Ethan froze, disbelief written all over his face.
“What? That’s impossible.”
“When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I blinked innocently.
“Why should I tell you? The child isn’t yours.”
“I met a kind man. He knew I’d been married two years without a child, so he helped me out. Young men are strong—one try and it worked.”
“Ethan, next time come with me to thank him. We can’t let his effort go to waste.”
Ethan snapped, furious, standing up and splashing wine across my face.
“Lily Carter, do you even know what you’re saying?”
“You’re telling me you cheated on me?”
Robert and Margaret looked on anxiously, waiting for my answer.
Wine dripped down my hair, seeping into my collar, but my laugh only grew sharper.
“What? Chloe can joke to liven up the dinner, but I can’t?”
“She got help from someone she calls family, I got help from a stranger. Isn’t that even more deserving of gratitude?”
Ethan gripped my wrist hard.
“You’re sure this is a joke? Let’s go to the hospital right now and find out.”
He pulled me toward the door in a rush, but I stopped cold, my face like ice.
See? When the fire touches him, suddenly it’s no laughing matter.
Turns out, even he can’t tolerate betrayal.
Margaret clutched her chest, fumbling for her medicine.
“You nearly scared me to death, Lily. You really don’t know when to keep quiet.”
I looked her dead in the eye.
“Didn’t Chloe say the same things? I thought that was the Brooks family tradition at dinner.”
Robert instantly stiffened.
“Chloe’s just a girl—she’s your sister-in-law! You’re the elder! What kind of example is that?”
“You really want to kill us with anger?”
Ethan finally calmed down.
“Lily Carter, apologize to my parents and to Chloe!”
I stared at him coldly.
“No. I don’t think I did anything wrong.”
“When Chloe said it, none of you reacted. I thought you liked this kind of talk.”
Scanning their faces, I couldn’t stand another second. I turned to leave, but Ethan yanked me back.
“Lily, this is the Brooks family dinner! Try leaving and see what happens!”
“Chloe is my sister—how can you stoop to her level?”
Right. Chloe was his sister.
That’s why she could wear my wedding gown at my own ceremony, brushed off as childish mischief.
That’s why she could lie openly on our marital bed, excused as some ridiculous family tradition.
Because she was the sister, I always had to give in.
She could call me an old hag in jest—I had to endure.