chapter 2

Ella replied to my Twitter in seconds. "Okay, Miss Clark. I’ll inform Mr. Brown."

Another wave of dense, stinging pain crept into my chest.

If the ride-hailing car hadn’t arrived just in time, I would have burst into tears in the rain.

This feeling of punching into cotton—like throwing all your force into something that absorbs it completely—was what I’d grown utterly sick of.

But luckily, after a seven-hour bullet train ride, my mood had calmed a bit by the time I got back to Sean’s villa.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Sean sitting on the sofa.

His hair still looked damp, and water droplets rolled down the open V-neck of his bathrobe.

This was once the Sean I loved most.

I pursed my lips unconsciously, about to step forward.

A soft, sweet voice drifted out of the bathroom.

"Mr. Brown, may I blow-dry your hair now?"

As the words fell, a red figure emerged from the bathroom.

I turned sideways and locked eyes with Ella.

Especially when my gaze landed on her bright red pajamas.

I couldn’t hold back the sneer on my lips.

You know, that pajama set Ella was wearing was the only gift Sean ever bought me with his own money.

I’d only worn it once since I got it—because I couldn’t bear to.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would end up on Ella.

I took a deep breath.

"Sorry to bother you. Seems I picked a bad time to come back."

With that, I grabbed my suitcase and turned to leave.

But Sean suddenly stepped forward, grabbed me angrily, and said, "Jane, what are you fussing about again? Ella and I got caught in a heavy rain while checking a property—we were soaked through, so we came back to the villa to change clothes."

Honestly, I really wanted to hold back. After all, I was getting married to another man in four days.

I’d only come back to hand in my resignation and break up with him properly.

I didn’t care what Sean and Ella did outside.

But I truly couldn’t stand Sean letting Ella wander around what I’d once thought of as "our home" in my pajamas—while we were still together.

"So are you saying those hickeys on her neck weren’t from you?"

Yes, because the pajamas were of a provocative style—sheer and revealing.

So I’d spotted the hickeys under the thin fabric at a glance.

A flash of panic crossed Sean’s face.

But Ella spoke up just in time, "Miss Clark, the hickeys on my body are my own business. They have nothing to do with you, and you have no right to ask about them.

"If I’m bothering you, I can leave this villa. But I hope you won’t keep running off like this. Do you know how busy Mr. Brown is? You keep pestering him like this every day—he’s only human, he gets tired too."

Ella really lived up to her degree from a prestigious university. In just a few words, she’d painted me as unreasonable.

Fighting back the pain welling up in my chest, I was about to snap back at Ella.

But Sean cut in, his face cold. "Jane, apologize to Ella right now. Ella is my assistant, not your emotional punching bag.

"I hope you won’t keep testing my limits over and over."

My face went pale. Instead of getting angry, I laughed as I looked at Sean.

"Sean, you want me to apologize? You’re dreaming."