Chapter 2

"Ethan, quickly get under my umbrella before you're completely soaked."

Vivian stood on her tiptoes to hold the umbrella over him. He immediately took it from her hands.

My husband, who'd shown me nothing but disdain, now thoughtfully tilted the umbrella to Vivian's side. He even pulled her close to shield her, making sure there wasn't a single drop of rain on her.

He was smiling when, out of the blue, Vivian asked him, "Where's Sienna? Has she come home or contacted you?"

Ethan's smile vanished instantly. He replied impatiently, "Stop worrying about her. Today is your birthday. Don't let someone who doesn't matter ruin your day."

He added, "Let's go. I'll take you out for a late-night snack. Consider it my apology for leaving your party early."

The two walked side by side, looking like blissful newlyweds.

I followed them through the rain, letting it wash through me and crush my last shred of hope.

I wondered, "Ethan, you thought I caused your parents' deaths. So why did you marry me? And after that, why did you treat me so coldly? Why keep taking Vivian's side and breaking my heart?

"Was it simply because she made the first move to get close to you? But you know perfectly well she only got close to you just to—"

"Ethan." Vivian's voice interrupted my thoughts as she stopped walking. She glanced at him and said, "My friends invited me to go swimming at the beach in three days. Will you come with me?"

I set aside my sorrow and rushed to his side, urging, "Don't go. Whatever you do, don't go. If you do, you'll never come back."

But he couldn't hear me. Even though he couldn't swim, he hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

"Sure. I'll wrap up this case as quickly as possible. I'll definitely be there in three days."

After having a late-night snack with Vivian and sending her home that night, Ethan rushed back to the lab once again to continue the autopsy.

This time, he made a new discovery. It was a faint tattoo mark on the victim's ankle.

My heart lurched violently. Was he about to realize it was me?

I'd gotten Ethan's name tattooed on my ankle when we first started dating. He also had my name tattooed on his chest. Later, I found out he'd already gotten it removed.

I was heartbroken, and in a fit of spite, I went to get my tattoo removed too. That was when I discovered how painful the procedure was and how many sessions it required. So I'd left a faint mark behind.

However, Ethan's tattoo had been fully removed. A pang of disappointment flickered through me, but I kept my eyes fixed on him, hoping he would recognize that the body was me.

But after staring at it for a while, he looked away and calmly recorded it in his file.

"Faint tattoo residue observed on the ankle; pattern indiscernible."

By then, dawn had broken. Adrian walked in just in time to notice the tattoo mark. He studied it for a long time, then frowned.

"I seem to recall Mrs. Monroe has a tattoo right there on her ankle. It's about the same size as well," he said.

All the interns nodded in agreement.

Ethan frowned and shot back, "Nonsense! Did your professors only teach you to make wild guesses based on nothing?"

Despite that, he couldn't help glancing at the tattoo one more time. But he quickly dismissed the thought.

Lowering his head, he murmured to himself, "How could anything have happened to her? Besides, she would never have removed that tattoo."

His expression revealed the complex mix of emotions he was feeling. After a moment of silence, he pulled his phone out.

I watched his finger hover over my contact. Before he could press it, his phone rang first.

My parents were calling him.

"Ethan, you need to come home right away. Sienna has poisoned Vivian's dog, the one she's been raising for three years!"

Ethan's eyes widened in shock.

"Has that woman lost her mind? We only asked her to attend a birthday party, and now she's killing a dog? Don't worry. This time, I absolutely won't let her get away with this."

Just as he was preparing to leave, Adrian grabbed his arm and said urgently, "Dr. Monroe, calm down. Mrs. Monroe isn't that kind of person. I saw her feeding a stray dog just the other day. There's no way she would do this."

Others chimed in, too, trying to calm him.

But Ethan only grew more furious. He turned to Adrian and shouted, "You seem awfully fond of Sienna. How about I just make her your wife and be done with it? Then, you'll be happy, and I'll finally get some peace of mind."

With that, he slammed the door shut.

I stood frozen in place, just as lost and helpless as the interns.

At that moment, I never wanted to follow him or get close to him again.