“Ethan, I swear if you walk out that door, I’ll never forgive you!”
“Idiot!”
I cursed, yanked open the door—only to find Jessica Reed standing there, her hand half-raised.
“Ethan…”
I ignored her, giving only a cold glance before leaving.
After I was gone, Jessica stepped inside.
Moments later, I could still hear Sarah crying and screaming, cursing me for being heartless.
That night, I drowned my sorrows with friends at a bar.
I told no one about Sarah’s absurd stunt.
Not because I wanted to protect her reputation—
But because I was too ashamed myself.
When the drinking ended, I considered getting a room at a hotel.
But then it struck me.
The house was mine.
Why should that woman stay there while I slept elsewhere?
So I went home at midnight.
To my surprise, Jessica was still there.
The two women were sharing late-night takeout.
As soon as Sarah saw me, she quickly set down her chopsticks and beamed.
“Darling, come eat some BBQ. Jessica brought it.”
From her reaction, it was as if nothing had happened.
Jessica also invited me to join.
I nodded.
Sarah, thinking I had come around, eagerly patted the seat beside her and even passed me some food.
During the meal, Sarah kept sneaking glances at me.
Seeing that I acted normal, she finally gathered her courage.
“Darling, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once. Besides, this is Jessica’s lifelong matter. Without me, no one else could help her. Just think of it as a sacrifice I made for my best friend. Please?”
I said nothing, simply eating.
After drinking all night, I was starving.
When I didn’t respond, Sarah shot Jessica a look.
Jessica understood immediately.
She shifted closer to me.
“Ethan, it’s not entirely Sarah’s fault. We really had no choice. Something happened to me before, and the doctors said I could never get pregnant. But I love my husband so much. He adores children. We just wanted a child so badly.”
I snorted. “Couldn’t you adopt from an orphanage?”
“My husband says raising a child who isn’t his blood means nothing.”
“So you two conspired to trick my wife?”
“They didn’t trick me…” Sarah cut in.
“Shut up!” I glared at her.
Jessica raised her hand as if swearing. “Ethan, I promise, we didn’t trick Sarah. She just pitied me and wanted to help.”
Then, suddenly, Jessica stood and slipped off her jacket.
She wore a revealing black camisole underneath.