Chapter 3

He quickly arrived at a noisy place---it sounded like a bar.

Through the earpiece came a woman's sweet, cloying voice. I recognized it---Miranda Lin, Ethan's first love.

"Ethan, everyone's been waiting for you forever. What took you so long?"

The sound of clothes rustling---he must have hugged Miranda.

"Probably got held up by that seductress at home. Ethan, you better make it up to Miranda."

"That's understandable though. With Lyra's face and that body, damn. When will Ethan let us have a taste?"

A chorus of grating laughter erupted. Ethan spoke casually.

"Sure, after Lyra finishes paying off the debt, you guys can have your turn. I won't forget about you."

"That's our Ethan! That audio you sent to the group last time---Lyra's moans, damn. I couldn't sleep well for a week."

I listened to them fantasize about me without restraint, until Miranda's voice rang out.

"When are you going to tell her the truth, Ethan? You're not seriously planning to marry her, are you? She's been used by so many men."

"How about we play her video at the wedding? Let her become famous. Then we can give her to some thugs to play with. That'd be doing a good deed."

"No!"

Ethan's voice suddenly rose, unhesitatingly rejecting Miranda. The atmosphere on the other end went silent.

Seeming to realize his reaction was excessive, Ethan explained.

"My grandfather is obsessed with Lyra for some reason. If he finds out about this, he'll take away my inheritance, and then Miranda, you'll suffer too. After we're married, it'll be much better to trade Lyra for some jewelry for you. The guys are all willing, right?"

"Yeah, Miranda, tell us what you want. We'll calculate how long we need to sleep with Lyra to make it worth it. Last time Ethan bought you that tiara, he traded Lyra for a whole year."

Miranda laughed again, her voice sweet and soft.

"Then I'll have to think carefully. She's really getting off easy. She's probably enjoying it anyway."

They erupted in laughter again. I listened to them talk, my mind drifting.

I came from a peculiar village where all the women were beautiful and extremely fertile.

Ethan's grandfather somehow discovered our village. He donated a golden statue to our village's Saint Mother, asking only for the woman with the best constitution to bear a child.

And I was the unlucky one chosen. Mr. Quinn wanted Ethan to marry me, solely because Ethan had been diagnosed as infertile.

Ethan treated me well at first, taking me out to parties every night. I thought he used protection because he wanted to wait until after marriage to have children.

Little did I know I was just a tool for him to vent his desires when Miranda wasn't around. When Miranda returned, he couldn't wait to offer me as a gift. My feelings for him became a complete joke.

Too annoyed to listen anymore, I turned off the monitoring device.

Ethan didn't come home all night, but that man came in the evening.

Even though we couldn't have sex anymore, he still showed up. This child must be truly important to him.

I pretended not to know and drank the soup he made for me. Ethan would never cook.

"Ethan, when should we announce this baby?"

The man's breathing grew heavier for a moment. He touched my belly.

"Soon. I'll make sure my child has a legitimate status."

I smiled with satisfaction.

From the very first day they switched, I knew Ethan had deceived me.

Although I was born blind, years of blindness made my sense of smell and hearing exceptionally sharp.

That day when I returned to the room, someone eagerly embraced me. I initially thought it was Ethan, but when I turned around and smelled something different, I knew it was a stranger.

I struggled, refusing to let him succeed, and the man truly didn't touch me again.

But the villa had excellent security---how could such a prowler get in? So the next day, I tested Ethan.

"Ethan, why were you so impatient yesterday? My period wasn't even over yet."

Knowing I'd been taken advantage of by a stranger, Ethan should have been furious. But he paused for a moment, then admitted it.

"It's because you're too tempting, Lyra. I couldn't control myself..."

I understood then. Ethan knew. That man was someone Ethan had let in.