Chapter 5

"She’s Miss Quinn, Mr. Chambers’ fiancée."

"What? She’s so rude, though."

"He spoils her."

"Why? I’ve never even seen her before, and she’s supposed to be the future lady of the house?"

"It’s just a rumor that I’ve heard. They said he found her a few weeks ago."

"Because she looks exactly like Mr. Chambers’ first love."

"He couldn’t have the real thing, so he settled for the next best option…"

…

When I woke again, the sky outside was awash with fiery red clouds, their glow spilling into the room.

The soft rustle of pages turning wasn’t loud, but the moment I stirred, he heard me.

The back of his hand brushed against my forehead.

"You have a fever. Why didn’t you drink the milk this morning?"

I opened my mouth but found it hard to make a sound.

My throat burned and my whole body was dry and weak.

All I could do was shake my head.

Ethan let out a quiet chuckle before lifting me into his arms.

He had changed into fresh clothes, and there was no trace of smoke on him.

He paid attention to details—almost to an obsessive degree.

He knew I hated the smell of cigarettes, so he never smoked around me.

"I don’t drink milk anymore."

As he placed me in the backseat of the car, I finally forced the words out, despite how much it hurt to speak.

He froze for a second.

Then he let out a sharp laugh, somewhere between amused and exasperated.

"Do you have to go against me on everything?"

I was speechless.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe I just wanted to see him lose his mind and finally throw me away.

But I couldn’t be bothered to say another word.

Instead, I curled back into my seat.

The car started moving, and outside the window, drifting clouds streaked past.

The fiery red glow on the horizon burned like it could set my heart ablaze at any moment.

…

Ethan took me home.

Someone was sitting on the living room sofa.

I tried to recall the first time I had met Lily Shaws, but there was no moment that stood out.

I only knew one thing—we looked alike.

So, I just stood there and watched as, the moment she saw Ethan, the girl on the sofa shot to her feet and threw herself into his arms.

For half a minute, silence stretched between them.

Ethan stood frozen, unmoving.

Her loose strands of hair brushed against his neck as she clung to him, her voice bright and cheerful.

"Ethan, I’m back."

The girl in his arms remained motionless, and it was me who finally broke the silence.

"She said she’s back."

Ethan’s throat bobbed.

After a long pause, his voice came out rough and strained.

"You… came back."

I had never seen him this shaken before.

Confused and… defeated.

The girl moved into the villa.

She was always by Ethan’s side, never straying far from him.

Sometimes, I would think back to the conversation I overheard in his office that day.

They said I was just a substitute for his first love.

And yet, Ethan still hadn’t given up on marrying me.

The only difference was that where there used to be just the two of us at the dinner table, now Lily sat between us.

She even followed him to work.

She was the type who loved to talk, always filling the silence with her voice.

I didn’t understand.

His first love was back.

If I was really just a replacement, then why wouldn’t he let me go?

Or did he plan to keep me by his side, just like before, to continue tormenting me?

…

Ethan had been coming home late these past few days.

Tonight, he seemed a little drunk.

I didn’t see any sign of Lily, but his clothes were slightly disheveled.

His tie hung loose, and he had pushed back his tousled hair with a careless hand.

The dim living room light washed over his skin, making it look pale and cold.