NovelNext Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Ethan Smith limped back to his room with an injured leg. Just as he finished applying ointment, his phone screen lit up. A video from Alexander Huxley began playing automatically—the interactions between the three figures in the frame painfully glaring.
[What does marriage matter? They’ll always be mine.] The caption dripped with provocation.
In the video, Sophia Sinclair carefully fed Alexander pomegranate seeds, her fingertips stained with juice, utterly indifferent. Luna Smith, who had always despised piano practice, was playing Chopin’s Nocturne—just to earn his smile. Alexander sat at the center of their attention like a king, his injured hand wrapped in pristine white bandages.
Ethan closed the video without a flicker of emotion. He had known for a long time—this house had never been his. From the closet, he pulled out his meager belongings one by one, folding them neatly into a cardboard box. By dawn, they would be gone for good.
When morning light seeped through the curtains, Sophia and Luna happened to see him tossing something into the trash.
"What are you throwing away?" Sophia frowned.
"Trash." His voice was flat, his gaze never lifting.
Luna peeked curiously, then curled her lip in disdain upon recognizing his personal items. "Definitely trash."
He continued packing in silence until Sophia received a call and hurried off, tossing over her shoulder, "Take care of Luna."
In the study, Luna slammed her textbooks shut. She hadn’t attended school for an entire week since Alexander’s return. Just as Ethan picked up her math workbook, the doorbell rang.
"Daddy!" Luna chirped, darting toward the visitor like an excited bird.
Alexander crouched to her eye level, holding two bulging bags of snacks. "Feel like playing with me today?" When she nodded eagerly, he shot Ethan a smug glance.
The living room soon turned into a warzone—chip bags, soda cans, and tangled controller wires littered the floor. Ethan quietly cleaned up the mess until a shriek from upstairs froze him.
On the second-floor landing, Alexander was tossing Luna into the air. As the little girl squealed with delight, Ethan’s chest tightened. "That’s too dangerous!"
"Mind your own business!" Alexander threw her again—but this time, he missed.
Time seemed to stop.
Luna plummeted like a broken kite, crashing onto the marble tiles below with a sickening thud. Blood pooled beneath her head, staining the scattered Lego pieces crimson.
The ambulance siren tore through the morning mist. By the time the operating room lights dimmed, Sophia stormed into the hospital corridor in her stilettos. Inside the VIP ward, her trembling fingers brushed over her daughter’s bandaged face. "Who did this?"
"Him!" Alexander pointed at Ethan. "He was jealous of how close Luna is to me!"
Then, Luna’s eyes fluttered open.
In the breathless silence, she slowly raised her IV-taped hand—
And pointed straight at Ethan.