Chapter 3

Chloe's POV

When I got home, the house was cold and empty.

I returned to my room as fast as I could, only to see a mess everywhere. My diary was missing, along with the photos and clothes I had hidden away.

I frantically searched all night without sleep.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the second day that I heard cheerful voices and laughter outside the door.

"Mom, Dad, who went through my room?"

Ethan was walking in front and ran right into me.

He paused for a moment, then immediately stepped back in disgust.

I also clearly saw the dark circles under his eyes and the kiss marks on his neck.

"You should know that your sister and I are about to get married. I can understand what's going through your mind at your age, but it shouldn't be directed at me, and you definitely shouldn't use those kinds of methods."

Ethan frowned, his tone full of dissatisfaction.

Those pitch-black eyes held scrutiny and disdain.

"You were the one who came into my room last night. If I really did it, why would I run away?"

I met his gaze.

Ethan looked at me and told me something.

After my parents heard the commotion, they immediately went to my room.

They turned up many things, including the diary in my bag filled with filthy thoughts, and even countless secretly taken photos.

At that moment, Vivian interrupted us.

"Chloe, I'm just glad you're okay. I don't blame you."

Looking at the sister I used to love most, I couldn't say a single word now.

Vivian smiled and stepped forward.

"Given that you're still young, we'll let it go this time. But there can't be a next time, or I'll be angry."

Ethan frowned slightly at her words.

"I told you it wasn't me who did it. Why do you insist on pinning it on me?"

I raised my voice and shot back.

Mom had been listening to the whole thing from behind.

She closed the distance in a few steps and twisted my ear hard.

"You did something shameless yourself, and you still dare to lose your temper. Do you dare say the things in that diary weren't written by you, that the photos hidden under your bed weren't taken by you, and that you didn't take that piece of clothing?"

The things I had secretly hidden were dug up and made public.

I knew I was in the wrong and held back my tears without making a sound.

In the end, Dad locked me in my room.

I cried and apologized and begged for mercy, but got no response. Not until my phone's special notification tone rang. I received a text from Vivian.

Several pictures of playing at the beach, with an attached voice message.

"Being locked up doesn't feel good, does it? But I was often locked up because of you when I was little. Mom and Dad love you. In their eyes, I never existed. Everything you have should have been mine. This is just the beginning."

This voice message amplified the unease in my heart.

When they returned from their trip, I took the initiative to suggest moving out.

"Why move out? Chloe, are you still blaming me?"

Vivian looked full of guilt.

Mom frowned.

"What are you making a fuss about now? Can't you behave for a few days? Vivian and Ethan are about to get engaged. Do you want people to laugh at us at a time like this?"

After being warned, I temporarily held back.

I tried to avoid every encounter with Ethan as much as possible, yet I could still see his unique tenderness and attentiveness toward Vivian during meals when we had to be together.

Perhaps because I had spent a long time with him in my past life, I understood his every look and gesture very well.

Those smiles weren't like the stiff and perfunctory ones he gave me. They almost all came from his heart.

I suppressed the bitterness in my heart and began actively reaching out to former classmates, hoping to have familiar faces when I got to New York.

After leaving early and returning late for several days, Ethan stopped me.

"Vivian says you've been hanging around with a bunch of strange people lately?"

I retreated warily to a safe distance, instinctively shaking my head.

"They're all my friends. Don't read too much into it."

I didn't dare have any more contact with him.

Repeating past mistakes would cost me a price I couldn't bear.