Chapter 20

The sticky note on the car window glared back at me.

"Squeeze me when you miss me, Vivian~"

A heart was doodled at the end.

Vivian clearly had forgotten about it—her expression froze for a split second when she spotted the plush toy.

"You take the front seat."

Just as I was about to climb into the back, Vivian suddenly reached over, yanked the toy out, and tossed it behind us.

The swiftness of the motion left me stunned.

Ethan Winslow had always loved pulling stunts like this.

Sometimes it was "accidentally" leaving limited-edition sneakers in Vivian's car, other times placing matching couple mugs on her desk. The worst was when I returned from a business trip to find a framed selfie of him on the nightstand in our bedroom.

At first, I used to lose my temper.

Until the day I threw the custom necklace he'd given her out the window—and Vivian slapped me across the face.

"Ryan, are you serious?"

"He's just being playful. Why take it so personally?"

"This jealous-husband act is disgusting."

That was when I realized—this was exactly the reaction Ethan wanted.

"Honestly, it's fine." I buckled my seatbelt. "We're over now. Even if he sat here himself, it wouldn’t matter."

Vivian’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"I know you don’t believe me."

"But even after the breakup, I wouldn’t choose Ethan."

"Helping him... it’s just that he reminds me of you from back then."

A cold laugh escaped me.

Had she forgotten? While she’d been busy holding an umbrella for Ethan, I was the one left standing in the rain.

"Let’s not do this." I turned to stare out the window.

Vivian suddenly said, "I was thinking of letting Ethan—"

Clang!

The sound of a thermos hitting the pavement cut her off.

Ethan stood behind the car, his face ghostly pale.

"Vivian... You said you were resting because of your fever?"