Chapter 2
"Don't make things hard for her. This year, the devil—me—is sitting out the competition."
Ethan's icy voice came from behind.
I didn't even need to turn around to know Ethan's expression was probably as dark as thunder.
"I'm heading to Stonebridge for a business trip," Ethan added.
The admin team beamed, "What a shame! We won't get to see Mr. Sterling slice through the competition like it's nothing!"
I pouted. That's not what they were saying just now.
"Sorry, sports disaster. Guess you won't get a chance to drag us down this time," one of the colleagues teased.
After dropping that line, Ethan walked out of the break room.
One of the admin colleagues couldn't help but ask, "Lena, is there some bad blood between you and Mr. Sterling?"
"I never heard anything about him going on a business trip. Why does he suddenly have one the moment they mention you two teaming up?" another chimed in.
I gave an awkward smile. Even everyone else could tell he was being distant toward me.
"Maybe he just thinks I'm hopeless," I said.
I remembered how, back in high school, Vera once said she wanted to make it onto the school's wall of fame alongside Ethan.
Despite all the stress of senior year, Ethan spent a whole month coaching her for the tournament.
In the end, the two of them won the mixed doubles championship at the inter-school competition.
Someone just posted a photo in the group chat of them holding hands after their victory.
Whatever, Ethan and I were getting divorced anyway. It was not like one match means anything.
Ethan was busy with something that night, but I had no clue what it was.
Two hours after work, and he still hadn't left his office.
My stomach was growling when he finally came out.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw me.
Ethan asked, "Why haven't you gone home?"
"Were you waiting for me?" he added.
"I forgot to tell you, I've got something else to take care of," Ethan said.
I pretended to be calm and casually opened a document on my screen.
"I wasn't waiting for you. Just working late, I'll take the subway home myself," I said.
He didn't press further, just reminded me to stay safe before rushing out.
Just as I settled into my seat on the subway, my phone rang, and I let out a sneeze.
"Did you catch a chill?" Julia's voice came through, sounding worried.
"I'm fine," I said.
"When you get home, have Ethan make you some warm soup. Don't let yourself catch a cold," she reminded me.
"Okay," I replied.
Then she changed the subject.
"The school just sent out the retirement notice. I'll be able to retire next year, so I can finally help out with the grandkids," she said.
"You and Ethan better not take too long," she added.
I gave an awkward smile. Julia had always wanted a grandchild.
She wanted to help out while she was still healthy.
Too bad, Ethan and I were basically just roommates in this marriage.
I'd tried, though.
But ever since we got married, we'd always slept in separate beds.
One time, I worked up the nerve and lay naked in Ethan's bed.
When he found me, his voice was deep and tense. "Lena, do you even realize what you're doing?"
I kept my head down, too embarrassed to look at him, and stammered, "Your mom keeps pushing us to have a kid."
For some reason, that really struck a nerve. He suddenly pushed me away, his gaze grew even colder.
"Just because my mom told you to?" he asked.
I nodded, and he tossed me out of the room, blanket and all.
I had no idea just how much Ethan disliked me. He just gave me a quick hug, then went straight to shower again, like he couldn't stand being near me.
That day, I swore to myself that if I ever made the first move again, I would be a sucker!
But later, I realized even dogs would have it better than me.
At least when a dog wagged its tail, someone paid attention to it.
Ethan didn't get home until almost midnight.
When I heard him finish his shower, I grabbed my pillow and snuck into his bedroom.
"Why were you so busy tonight?" I asked.
I purposely rested my head on his lap, hoping he'd notice me.
But he just kept reading his book, not even sparing me a glance.
"An old classmate wanted to catch up and see if we could work together," Ethan replied.
Old classmate? I couldn't help but think.
I found myself thinking of Vera.
"My head hurts," I said softly.
"I told you I'd give you a ride this morning, but you insisted on going alone. See? Now you're sick," Ethan said.
I rolled onto my side. "Ethan, can you massage my head for me?"
He froze for a moment.
Then he reached out and checked my forehead for a fever.
After that, he began to gently massage my head.
After a while, he asked in a low voice, "Do you want some painkillers?"
I kept my eyes tightly shut, not saying a word.
I had no idea how long I'd been asleep when I heard Ethan let out a sigh.
"Aren't you worried I might not be able to hold myself back?" Ethan murmured.
He picked me up and carried me back to the master bedroom.
Then he tucked me in, making sure I was all snug under the covers.
The door closed softly.
I slowly opened my eyes, clutching the sheets tightly.
"Lena, Lena...You should've seen the truth ages ago," I said to myself.
The boundary between us was always crystal clear.
He wouldn't even let me spend a whole night by his side, not even for the last time.
I couldn't sleep, so I opened the group chat.
The chat was lively, with hundreds of messages piling up.
I scrolled forever before finally spotting the juicy gossip from a few hours ago.
[Pretty sure I just spotted Ethan and Vera! Only managed to snap a blurry pic of their backs from far away. Can anyone confirm?]
[They were downstairs in our complex, sharing an umbrella.]
[Seriously, it was adorable—Ethan was standing half outside the umbrella just to keep Vera dry.]
[Are they back together? Did they head upstairs together?]