I had been in a secret relationship with my brother’s best friend for seven years and we were planning to get married.

I followed the location and found his gathering, but as I reached the door of the private room, I overheard their conversation.

“Ethan Shaw, your Cinderella is back. What are you going to do about that stand-in little sister?”

He didn’t reply.

The atmosphere became tense and another friend laughed, “It’s impressive how bold Ethan is. He dared to pursue Adam’s sister. Now he’s used her up and yet, Amanda is back…”

“She left so decisively back then, she deserves to have a stand-in to irritate her!”

The next day, Ethan took me to Amanda’s welcome banquet, showering me with affectionate gestures.

But when Amanda ran out crying, he pushed me aside and rushed after her in panic.

I returned home covered in spilled soup and burns and opened the door to the study—one he never allowed me to enter.

On the desk, their photo together was so conspicuous.

My heart turned to ash and I called my brother overseas.

“Brother, I’ve made up my mind about the arranged marriage. I agree!”

——

“Emma Snow, have you been wronged?”

My brother paused on the other end of the line for a moment before his voice filled with deep concern.

I forced a lighthearted smile, despite the bitterness rising in my throat. “No, I’ve just figured it out. I’m going to get married anyway, so does it matter to whom?”

“Besides, I trust Mom and Dad’s judgment. Even if it’s an arranged marriage, I’m sure the candidate has been thoroughly vetted by you all.”

Only then did my brother let out a relieved sigh. His tone softened, “I’m glad you’ve figured it out. When are you coming back? Do you want to meet him before making the final decision?”

“No need, the sooner we agree, the sooner the company crisis can be resolved. You can start preparing for the wedding and let’s set the date for a month from now.”

“Got it! By the way, do you still have contact with Ethan? I heard his goddess is finally back. You should reach out to him, maybe he’ll have time to come celebrate with you and bring some good luck.”

I was surprised that my brother knew about Amanda. No wonder Ethan had always insisted I keep our relationship a secret from him.

I lowered my gaze to hide the pang in my heart.

“Brother, don’t bother him. I’m not close to him.”

Just then, I heard the sound of the door unlocking. I said my goodbyes and hung up the phone.

I looked up to meet Ethan’s smiling eyes.

“Not close to whom?”

“Not close to you!”

I said honestly, but Ethan raised an eyebrow and mischievously pulled me into his embrace.

“Really? Then tell me how you’re not close to me. Are we not close enough, or have we not shared enough nights together, hmm?”

His breath was warm against my ear.

Our once intimate behavior that made my heart race now only made me feel uncomfortable and repelled.

As I struggled, I noticed the lipstick stain on his shirt collar.

The burns on my body ached and I didn’t know where the pain came from, but it was so sharp it brought tears to my eyes.

“Emma, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Ethan panicked as soon as he saw my tears.

He rolled up his sleeve and saw the large red marks on my wrist, his voice trembling with concern.

“How did this happen? When did you get burned? Why didn’t you tell me?”

It seemed like he had completely forgotten what had happened at the banquet.

I remained silent, unsure whether I should remind him and shatter his mask of feigned affection.

“All right, stop crying now. I’ll put some medicine on it for you.”

He gently patted my head to soothe me as he got up to grab the first aid kit, muttering along the way.

“Look at you—such a big girl, but still afraid of pain and always crying. What would you do without me?”

I stared blankly at the red burn mark on my wrist.

“Yes, I’d been spoiled for a full seven years. What would I do without him?”

“But, Ethan, I don’t want you anymore. I don’t want this fake love anymore.” I said to myself.

That night, I couldn’t sleep well and woke up covered in sweat.

Just as dawn was breaking, Ethan pulled me out of bed.

I grumbled, trying to push him away, but he just chuckled and leaned in to kiss me.

Instantly, all my sleepiness vanished. I almost slapped him, but barely managed to hold myself back.

Luckily, it was just a quick kiss.

“Awake yet, my Sleeping Beauty?”

I turned away, wiping my mouth in disgust.

“It’s the weekend. Why can’t you let people sleep in?”

Ethan looked helpless. “Did you know you had a fever last night? Get up; I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Although I felt mostly fine, I couldn’t argue with him, so I reluctantly got up.

In the hospital corridor, we unexpectedly ran into Amanda.

It looked like she had hurt her foot and was struggling to hop down the hallway on her own.

Ethan, who had been gentle just moments before, instantly frowned.

Forgetting I was beside him, he rushed over to Amanda and held her, asking in concern, “What happened?”

