Chapter 2 The Ninety-Seventh Time

"A time limit? Then how about this… Help me with ninety-nine things, no questions asked. Or, if I hurt you ninety-nine times, we'll call the debt repaid."

So he had forgotten all of it. But it no longer mattered. This was the ninety-seventh time. Just two more, and there would be nothing left between us.

I took a deep breath and walked toward the stage. As I passed their wedding cake, I caught a strange smile on Chloe's face.

Before I could make sense of it, a powerful shove came from behind. My body pitched forward uncontrollably. I crashed into the cake cart, sending it tumbling over.

The cake was flattened beneath me, and my knee slammed hard against the metal frame. Pain shot through my leg instantly.

Gasps erupted throughout the venue.

Onstage, Chloe let out a sigh. "Claire, if you didn't want to be a bridesmaid, you could've just said so. There was no need to pretend to fall and ruin the cake I worked so hard to prepare."

The guests behind me had clearly seen what happened. Yet they joined in with mocking laughter.

"Claire, stick to what you're good at. That acting was terrible."

"Seriously, you're just embarrassing yourself."

Ethan had been about to come over and check whether I was hurt.

Hearing their comments, he looked at me with disappointment. "Your dress is dirty. Go change into something else."

Chloe wrapped herself around his arm. "It's fine. I don't care about little details like this. Let's not delay the ceremony."

Ethan seemed as though he wanted to say more, but when he saw that I had already stepped onto the stage, he remained silent.

I limped toward the center of the platform.

A flash of concern crossed Ethan's eyes. "What happened to your leg?"

Beside him, Chloe shrugged. "Claire, your skills need work. If you were going to fake an injury, you should've hurt that championship-winning hand of yours. Ethan would've felt much sorrier for you. Try a different spot next time."

Anger flashed across Ethan's face.

He looked ready to reprimand me, but with so many people watching, he lowered his voice instead. "Enough. Stop playing these games and making a spectacle of yourself. Whatever it is, we'll talk about it later."

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

The guests were nothing more than opportunists. Back when I was at the height of my success, every one of them had bent over backward to flatter me.

Now that Chloe had regained Ethan's favor, they were afraid of offending her. So they kicked me while I was down, eager to distance themselves from me.

With their support and Ethan's obvious bias, anything I said would be pointless.

Fortunately, Chloe did not cause any more trouble. The rest of the ceremony proceeded smoothly.

By the time most of the guests had left, I was ready to leave as well.

Suddenly, Chloe called after me. "Claire, don't rush off. Tonight is the wedding-night celebration. As part of my side of the family, you should come and help keep an eye on things for me."

My fingers instinctively tightened around the fabric of my dress.

I looked at Ethan.

He raised an eyebrow and, for once, actually scolded Chloe. "That's enough. Stop talking nonsense and go wait in the car."

After Chloe left, he turned to me. "Don't listen to her. It's just a gathering with some old friends tonight."

His gaze briefly landed on my injured leg. "You're hurt, so I won't bring you along. Go home and get some rest. There's plenty of time ahead of us. I'll take you next time."

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

What he did not know was that I would be leaving as soon as the debt was repaid. There would be no next time. There was no future for us.

He specifically instructed his driver to take me home.

After changing out of my dress, I examined my injury. My knee was already covered in dark bruises.

While I was applying medicine, Ethan's gifts arrived.

One was a limited-edition pearl necklace. The other was the key to a Porsche.

He had even made sure to explain them. The necklace was compensation for giving up my wedding. The car was an apology for forcing me to be Chloe's bridesmaid.

Expressionless, I carried both items into the collection room and placed them inside the glass display cases numbered ninety-six and ninety-seven.

A maid standing nearby with a serving tray looked on enviously. "Mr. Lawson's gifts get more expensive every time. He really loves you with all his heart."

I only smiled. She did not know the truth. These were the payments Ethan gave me every time he hurt me.

I looked at the wall lined with glass display cases. Out of all of them, only two empty cases remained.