“And we can help manage your household finances too, so you don’t waste money.”
I let out a cold laugh, cutting him off. “Ryan, you sure have some imagination. I’ll say this one last time: I won’t pay this money, and I won’t raise this kid.”
The moment I finished, Ryan let out a dramatic scream:
“Claire! Look at him! We’re not even married yet and he’s already bullying me!”
“You’ve never scolded me once growing up—why does he get to treat me like this?”
I turned to Claire. “Is that what you think too?”
She said nothing, which was as good as admitting it.
It all clicked.
She knew everything from the start—knew her brother’s plan to extort me, knew he wanted me to raise his kid, and she was fine with it.
She had been planning to make me the scapegoat all along.
And to think I pitied her for losing her parents young and raising her brother by herself.
“Claire, you’ve really opened my eyes.”
I sneered, slapped the bill down on the table, and said, “This ‘blessing’? Whoever wants it can have it.”
Then I turned and left.
Ryan screamed behind me:
“Ethan! Get back here! Go on, walk out that door—I’ll make my sister break up with you!”
I stopped for a second and glanced back at him.
Did he really think his sister was some priceless treasure?
She only got that director position so young because my dad made a special exception for her.
Claire ran after me, blocking my way.
“Ethan, don’t be impulsive. Ryan’s just stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside. Don’t take him too seriously.”
I laughed. “Soft on the inside? Claire, what does your brother take me for? A walking ATM? A free nanny?”
She panicked. “It’s not like that! Ryan just wants us to get married sooner, and having a kid around would be good practice.”
I looked her straight in the eyes. “And you? What do you think?”
Claire hesitated, stammering. “I... I think he has a point...”
At that moment, my heart completely went cold.
This woman never really cared about me. To her, I was just an accessory to their family.
“Claire, we’re done.”
Her face changed instantly.
“Ethan! Don’t be ridiculous. We’ve been together for so long. You can’t just break up over something so trivial—”
“Trivial?” I stared at her panicked expression, feeling a bitter laugh rise in my chest.
“Forget it. It doesn’t matter anymore. Don’t ever contact me again.”
I walked past her just as the elevator doors opened.
Behind me, Ryan’s angry voice echoed down the hall: