Chapter 2

When I didn't respond, Ethan doubled down on his taunts.

"I knew it. Leaving you was the best decision I ever made."

"Without you dragging me down in this life, look at how incredible I’m doing. And you? You look like a beggar."

His smugness grew with every word, a triumphant smirk plastered across his face. He pulled out his Porsche keys and dangled them right in front of my eyes.

"You’ve probably never even seen a car key like this in your entire life. Take a good look. This is the life I was always meant to live!"

"Claire, when you deleted my number without a second thought, did you ever imagine this day would come? Do you regret it now?"

In our past life, Ethan had nothing but empty ambitions. His startups failed one after another. Forget a supercar; he couldn't even afford the vintage Ford I was driving now.

So his desperate need to show off right now was entirely genuine.

"Congratulations on getting everything you wanted," I said, utterly indifferent. I didn't even spare a glance at the keys he was waving in my face.

I had a whole drawer full of keys just like that at home.

Clearly, this wasn't the reaction he wanted. Ethan’s eyes reddened. He was visibly pissed.

He ground out through his teeth, "You really don't feel even a little bit bitter?"

I really didn't.

He had the life of his dreams. Why was he so obsessed with whether I was bitter or not? Did he need me to drop to my knees and cry before he could feel satisfied?

Before I could answer, a shrill, overly sweet voice rang out from behind me.

"Oh my, if it isn't our Claire!"

Vivian Hart strutted toward me, wearing a Chanel-style tweed dress and carrying an exotic leather Hermès Birkin.

"It’s been ages. You know, I really should thank you." She linked her arm through Ethan’s, flashing a venomous smile. "Ethan told me how you broke his heart because you thought he was too poor and useless. It helped him finally see who truly cared about him. Honestly, Claire, you were our little Cupid!"

She looked me up and down, clicking her tongue.

"But a person should really know their own market value. Looks like you didn't marry well. Then again, why would a rich man ever look twice at a woman like you?"

It was almost comical.

In this life, Ethan and I had never even dated, let alone had a dramatic breakup where I called him poor. He had completely fabricated this narrative, stepping on my reputation just to make Vivian love him more.

Shameless.

I opened my mouth to fire back, but a sweet little voice beat me to it.

"Mommy!" Leo ran straight toward me, proudly holding up a sticker his teacher had just given him.

Vivian stepped right into his path. She crouched down, pasting on a sickeningly fake smile.

"Hi there, little guy. I’m your mommy’s friend. You can call me Ms. Hart."

As she spoke, she reached out and pinched Leo’s cheek—hard.

A child's skin is delicate. A bright red mark instantly bloomed across his face.

I slapped her hand away. "Vivian, what the hell are you doing?!"

She casually wiped her hand with a handkerchief, looking entirely unbothered. "He’s cute, so I touched him. Is your son made of gold or something?"

"If you actually cared about him, you’d see his lips are chapped. He needs water." Vivian pulled a stainless steel thermos from her designer bag. The moment she twisted the cap off, a thick cloud of steam billowed out.

It was freshly boiled water.

I immediately pulled Leo behind me, shielding him. "He doesn't want any. Keep it."

"Are you looking down on me? What’s wrong with a little sip!"

Ignoring my refusal, Vivian lunged forward, shoving the thermos of boiling water right at Leo’s face.

Without thinking, I shoved her back.

"Ahhh—!"

The scalding water splashed entirely over Vivian.

Her skin flushed an angry red, but she didn't even care about the burn. She frantically grabbed tissues, scrubbing at her dress and her bag, hyperventilating.

"My bag! My clothes! They’re brand new! They can't get wet... they can't get wet!"

The surrounding parents quickly realized her outfit was worth a fortune. The way they looked at me instantly shifted.

Vivian scrubbed for a long time before snapping her head up to glare at me, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Claire, I know you’re jealous of me! You’re jealous of Ethan’s life! This is revenge!"

"But I never thought you’d be this vicious—intentionally ruining my bag and my clothes! Don't think for a second I’ll let this go just because we went to college together!"

"Pay up! You’re going to pay for this! Even if your family has to starve, you are going to pay me back!"