“Sienny, after you leave the industry, your focus should be on supporting your husband and raising children. Being the daughter-in-law of the Scott Family is far more complicated than you might think,” Esther said with an air of authority.
“And as for Elena—you’re too softhearted. Keeping her around will only bring disaster to your marriage with Ethan.”
Elena didn’t wait to hear the rest. She turned and left quietly, her heart sinking. Esther and Sienna shared the same goal: to drive her away. They would stop at nothing to make it happen.
Her mind was a chaotic mess as she wandered aimlessly, eventually reaching the gates of the old estate. She tripped over something she couldn’t see and fell hard onto the ground.
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision, and through the haze, she saw Sienna standing before her.
“Still playing the pity card? Do you think this will let you stay by Ethan’s side forever? I’ve been meaning to ask—when are you planning to move out?” Sienna’s tone was sharp, her posture exuding the authority of someone who considered herself the rightful partner.
Elena felt suffocated. Sienna stood tall, lecturing her as if she were already Ethan’s legitimate wife. It was just one step away—soon, Sienna would officially claim that title.
Looking down at her scraped palms, Elena let out a faint laugh. “What if the Scott Family found out that on the day of the accident, it was you who tipped off the paparazzi? That you deliberately orchestrated the chaos to stage a car crash, almost costing Ethan his life? Do you think you’d still be able to marry him then?”
Sienna’s face froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered, letting out a chuckle. “You know quite a bit. Unfortunately, it won’t make any difference.”
The blaring sound of a car horn cut through the air.
A car came barreling toward them, out of control. In an instant, Sienna’s expression changed. She shouted, “Ellie, watch out—”
With all her strength, she pushed Elena aside, stepping directly into the car’s path.
Bam!
As Sienna was hit, Elena saw Ethan sprinting toward them, his eyes bloodshot with panic as he yelled for someone to call an ambulance.
He held Sienna tightly in his arms as he carried her away, not sparing Elena even a glance.
Elena’s initial fear and shock gradually gave way to bitter self-mockery. So this was how it was—no matter how much fondness Ethan might have shown her, the most important person in his heart was still Sienna.
The contract had only promised that she could win Ethan’s affection. It had never guaranteed that he wouldn’t marry Sienna.
In the cold, sterile hallway of the hospital, Elena curled up on a bench, waiting outside the room.
Though Sienna had taken a hard fall, the car had braked just in time. She wasn’t seriously injured, only shaken from the experience.
The incident at the gates of the Scott Family estate left the entire family furious.
Esther stormed into the hospital, her anger blazing. Without warning, she slapped Elena hard across the face.
“It’s because she was trying to save you that Sienny ended up in danger! How many lives do you think you have to trade for her peace of mind?”
Elena was stunned by the slap, unable to react. When Esther raised her hand for a second strike, Ethan arrived just in time to stop her.
“Ellie is a victim too! How can you treat a child who’s just been through such a scare like this?” Ethan said firmly.
“Child? Ethan, take a good look. Do you really think she’s the kind of well-behaved child you imagine? What kind of ‘good child’ would harbor such filthy thoughts toward someone twelve years her senior?”
Boom!
Elena’s mind went blank, as if it had exploded. Each word from Esther was like a sharp slap to her face, cutting deeper and deeper.
Ethan drove the dazed Elena home in silence. When they arrived, she remained motionless, lost in her thoughts.
He gently took her hand, startled by how cold her palm felt.
“Ellie, we’re home. Don’t be afraid—I’m here,” he said softly.
Her tears, held back for so long, finally broke free, spilling down her cheeks uncontrollably.
“Ethan, is liking someone really so filthy?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Ethan had once accused her of being filthy too, telling her to leave if she ever had such thoughts again. It was the first time he’d spoken so harshly to her, shattering the confidence she’d always had in her feelings.
It was just an age gap. She had never thought that something as simple and pure as liking someone could be considered so shameful.
From the moment Elena was sixteen and realized her feelings for Ethan, until she turned twenty-one, she spent five years praying that she would grow up faster, praying that Ethan would slow down his plans to marry Sienna.
The day Ethan went to register his marriage with Sienna, Elena tried everything to keep him. In a desperate moment, she took a pair of scissors and aimed them at her wrist, hoping to force him to change the date.
Ethan was no longer the same as before.
His cold, indifferent voice shattered the last bit of reason Elena had left. “Elena, no one can stop me from marrying her. If I had to choose between you and her, you would never be the answer.”
That day, the sharp scissors slid across her delicate wrist, blood pouring out, but Ethan still walked away without a second glance.
Elena, in her despair, pleaded for even the smallest bit of Ethan’s affection—just a trace of his love was enough to let her breathe.
But it seemed like he had forgotten everything.
Ethan avoided Elena’s gaze. This time, he didn’t scold her harshly but instead told her not to talk about her feelings for him so openly anymore.
“Ethan, you hate that I like you. You think my feelings for you are disgusting, don’t you?”
“Ellie, I am your elder. I’m twelve years older than you.”
“You’re only saying that because you like Sienna,” Elena shot back.
Time and time again, Elena lied to herself, telling herself that Ethan didn’t care for Sienna that much. But each time, she was slapped with the harsh reality—he was kind to her, but even kinder to Sienna.
“My engagement with Sienny is set. Stop making a scene. I can forget everything you’ve said, but if you want to stay by my side, you’ll have to forget too.”
Ethan dropped Elena off at her house, but as he turned to leave, his body swayed, and he leaned against the wall, unable to calm the storm inside him.
Elena was starting to resemble her mother more and more, especially as she blossomed into a graceful young woman. Everywhere she went, there were traces of her mother in her.
