Milk used to be my favorite drink.

Back in school, my mom would always make sure I left the house with a bottle of it every morning.

But one day, when I got to class, Ethan was sitting on the desk in front of me.

He was already quite tall back then.

As he leaned down to look at me, his shadow completely engulfed me.

I heard someone sneer, followed by a voice saying, "Come on, Ethan, have some fun."

Then he smiled at me, stretching out his hand.

I handed him the milk bottle.

The moment he twisted off the cap, the scent of milk hadn’t even reached my nose before the white liquid poured down over my head.

My nose, collarbone, neckline, the hem of my skirt—everywhere was soaked with that smell.

But while I was crying, everyone else was laughing.

"Hey, look at her. Who’s she trying to seduce?"

"I swear, Ethan, your twisted sense of humor..."

Suddenly, a thumb brushed against my cheek.

Ethan rested his chin on his hand, sitting in front of me.

He grabbed my chin, studying me for a long moment.

Then he scoffed.

"Ugly."

That was why I’d hated milk ever since.

But more than anything, I hate Ethan the most.

When I knocked over my second glass of milk today, the person bringing it to me was practically on their knees.

"Miss... please, just drink it..."

I turned my head away and said I wouldn’t.

Finally, my gaze fell on the landline phone beside the sofa.

I crawled over and pressed the buttons.

This landline could only call one person’s phone.

But this time, the voice that answered wasn’t Ethan’s.

"Miss Quinn?"

Oh, it was his assistant—the one who was always driving him around.

"I need to speak with Ethan."

"He’s in a meeting, Miss Quinn..."

"Then I’ll come over."

I didn’t wait to hear what he had to say and hung up.

The security at this villa was strict. There were guards at the entrance.

I looked up and told them I was going to Ethan’s company.

I supposed this was one of the perks of being engaged to him.

No one stopped me. I walked straight to the top floor without any obstacles.

Only when I was about to barge into the conference room did his assistant finally stop me.

"Miss Quinn, you can wait in the lounge..."

I pushed the doors open without hesitation.

Sometimes, I didn’t quite understand what I was trying to do.

Maybe being trapped in the dark had created the urge to pull someone down along.

Or maybe I just wanted to create a mess, to ruin myself completely.

That way, I wouldn’t have to wonder whether someone like me was even worth saving.

The conference room was filled with middle-aged men, most of them well past their prime.

Seated at the head of the table, Ethan stood out because of his looks. He didn’t belong among them.

All eyes were on me—forty-something pairs, scrutinizing.

Maybe it was the cold blast of the air conditioning, but for a moment, I couldn't stop trembling.

Then suddenly, someone scooped me up.

For the first time, I caught the scent of smoke on Ethan.

It was cold and merciless, just like him.

"When did you get here, hmm?"

Just moments ago, I heard him berate his subordinates. He changed his tone so fast.

Now, speaking to me, his voice was soft.

…

Because of my intrusion, the meeting was abruptly cut short.

By the time I snapped back to my senses, I was already in his office, still in his arms.

His office was spacious, sitting at the very top of the building, with a view of the towering skyline below.

Standing at such a height, looking down, it felt as if the people rushing about below—their entire fates—could be grasped in the palm of his hand.

As if crushing an ant like me would take no effort at all.

He tossed me onto the bed in the adjacent room connected to his office.

Leaning over, he loosened his tie with one hand, the dark red silk slipping through his fingers.

I had a feeling that I had interrupted his meeting, and now, he was irritated.

After all, he wasn’t always so indulgent with me.

"Did you miss me that much today?"

My long hair spilled across the bed, and he toyed with it, wrapping the strands around his fingers.

I looked at him in silence.

"Ethan, do you have any milk in your office?"

He paused, clearly not expecting that question.

This lounge seemed to be his private space, connected to his office.

The scattered dress shirts and suits on the bed all belonged to him.

After a moment, he pulled a carton of milk from the fridge and handed it to me.

"Ran out of milk at home…?"

He never got to finish his sentence because I snatched the milk from his hand.

Twisting off the cap, I poured it straight over his head.

For a second, he froze.

Honestly, he could have dodged it.

But he didn’t. He let me empty the entire carton over him without moving an inch.

I tilted my head up to look at him.

And damn it—even like this, he still looked good.

"Ethan Chambers, this is exactly how you once poured milk over my head."

I spoke each word slowly and deliberately.

…

Maybe no one else had ever seen him this disheveled before.

Milk dripped down his brow as he pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

In the end, he only let out a soft chuckle.

When he reached for another carton from the fridge, I still hadn’t realized what he was about to do.

But the moment he twisted off the cap, my eyes widened slightly, finally catching on.

The liquid was ice-cold, fresh from the fridge.

When he poured it over my head, a shiver ran through me involuntarily.

It trickled down my chin and seeped into my collar.

The cold milk didn’t feel quite the same as I remembered.

…

I once overheard the housekeeper whispering that I was crazy for refusing such a good marriage.

But the man in front of me, Ethan, was clearly crazier than I was.

Maybe I had stood frozen for too long.

After pouring the milk, he still had the presence of mind to brush a stray lock of hair from my cheek.

"Now, you're just like me."

I shoved him away.

"Alice, you know better than to make me angry, don’t you?"

He only had to grip my chin, and I didn’t dare move.

To be honest, I wasn’t exactly afraid of him.

I just didn’t want him to be angry.

It was a strange feeling—maybe I hated the consequences, or maybe the impression he left on me was just too deep.

He lifted me into his arms and carried me into the bathroom.

The rising steam blurred the figure before me, the shifting light too dazzling to make out his features.

"Ethan, it’s been seven years. Why did you come back for me?"

My voice was hoarse as I asked him. I felt like I couldn’t go on anymore.

As always, his answer was silence.

…

He laid me down on the bed.

He even took the time to carefully tuck the blanket around me.

I hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days.

I could barely remember the last time I fell asleep peacefully.

While we were in the bathroom, someone already replaced the bedding with fresh sheets—ones without Ethan’s scent.

Strangely, I drifted off faster than before.

My dreams were scattered and fragmented, waves of memories from high school crashing over me.

Drifting between sleep and wakefulness, I caught the sound of voices nearby.

Two young women, probably the cleaning staff, were whispering.

"Hey, do you know who that woman was, the one who barged into the meeting earlier?"

"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.