Chapter 3

The man’s steps stopped right in the middle of the staircase.

His gaze, which had initially been flat, slowly turned sharp as he recognized Aurora’s face. His jaw tightened, while the hand that had casually rested in his pocket slowly clenched into a fist.

“Aurora...?” he muttered softly, almost inaudible.

Aurora’s chest immediately tightened.

Ethan? That name instantly filled her mind like a nightmare suddenly coming back to life.

Aurora felt her legs weaken. For the past year, she had imagined many possibilities about meeting him again, but never like this. Not in the house of the man who had just bought her from her own family.

And not as Richard Calloway’s future wife.

“Why is Ethan here...?” Aurora whispered inwardly as her breathing started becoming uneven.

Richard, who stood near the sofa, slightly frowned when he saw their expressions. His gaze shifted between Ethan and Aurora for a few seconds longer than usual.

“Is there a problem?” he asked calmly.

Aurora immediately lowered her head quickly.

Meanwhile, Ethan was still staring at Aurora as if he had just seen a ghost.

Richard took a few steps closer. “Do you two know each other?”

That question made the air in the room feel frozen.

Aurora reflexively lifted her head.

Her eyes met Ethan’s for a split second before the man answered first in a flat voice.

“We don’t know each other at all.” That quick answer made an odd pain spread through Aurora’s chest.

Ethan slowly walked down the stairs without taking his eyes off Aurora. The closer he got, the clearer the changes in his face compared to one year ago became.

Ethan was still as handsome as Aurora remembered.

But his gaze was much colder now.

“So who is she?” Ethan asked casually even though his jaw visibly tightened.

Richard smiled faintly while glancing briefly at Aurora. “She’s my future wife.”

Ethan stayed silent.

Aurora clearly saw how the man’s body stiffened slightly.

But Richard was not finished speaking. “And soon...” Richard paused briefly before continuing casually, “she’ll become your stepmother.”

“Huh?” Ethan’s voice came out louder than he intended.

Aurora could even see the gradual change in Ethan’s expression. His eyebrows lifted in disbelief, his tongue briefly pressed against the inside of his cheek as if holding back emotion, while his fingers clenched so tightly that the veins on his hand became visible.

“Daddy, are you serious?” he asked quietly.

Richard looked relaxed instead. “Do I look like I’m joking?”

Ethan only let out a small laugh before his gaze fell back on Aurora.

And Aurora knew he was remembering the same thing she was.

One year ago.

The day Aurora destroyed their relationship with her own hands.

Ethan’s gaze now was far colder than the last time Aurora saw him a year ago. And Aurora knew exactly why he looked at her that way. Because she herself had destroyed their relationship.

Aurora still remembered how she sat in front of Ethan at a café near campus with trembling hands beneath the table, trying to look cold when in reality her heart was falling apart. Back then, Ethan kept staring at her in confusion, unable to understand why Aurora suddenly wanted to break up after one year of their relationship being perfectly fine.

But Aurora still did it. She said she was tired of their relationship. She said she had never truly loved Ethan. She even cruelly admitted that she was only interested in his money and luxurious lifestyle.

Aurora still clearly remembered Ethan’s face when he heard all of it.

But the most painful lie was when Aurora said she had already found another man who was far richer. She knew those words shattered Ethan.

And now, standing in the Calloway family mansion as Richard’s chosen woman, Aurora realized everything looked like proof that the lie had actually been true.

Ethan’s gaze now was much colder than it had been that day.

Aurora immediately turned her face away. She could not bear to see the hatred in his eyes.

Richard, who had been observing them the whole time, finally spoke again. “Why is everyone so quiet?”

Ethan chuckled softly while rubbing his jaw roughly. “I’m just surprised.”

“What are you surprised about?” Richard asked suspiciously.

Ethan’s gaze returned to Aurora. This time it was sharper.

“Daddy’s taste apparently...” he paused briefly while giving a faint sarcastic smile, “is quite interesting.”

Aurora softly bit her lower lip. Ethan’s tone made her stomach feel sick.

Richard instead looked relaxed. “Of course. Daddy is still handsome and doesn’t look old yet, right?”

Ethan quickly looked away. “Yeah, yeah. Daddy’s right.”

The atmosphere suddenly became uncomfortable.

Aurora stood stiffly while clutching her bag so tightly that her shoulders began to ache. She only wanted to leave and disappear from this mansion as quickly as possible.

But Ethan’s presence made everything much worse.

Aurora had briefly hoped the man would not recognize her.

So foolish.

How could Ethan possibly forget the woman who destroyed his pride one year ago?

“Daddy, I’m really tired.” Ethan finally spoke softly. “I’m going to my room.”

Richard only nodded casually.

The man immediately turned and walked up the stairs, but before truly leaving, his steps paused for a moment.

Aurora could feel Ethan’s gaze fall on her again. That look was full of hatred. And disappointment that had not completely disappeared.

A few seconds later, Ethan left just like that.

Aurora finally let out the breath she had been holding the whole time. Her chest hurt, truly hurt. She almost cried remembering the way Ethan had looked at her earlier.

Richard watched Aurora’s face for a few moments. “Are you sure you don’t know Tantan?”

Aurora immediately lifted her head quickly. “N-no.” Her answer came too fast.

But Richard did not say anything else. His gaze lingered on Aurora’s face for a few seconds as if trying to read something.

Aurora tried to appear calm even though her palms had started sweating coldly.

Finally, Richard looked away.

“Claire.”

The maid from earlier immediately approached. “Yes, Sir?”

“Take the young lady to the guest room.”

“Yes, Mr. Richard.”

Aurora immediately gripped her bag again. Before leaving, she briefly glanced at Richard.

The man was now sitting casually on the sofa while opening several documents as if nothing had happened.

Aurora followed Claire up the mansion’s grand staircase with slow steps.

Every corner of this house felt far too luxurious for her.

The dim lights, expensive paintings on the walls, the scent of wood and expensive perfume filling the air—everything made Aurora realize even more that she did not belong here.

“Your room is at the end over there, Young Madam,” Claire said kindly while opening the door to a large cream-colored bedroom.

Aurora slowly stepped inside.

The room was even bigger than her old bedroom.

“If you need anything, press the button beside the bed,” Claire said before leaving.

Aurora nodded softly.

The moment the door closed, her body immediately weakened.

Her bag fell to the floor just like that. Aurora sat on the edge of the bed while covering her face with both hands. She truly wanted to cry now. Everything was happening too fast.

She still could not believe that she was now Richard Calloway’s future wife.

Ethan’s future stepmother.

Aurora let out a small hopeless laugh before her tears finally fell. She did not even realize how long she sat there until the sound of knocking on the door made her body jolt.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Aurora quickly wiped her tears away. It was almost eleven at night.

Who was coming?

Aurora slowly stood up and walked toward the door with her heart beating uncomfortably.

The moment the door opened slightly, her body instantly froze. Ethan was standing there.

The man was still wearing the same black shirt from earlier, but now his face looked much colder. His jaw tightened, while his eyes were filled with emotions Aurora could not fully read.

Before Aurora could speak, Ethan immediately walked in and slammed the bedroom door shut.

“What are you—”

Bang.

Ethan roughly grabbed Aurora’s wrist until her body was pushed backward.

Aurora winced softly. “That hurts... Ethan—”

“So the man you were talking about back then...” Ethan’s voice sounded low and full of anger, “was my Daddy?”