Chapter 3

Three days later, I showed up at the hospital right on time.

I was the last patient of the day, and by the time I finished, it was already getting dark outside.

Ethan had changed out of his scrubs and handed me an ice pack. "How are you getting home?"

I glanced outside. "I'll grab a cab. My car's not allowed on the road today because of the city's driving restrictions."

He smiled. "Let me give you a ride home."

I was about to turn him down when his phone suddenly rang. He stepped outside to take the call.

Two minutes later, he came back, grabbed his bag, and waved me over. "Let's go."

I didn't have the heart to refuse, so I went along with him to the parking lot.

On the way, he was incredibly thoughtful, reminding me about what I should pay attention to lately and making sure the conversation never got awkward.

During the half-hour drive, he opened up about his family and shared a bit about his own life.

After parking the car, he suddenly turned to me and asked, "Emily, what do you think of me?"

My mind went blank for a moment.

As I was trying to figure out how to turn him down, I spotted two familiar figures at the entrance.

It was Anna and Lucas.

They were standing face-to-face at the villa's entrance. Anna was saying something, but Lucas didn't react at all.

Then, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed him.

It all happened so suddenly.

Without thinking, I flung open the car door and dashed out, yelling from a distance, "Anna."

Both their heads snapped around at once.

Anna froze for a second.

I walked over. At that moment, Lucas and I were standing about a foot and a half apart, and I could see the faint mark Anna had left on his lips.

He clearly recognized me, and for a split second, surprise flickered across his face.

Anna suddenly said, "Lucas, meet my little sister, Emily Summers.

"And Emily, this is my boyfriend, Lucas Hart."

As soon as she finished speaking, both Lucas and I were left stunned.

Only three days had gone by, and he was already Anna's boyfriend.

Lucas was the first to snap out of it. He held out his hand to me and said, "Nice to meet you."

"Hey, Emily, who's this?" Anna spoke before I could react.

I turned around. Ethan had somehow ended up right behind me.

"He's... he's my boyfriend," I replied, keeping my cool.

When Ethan heard that, his eyes sparkled with excitement.

He immediately came right over. "Hey, I'm Ethan Reed, Emily's boyfriend."

Anna flashed a smile, shook his hand, and gave him a once-over. "Emily, you really know how to pick 'em. This one's a real catch."

Her comment made me blush a little.

After a few more polite exchanges, Anna and I headed back home.

Once I got back to my room, my phone buzzed with a message from Ethan: [Good night, my girl.]

From then on, Ethan and I officially started dating, and Anna and Lucas were hitting it off, too.

Three months later, Anna suddenly announced she was getting engaged to Lucas.

When I heard the news, my grip loosened without me realizing it, and the cup dropped to the floor with a loud, harsh crash.

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on me.

I nervously tugged at my shirt, then raised my hand and flashed the ring at them, making sure they saw it.

"What a coincidence. Ethan proposed to me, too," I said.

Mom was thrilled and clapped her hands. "That's perfect. We'll throw a joint engagement party for both couples."

The engagement party was set for a month later.

Ethan and I still went out every other day, keeping up our usual dating rhythm.

But every time he dropped me off, I'd purposely arrange it so Anna was around or getting home.

More than once, we'd run into each other at the door, my arms full of flowers or gifts from Ethan.

Anna would always come over, pretending to be casual, to take a closer look at whatever I was holding. "Emily, what did Ethan get you? Let me see."

I turned away, not letting her snoop.

I put on a little pout and grumbled, "Anna, this is a gift from Ethan. It's really special and important to me, so stop being so nosy, okay?"

Then, while she was distracted, I made a quick escape back to my room.

I knew Anna all too well.

The more I treasured something, the more curious she got, and the more she wanted it for herself.

Sure enough, the next morning, I could tell someone had gone through my pile of gifts.

I looked at the mess on the floor and gave a cold, mocking laugh. "Anna, you must really like these gifts, huh? I picked them out especially. After all, who knows you better than I do?"