my voice.

Ethan snapped out of his daze, opening his arms to me.

He thought I wanted a hug from him.

I slammed my water cup down on the table and stood there, staring at him.

He looked visibly uneasy under my gaze, almost creeped out.

He asked nervously, "What's wrong, honey?"

I pressed, "What were you thinking just now?"

Ethan blinked at me innocently.

He replied, "I was just thinking about what to have for lunch tomorrow."

Liar.

He was clearly thinking about Chloe.

I had been into Ethan for twelve years. I could read him like a book, every look, every expression, nothing slips past me.

When he was chasing after Chloe in high school back then, he'd zone out like this all the time.

After more than ten years, he still couldn't keep anything from me.

Whenever it came to Chloe, he still couldn't stay calm.

I felt so suffocated inside.

I spent the whole night in a mood, and Ethan kept trying to coax me.

The thing he said the most was, "Chloe is my history."

But back then, his love for Chloe was wild and unforgettable.

Even after six years, I still sometimes had nightmares where Chloe came back, and Ethan broke up with me.

The next day, I slept until noon.

Ethan gave my butt a playful pat, smiling.

He teased, "Rise and shine, honey."

I rolled over and ignored him.

He bent down, kissing my cheek.

He said softly, "I made your favorite food."

I could already smell it wafting from the kitchen. There was no point fighting with my stomach.

Ethan carried me to the table, loading up my plate with food.

I was thinking about whether to forgive him when suddenly, his phone rang.

He answered, talked for a minute, then looked at me.

He asked, "Nora, this Saturday, the class president, Jesse Quinn, is putting together a high school reunion. Wanna go?"

A high school reunion, which meant that Chloe would come.

When I was silent, Ethan had already refused.

I looked at him in surprise.

He patted my head gently, his eyes shining brightly.

He said softly, "I just remembered that's our fifth anniversary. How could I let others ruin our day?"

My eyes started to water, and I almost embarrassingly cried out.

I begrudgingly decided to forgive Ethan for zoning out that night.

For the next few days, I was planning our fifth anniversary happily.

I ended up with a long list of things to do.

Seeing it, Ethan was very surprised. "Can we finish these things in one day?" he asked.

But then he just smiled, all soft and doting. "As long as you want to do it, honey, I'm definitely accompanying you all the way," he said.

But early that morning, Ethan was called away by a phone call from the hospital.

He was one of the brightest young pediatric cardiologists at the city hospital.

There was a special case that he needed to check.

He asked me to go ahead to the restaurant and wait for him, saying he would be there on time.

But I waited until half past one, and he still hadn't shown up.

The waiter looked sorry and said, "Sorry, lunch service is over now."

I had to leave, and when I walked outside, it was pouring rain.

The rain splashed up, soaking my pants almost instantly. I pressed my hand to my stomach, feeling that dull ache creep in.

My period was probably on its way, and the cold rain just made the cramps sharper.

I dialed Ethan's phone number with trembling hands.

A woman picked it up.

She said, "Hello?

"Sorry, Dr. Reed is busy now. If you have something important, I'll tell him."

The moment I heard her voice, my heart sank.

It was Chloe.

"Are you still there?" her voice came through the phone.

I didn't speak, so she asked me again.

After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly said, "Nora? Is that you?"

I said quietly, "Yes, it's me."

Chloe smiled and said, "Seeing the nickname 'honey' in his phone, I guessed it was you."