Even so, he remained completely indifferent.

Tightening my grip on the floor, I forced myself to stand up, fighting back the agonizing thoughts of what he and Melanie might have done in that private lounge after I left this morning.

At this exact moment, I desperately needed a shred of motivation to keep this failing marriage alive; I needed his validation. "When we first got married, didn't you say that as long as our marriage lasted, I would be the only woman in your life?"

Yet, Ethan said absolutely nothing. He simply stood up and walked upstairs, without throwing a single glance back in my direction.

He didn't mention my birthday, nor did he bring up the divorce.

I rose slowly, looking around the massive, empty living room, unable to describe the hollow bitterness in my chest.

I just felt cold.

It was another entirely sleepless night.

The next morning.

Watching the clock, I walked out onto the balcony with my long hair slightly disheveled, once again watching Ethan's car drive away into the distance.

He had actually left without saying a single word about the divorce. What exactly was he thinking?

The longer I stayed by his side, the less I seemed to understand him.

I stood there for a very long time, until the sharp ring of the doorbell finally snapped me back to reality.

I hastily smoothed my hair and walked downstairs to open the door.

Standing outside was a courier wearing a uniform, who inquired politely, "Apologies, is this the residence of Mr. Ethan?"

A look of confusion crossed my face. "And you are?"

"Mr. Ethan ordered a ring from our boutique. The owner instructed me to deliver it today."

With that, he extended a luxurious gift box with both hands.

I looked down, and my heart instantly stopped beating.

Affixed to the gift box was a bright, heart-shaped card, with words boldly written across it—Melanie, Marry ME!

Chapter 3

Those few short words pierced my eyes with a violent, stinging pain.

When we got married, there was no wedding, no flowers, and... no ring.

Looking at the pen the courier was holding out for me to sign, I forced my lips into a strained smile. "I'm sorry, he isn't home. Please deliver it to Titan Tower instead."

Before the man could voice his confusion, I shut the door.

Leaning heavily against the wood, breathing in the faint, lingering scent of tobacco in the foyer, I threw my head back to force the scalding tears back into my eyes.

Ethan, how on earth am I supposed to love you just to keep you by my side?

Unable to stay in the suffocating house any longer, I washed up, changed my clothes, and headed out.

I was incredibly grateful that I still had my job as a music teacher, which allowed me to temporarily forget the misery of my reality.

However, the moment I arrived at the school, I was immediately instructed to go to the Principal's office.

The moment I stepped inside, I froze. Ethan was sitting right there.

He was dressed immaculately in a tailored suit, his long index finger casually flipping through student profiles. His cold, aloof posture radiated an intense aura that explicitly kept everyone at a distance.

Seeing me frozen at the entrance, the Principal quickly pulled me forward. "Miss Clara, this is Mr. Ethan from Titan Entertainment. Titan is planning to select some promising talent from your art class to groom into trainees."

Hearing this, I finally recalled that Sterling Academy had been heavily funded by Titan, and the school regularly funneled bright prospects to his entertainment empire.

Ethan looked up, his detached gaze showing absolutely no intention of exposing our relationship.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to play along. "Please rest assured, Mr. Ethan. I will definitely select the students who best meet your requirements..."

"Miss Clara's students are only freshmen. I'm afraid they are completely unsuitable."

The cold, flat rejection sent a sudden lump into my throat.

The Principal quickly chimed in with a forced laugh, "Yes, yes, of course, you are entirely correct. Miss Clara, if there's nothing else, you may leave first."

I could only force myself to maintain my composure as I turned to walk away.

Just then, Melanie walked into the room holding a trench coat.

I couldn't help but look back, watching as Melanie gently draped the coat over Ethan's shoulders, her tone incredibly intimate. "I've already handled the issues with the contract. It's freezing outside, make sure you don't catch a cold."

Ethan offered a brief nod.

An undeniable intimacy, exclusive to lovers, seemed to flow effortlessly between them, making it near impossible for me to draw breath.

I clenched my fists so hard that my fingernails dug deep into my palms, drawing faint traces of blood.

Then, I heard the Principal take the opportunity to flatter them, "I've long heard that Mrs. Ethan is both beautiful and highly capable, but I never imagined you would handle corporate affairs so effortlessly as well."

My heart seized. "I..."

"I only want to do whatever little I can to help Ethan," Melanie replied with a sweet smile, her mocking gaze darting toward me from the corner of her eye.

I froze, my reddening eyes turning toward Ethan.

He happened to look at me at that exact moment, but his gaze held nothing but a harsh, warning demand for me to get out.

Once again, I fled in utter humiliation.

For the rest of the day, I couldn't recover my senses.

After work, I walked out of the school gates in a daze, only to notice a Maybach parked under a streetlamp just a few paces away.

Ethan was leaning against the car door, smoking a cigarette. Hearing my approaching footsteps, his dark, heavy gaze shifted toward me.

In four years, this was the very first time Ethan had ever waited for me to finish work.

The overwhelming despair from earlier vanished in an instant, and I rushed forward in pleasant surprise. "Did you wait here specifically for me?"

"Let's get a divorce."

The smile froze on my face. I stared blankly at him, watching as he exhaled a slow ring of smoke, his voice low and completely indifferent. "You can make whatever demands you want."

He had finally said it out loud.

Squeezing down the agonizing pain in my chest, my voice trembled slightly. "Give me a reason."

"I'm tired of you."

Ethan dropped the cigarette butt and crushed it beneath his shoe, his casual posture treating this entire matter as though it were completely inconsequential.

The rising tide of tears turned my eyes a violent red, and for a long time, I couldn't make a single sound.

The man, however, was merely delivering a notice. He didn't care about my reaction in the slightest. He turned, pulled open the car door, and prepared to get in.

His clinical, detached demeanor became the final straw that shattered my remaining sanity. I lunged forward and grabbed his hand. "If you're so tired of me, then why did you still want me last night?"

Ethan stiffened, turning his head back, his eyes darkening dangerously.

"Or is it..." I choked out through my sobs, "because I am standing in Melanie's way?"

The moment the words left my lips, Ethan's brows snapped together tightly. "Let go."

His icy impatience stabbed straight into my chest like a physical blade, causing a pain so severe I could barely breathe.

In the next second, Ethan violently shook off my grip. I collapsed onto the freezing ground. I desperately tried to push myself up, but my body suddenly went entirely rigid—I couldn't move a single finger.

I could only watch with wide, helpless eyes as Ethan climbed into the car and drove away into the distance.

I had no idea how much time had passed, but when my phone suddenly began to ring, the paralysis finally lifted, and I could move again.

As it turned out, the call was from the hospital, notifying me to come pick up my medical results.

Forcing my shattered emotions into check, I hurried over to the clinic.

...

Hospital, Department of Laboratory Medicine.

From a distance, I spotted my close friend, Julian, standing in the corridor. His gentle demeanor was as clean and pure as the white coat he wore.

I walked up to him, asking in surprise, "Weren't you abroad for a medical exchange program? When did you get back?"

Julian looked at me with a profound, sorrowful gaze before slowly holding out the report. "I just got back. I heard you came in for a checkup, so I pulled the results for you in advance..."

I took it from him with a faint smile. But the moment my eyes scanned down to the diagnostic results column, my pupils shrunk to microscopic pins—

"ALS?!"

My maternal grandmother had passed away from ALS.

It was a horrific, merciless disease that tortured a person until they wished for death. It started with stiffness in the limbs.