Chapter 118
[ 483 words ]
Chapter 118:
The greater the hope, the deeper the hurt. The last three years had taught me that well enough.
Keeping away from the noisy crowd, I took the elevator up to the first floor by myself and caught a taxi home.
The neon lights outside the window smeared into streaks as they slid past, making my eyes sting.
Halfway home, my phone vibrated with a new message from Ethan.
“Sorry. Ivy suddenly wasn’t feeling well, so I’m taking her to the hospital first. I’ll come back after everything’s settled.”
I looked at the screen for a moment, then replied without much feeling, “Got it.”
Right after that, another text popped up. “Wait for me tonight. I need to talk to you over dinner.”
The corner of my mouth lifted in silent ridicule. I answered lightly, “Okay.” Then I slipped my phone back into my bag and closed my eyes to rest.
𝘞𝖾 u𝗽𝘥at𝖾 𝗲𝘷еr𝗒 w𝗲еk 𝘰n g𝗮𝗅𝗻о𝗏e𝗅𝘴.с𝗈𝘮
Wait for him to have dinner?
Whenever Ivy called for him, he always ended up staying the whole night. There were times when he couldn’t even be bothered to call.
If he actually made it back before dinner, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
When I returned home, exhaustion crashed over me all at once.
The relentless work of the past few days, on top of everything I had been put through emotionally, left my whole body feeling unbearably heavy.
I went upstairs to the bathroom, filled the tub with warm water, and added a few drops of calming essential oil.
Then I stepped into the bath and let the heat soak into every inch of my stiff, tired body.
Surrounded by steam, I picked up my phone and scrolled through it without any real purpose.
Just as expected, the internet was already flooded with talk about today’s press conference.
The first three trending topics were all about Ethan and Ivy. Titles like “the Alpha’s boundless devotion” and “the destined mates” had the internet gushing, as if their relationship had already been made official.
Naturally, Ivy’s rabid fans hadn’t let me off either.
During the photo session, Ivy had almost lost her footing because of her high heels. To stir things up, the director deliberately cut to a close shot of my cold, expressionless reaction.
Her fans instantly turned it into a whole drama, certain that I had stepped on her dress behind the scenes on purpose.
“Lianne is seriously too manipulative, isn’t she? She humiliated Ivy in public!”
“She really has the face of a seductress. No wonder the Alpha wants nothing to do with her.”
“Pulling a disgusting trick like stepping on someone’s dress? She needs to get the hell out of Voss Group!”
Looking at those vicious comments, I was unexpectedly unmoved. I even found it a little funny. Whether the attention was good or bad, it was still free promotion for Sparkle.
Then a faint twitch stirred low in my belly.
The feeling was strangely miraculous, like the flutter of a tiny butterfly deep inside me.
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