chapter 5
I turned to face him, my voice sharp and clear.
“Let me say this one more time: I didn’t touch her.
Believe it or not—I couldn’t care less. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m leaving.”
Ethan blinked, caught off guard. Since when did Nora Whitfield have a backbone like that?
In my previous life, this scene had played out almost identically. Ethan had planted himself in front of Rose like a shield, defying his parents and insisting on breaking off the engagement. And I—young, proud, and hot-tempered—had Rose thrown out on the spot just to get her out of my sight.
That was the moment everything between us began to rot.
This time, I kept walking.
It was a small thing. So small no one else in that gilded hallway would have called it power. I didn’t argue. I didn’t explain myself. I didn’t try to pry him away from her, and I didn’t drag her down to prove I had the right to stand above her. I simply took my mother’s arm, nodded for my father to follow, and left the hotel with my spine straight.
But I felt Ethan’s eyes on my back the whole way out.
In my last life, he had wanted a villain. I had handed him one with both trembling hands.
This time, I gave him nothing.