Ethan stood alone at the edge of the crowd. I
don’t know when he left.
A year later, Alex and I were married. I was pregnant. His family was wealthy, and I’d
worried about their reaction to my
background. But his mother was overjoyed.
“We only have this one goofy son! All we
wanted was a smart, capable daughter–in-
law to take over the family business! This
idiot got lucky!” She was so sweet, it was
almost embarrassing. I finally understood
where Alex got his charm.
His father, a man of few words, handed me a black card as a “thank you” for marrying his
son.
At the wedding, Ethan gave us an extravagant gift and got incredibly drunk. Alex had
L
someone drive him home.
Ethan didn’t contact me after that, but his
string of girlfriends continued, each one
different, yet each bearing an uncanny
resemblance to me. I found it creepy and
worried about how Alex felt. But he just
hugged me and our two children, smiling. “It
just means you’re amazing. Why would I be
upset? I’m the lucky one who gets to keep
you!”
I laughed. Being with him taught me that love
shouldn’t hurt. If it did, it wasn’t worth it.
I was Ethan Blake’s prized possession, his
pampered pet. But his heart belonged to
Olivia Carter, his deceased older brother’s fiancée. I was merely a cheap substitute, a
stand–in. So, when his brother died and Olivia came to him in the middle of the night, I left, carrying his child.
Later, my daughter, Lily, accidentally brushed against Olivia’s dress and was pushed down the stairs, dying from the fall. Ethan’s response was dismissive. “Just a bastard.
You don’t expect Olivia to pay for that with
her life, do you?”
…“Ms. Reed, the head trauma was too
severe. There was nothing we could do.” I
stumbled back, shaking my head at the
doctor’s apologetic gaze. I clutched his hand,
falling to my knees.
“No… please… please, save my daughter!” I
begged, my voice cracking.
“Sarah! Have you caused enough of a
scene?” The familiar voice froze me.
I turned to see Ethan, Olivia standing behind
him. I lunged at Olivia, but Ethan, as he’d
done so many times before, caught me,
shielding her.
