Chapter 4

"Carter, do you love me?"

When Ethan walked into the VIP room, I was busy pouring drinks for Carter Brooks.

Carter was a notorious playboy.

He was also Julian’s best friend.

Usually, he came to the club just to make my life difficult. But I didn't care—as long as he paid, he could mock me all he wanted.

Today, though, he had paid me to play a part in a little drama.

He was trying to make a rising actress jealous because she was playing hard to get.

But instead of the actress, Ethan walked through the door.

Ethan’s face was incredibly dark.

I figured he was here to settle the score from the other day, and my heart raced in panic.

Before I could even stand up, Ethan marched over, grabbed my arm, and dragged me out of the room.

"Are you that desperate for cash? Doing something so cheap and degrading?"

"Mr. Sterling, if you're still mad about the car, I apologize. But what you call 'cheap' is my rent. If I don't do this, how am I supposed to survive?"

Ethan’s face twisted in rage. He looked ready to snap.

He dragged me into his private suite and threw me onto the leather couch.

"Sera Vance, you chased me for ten whole years. How can you throw yourself into another man's arms so quickly? Did you ever actually care about me?"

"Mr. Sterling, please control yourself. I am just your employee. My personal life is none of your business."

Ethan stared at me, then threw a brand-new luxury winter coat onto my lap before storming out.

This was the second gift Ethan had ever given me.

The first was a simple woven dandelion ring he had made for me when we were kids.

I used to treat that cheap ring like it was the most precious thing in the world, keeping it hidden in a velvet box.

But eventually, the grass dried up and snapped.

I had tried so hard to glue it back together, but the dead grass just crumbled into dust in my hands.

My chest had ached so badly that day. It felt like the universe was laughing at me, reminding me that what isn't yours will never be yours.

I had treasured that silly grass ring year after year.

In the end, it was the thing that finally woke me up. Ethan was never meant to be mine.

I whispered to myself, "It's time to let go."

At that moment, I realized that forgetting a love that was etched into your bones was the hardest thing in the world.

But I had to do it.