Amanda smiled at him, looking past him toward me.

“It’s just a sprained ankle. What a coincidence; you two are here for a checkup too?”

Ethan’s expression froze. He glanced back at me, his eyes shifting.

“Yeah, my ‘little sister’ here had a bit of a fever, so I brought her in for a check-up.”

I had grown used to being called “sister” by now.

From the moment Ethan decided not to go public with our relationship, he introduced me as his friend’s little sister, someone he was helping to look after.

Only his closest friends knew of our true relationship.

Amanda nodded. “She’s staying at your place, so of course, you have to look after her carefully. You two go on; I need to head over there.”

She gestured toward the other clinic on the opposite side.

Seeing her start hopping again, Ethan didn’t think twice before scooping her up in his arms.

“Let me take you over. Emma, wait here for me.”

For some reason, as soon as I saw Amanda, I suddenly felt weak, drained of all energy.

I leaned against the wall, saying nothing.

Ethan hadn’t actually asked for my permission. After those words, he was already carrying Amanda toward the other clinic.

The fact, no matter how well he acted, when faced with Amanda, genuine feelings slip through, betraying the facade.

And Ethan didn’t even realize it.

I forced a bitter smile, turned and walked to my own clinic.

Apparently, it wasn’t just in my head; after checking my temperature, I learned my fever was as high as 41.3°C.

The burn had become infected, worsened by my recent emotional stress, leading to a viral infection that required IV treatment.

Out of habit, I reached for my phone to call Ethan, but stopped myself before dialing.

Habit was a terrifying thing.

I gave a self-mocking smile, put my phone away, William to get my medication and headed to the IV room alone.

After finishing my IV, I felt even dizzier. I took a few steps and almost stumbled.

Ethan still hadn’t returned—no calls, no messages.

Reluctantly, I decided to call him first to avoid any misunderstandings.

When he heard I was still at the hospital, he paused for a moment.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I planned to come back for you right after taking Amanda home, but her stomach started acting up, so…”

Before he could finish, I overheard a waitress in the background. “Sir, your dishes are all served. Please enjoy your meal!”

Though Ethan quickly covered the receiver, I’d already heard it all.

“It’s fine. I’m on my own—I can manage.”

I said it to reassure myself and to reassure him.

Just as I was about to hang up, he suddenly called out my name, “Emma, just head home. I’ll explain everything later.”

Explain what, exactly? Just more lies to string me along.

I ended the call without a word and arranged for a driver to take me home.

But that night, Ethan didn’t come back.

Kept awake by the fireworks outside, I pulled out my tablet and resumed sketching custom jewelry designs for a client.

While working, I accidentally brushed the chat app in the lower right corner and a new post from an hour ago appeared.

It was from Amanda: a beautiful shot of fireworks bursting against the night sky, captioned with poetic words:

“After half a lifetime away, I return to you. And here, the fireworks bloom, a welcome in all its glory!”

I stared at the post for a long time, only realizing when I tried to log out that the chat app was still logged into Ethan’s account on my tablet.

Felt uninterested in prying into their flirtations, I simply logged out of the app.

The next morning, feeling somewhat refreshed, I arrived at the office on time.

The manager held my resignation letter and when she heard I was going back home to get married, she looked both happy and wistful.

“With you leaving, I’m losing one of my best team members.”

Unsure of what to say, I gave her a hug and thanked her for all the support over the years.

After completing the formalities, my colleagues heard the news and insisted on a farewell meal to celebrate my upcoming wedding.

I didn’t decline and booked a table at a restaurant Ethan and I frequented. It was one of the few restaurants I knew and the food was genuinely good.

Halfway through the meal, I excused myself to go to the restroom, only to run into Amanda.

She greeted me warmly, “Didn’t expect to see you here, too! You know, this was the restaurant Ethan first brought me to back in college. We’ve come here so many times.”

I gave her a polite smile and was about to leave, not considering our relationship close enough for small talk.

But she didn’t seem to feel the same. Just as I was about to go, she stopped me again.

“I noticed last time that Ethan always rinses the shrimp in water before peeling it for you. Do you also not eat spicy food?”

The word also made me pause for a moment.

The truth is, I do enjoy spicy food. But every time Ethan peeled shrimp for me, he’d insist on rinsing it in water.

He always said it wasn’t good for a girl to eat too much spice.

I had always thought he was looking out for my health.

But now, I realized it was simply a habit.

The one who didn’t eat spicy food—the one he was thinking of—is Amanda.