Chapter 3

Olivia disappeared completely for seven days straight.

Andrew only realized she'd spent every day with Ethan when he clicked into Ethan's social feed and kept spotting her in the background.

She wasn't just showing up to fancy banquets. She joined him for mountain hikes and trips out to sea, always by his side.

In one photo from their beach outing, Olivia was wearing Ethan's jacket over her shoulders.

They were so close that Olivia tilted her head towards Ethan, just millimeters away from resting on his shoulder.

Her long hair spilled over his arm, the whole scene charged with a subtle, unspoken intimacy.

Her eyes sparkled with barely contained joy and excitement.

So her germaphobia only applied to Andrew.

Back then, if Andrew had seen those photos, he'd have dropped everything and run straight to her—clingy as ever, trying to stick to her like glue, desperate for even a scrap of her attention.

This time, with barely a thought, he just muted Ethan's feed and numbly counted down the days until their final goodbye.

On the eighth day, Olivia called out of the blue.

"Come out. We're going to the auction." Her voice was clipped and direct.

Andrew was about to refuse, but she hung up on him before he could say a word.

With no other option, Andrew changed his clothes and headed out. As he reached the passenger side, the window slid down, and Ethan gave him a laid-back smile.

"Andrew," Ethan said, "Olivia was worried I'd get bored, so she asked me to tag along to the auction. Hope I'm not intruding on anything?"

"No, you're fine," Andrew answered, voice flat.

He glanced at Ethan without much expression, then went straight for the back seat, and got in.

He felt nothing—no disappointment about missing out on the front seat, and not the slightest bit of excitement about Olivia taking him to the auction.

Olivia caught herself glancing at him several times in the rearview mirror, worrying inwardly. Why was he acting so distant today?

Realizing she was watching him, Andrew slipped on his sunglasses and shut his eyes, making it clear he wasn't in the mood for conversation.

Olivia didn't spare Andrew another glance. Instead, she immediately dove into conversation with Ethan, lit up as they swapped fun stories from their days out together.

She was totally different from the way she went cold and silent around Andrew.

With Ethan, she always had a reply, her voice gentle and full of patience, even giggling with real happiness every now and then.

Andrew felt a sharp ache in his chest, forcing himself not to cry.

Anyone with eyes could see she was into him. How could he be so damn blind? It took him three whole years of marriage to finally get it.

When they got out of the car, Olivia gently led Ethan to his seat, all soft touches and quiet attention.

Andrew hung back a step, feeling like nothing but background noise.

Even the way they sat said it all. Ethan got the prime middle spot, Andrew shoved out to the edge, just along for the ride.

Andrew just kept his head down, flipping through the auction catalog, pretending not to care, even though he actually liked a couple of the items on offer.

But once the auction started and the lots rolled out, every time Andrew thought about raising his paddle, Ethan had already chimed in next to him, cutting in without missing a beat.

"Olivia, this one looks pretty good."

"Olivia, do you think this would go well with my gray suit?"

"Olivia, I really want this one."

"Olivia..."

Olivia was endlessly patient, bidding on every item Ethan wanted without the slightest hint of annoyance.

It wasn't until the auction was nearly over that Olivia caught sight of Andrew's face, and it hit her. She'd brought him along today to buy some watches as compensation.

At the very end, Ethan picked out the least impressive set of cufflinks from the auction pile and handed them to Andrew, barely concealing her lack of interest.

"Andrew, you didn't bid on anything. Didn't see anything you liked? Take these. Now, you won't go home empty-handed," he said, half dismissive, half perfunctory.

Andrew clenched his auction paddle so tightly the edge cut into his fingers, blood pooling along the wound.

He forced out a strained smile. "No thanks. I don't need them."

Without waiting for a reply, he spun around and strode off in the direction of the restroom.

He splashed cold water on his face several times before he could finally calm down, at least a little.

Just as he was about to leave, Ethan's cocky voice drifted out from one of the bathroom stalls.

"I only went after Charlotte because she was set to inherit Lawrence & Co. I drugged her and got her into bed. Who knew she'd turn ice-cold on me after the wedding?" Ethan bragged, his tone full of self-satisfaction.

"But hey, it's fine. Charlotte blows me off, but I have Olivia. She seriously thinks I saved her life, so she hangs on my every word," he went on, sounding even more pleased with himself.

"I just keep stringing her along. The more she can't have me, the more she's totally obsessed, always desperate for my attention," Ethan finished, his voice dripping with smugness.

"So what if Andrew's the golden boy of the Johnson family? Women just can't help themselves. Give them something on a silver platter and they won't care, but make it impossible and they'll chase after it like crazy," Ethan scoffed, sounding shameless and smug.

Andrew stayed silent, pulling out his phone and pressing record.