But how could he, a friend of her mother, ever think of her that way?
The hospital called, saying that Sienna refused to eat. They were at their wits' end, and by the time Ethan arrived, Sienna was in tears, asking the doctor if the scars on her face would remain.
She had injured her face while saving Elena, and for a female celebrity, that was a potentially career-ending scar.
Ethan moved to comfort Sienna, wrapping his arms around her and gently patting her back. “Don’t worry, I’ll find the best doctor to help you remove the scar. It won’t leave any trace.”
Sienna buried her face in his chest, sobbing, her shoulders shaking with each breath.
“Ethan, will you still want me?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Of course I will.”
“Then... what about the wedding?”
“Just discuss it with my mother. You can do whatever you want,” Ethan said, his tone indifferent. He had no particular thoughts about the wedding.
The Scott Family needed dignity, and Sienna wanted a grand ceremony. It was only natural for her and Esther to come to an agreement.
Sienna wasn’t seriously injured, and on the day she was discharged, she pouted and whined to Ethan, “Ethan, can I stay with you? My ankle’s still a little swollen, and it would be easier for you to take care of me. What if something happens when I’m alone...?”
Without hesitation, Ethan shut her down, extinguishing her hopes.
“No, Ellie doesn’t like having anyone else in the house.”
Sienna froze. He had refused her for Elena’s sake?
“Then… can you stay with me tonight? I’m a little scared alone.”
Ethan agreed, and Sienna smiled contentedly. “I knew Ethan would always be the best to me.”
Elena spent the whole night waiting for Ethan, but he never showed up. When she finally picked up her phone, a message from Sienna popped up on OurTalk.
It was a photo of Ethan, with the caption: "Ellie, Ethan just couldn't leave me at ease, so he's staying with me tonight. You don't need to wait for him, get some rest."
Elena stared at the screen, her face expressionless. She stared at the message, scrolling back and forth for a long time.
What was Sienna doing?
Claiming her territory?
How insecure must she be, to repeatedly use such childish methods to show off and provoke?
Elena tossed the phone aside and walked into Ethan’s room, lying down on his bed.
The first time she slept in the same bed as Ethan was when she was ten. She had been crying and too scared to fall asleep. The house was so big, even speaking seemed to echo, so in the middle of the night, she had snuck into Ethan’s room, hugging her pillow.
“Can I sleep with you? Mom always used to sleep with me. I’m scared to sleep alone.”
Ethan, usually cold and unyielding, was always softhearted when it came to her.
That night marked the beginning, and even until she was forty, whenever Elena had nightmares, she would still instinctively go to Ethan. But ever since she began to change physically, Ethan had made it clear that she was no longer allowed to enter his room.
Elena wrapped herself in the blanket, still smelling of Ethan, as she tossed and turned the entire night, plagued by nightmares. Even in her dreams, she could hear Esther’s harsh words, cursing her as filthy.
The next day, however, things took an unexpected turn. A video of Esther publicly berating Elena at the hospital went viral online.
Elena’s feelings for Ethan were suddenly exposed to the public.
Sienna, a rising star, had long been the subject of envy for her relationship with Ethan, and now, with the news out, Elena was immediately thrust into the spotlight, her name trending on social media for all the wrong reasons. The insults were too vile to bear.
“Disgusting, how could she develop those feelings for someone who raised her? Ethan could practically be her uncle!”
“How dare she? She’s nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing! Knowing full well that Ethan is engaged, she still clings to him shamelessly!”
“Our Sienny has been through so much, hasn’t she? She got hurt just trying to save Elena, and now this—Elena is after Sienny’s fiancé.”
“She must be the third party, right? I heard she even lives in Ethan’s house, while Sienny hasn’t even been allowed to stay there.”
The malicious comments flooded in online, and Elena was caught off guard. The person who had managed to capture that video was one of the few who had the chance.
Unable to reach Ethan, Elena hurriedly ran to his office to find him.
On the way, Sienna posted an update on her social media.
Sienna posted a video, her face tired and drawn, the scar on her cheek clearly visible.
Calmly addressing the viral scandal, she said, "Everyone, I apologize for taking up public space, but I’d like to make a statement. Ethan and I have a very strong and healthy relationship, and there’s no third party involved."
"Elena is young and doesn’t fully understand things, and perhaps some of her actions have been misunderstood. But both Ethan and I will guide her to avoid making mistakes, and we hope everyone can be understanding toward her."
"Additionally, I have some good news to share. Ethan and I will be getting married on the 8th of next month. I hope everyone will bless us."
The 8th of next month, just half a month away.
The video quickly racked up over ten million views, with the comments sharply divided. On one side, there were well-wishes for Sienna, and on the other, the most venomous insults aimed at Elena.
People praised Sienna for her grace, while viciously condemning Elena as disgusting, saying she should have died long ago.
Elena’s name was trending, but Sienna’s efforts only seemed to fuel more hatred.
Numb, Elena turned off the comments and called Ethan again.
His phone wouldn’t connect.
She dialed again and again, but still couldn’t reach him. Panic gripped her, her breathing shallow and erratic, feeling lost and helpless.
She remembered back to middle school when she was bullied. She had fought back fiercely, wrestling with the tormentor and leaving them battered and bloody. Ethan had always been there, unwavering in his protection, telling her that no one would ever hurt her.
But now? Would he stand by Sienna or her?
When the phone showed the 39th call, Ethan finally picked up. Elena, like a drowning person clinging to a lifeline, choked on her words as she asked, "Did Sienna have someone record and post that video?"
