“Can’t you be a little more generous? Stop picking on him all the time.”
In that moment, I could clearly see the look of disdain and irritation in Olivia Brooks’ eyes.
Right then, whatever feelings I still had for her completely died.
Lying on the hospital bed, I let out a long sigh.
Finally, I picked up my phone and made a call.
“Mom, I want to come home.”
By evening, I had completed the discharge paperwork.
I sat in my wheelchair while a strikingly beautiful woman stood behind me, pushing it.
With a lazy smile, she said, “I told you long ago, Olivia Brooks is not worthy of you.
You had a falling-out with your family, stayed away for years, pretended to be some poor country boy just to be with her, and gave everything to help her start that company.
You poured your heart into her, and in the end? You were nothing more than her backup plan.
“She’s ambitious, and she’s not the kind of woman who’d ever settle down. Even if she hadn’t returned to the Brooks family, there’s no guarantee she’d grow old with you.
And Daniel Foster—he’s her first love. They say first loves are the hardest to forget… just like how you feel about Olivia, and how I feel about you…”
I shot her a look and said impatiently, “Sophia Reed, what happened to you? A few years away and you’ve turned into such a chatterbox?
Where’s that aloof ‘ice queen’ image you used to have?”
Sophia’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she threw me a playful wink.
“I only act like this around you. To everyone else, I’m still the untouchable ice queen.
I thought you liked this sweet, delicate act—how’s my impression?”
I nearly got goosebumps. Shaking my head helplessly, I said, “Better drop it. I’m more used to your cold, rebellious self.”
Olivia was beautiful, sure—but she couldn’t hold a candle to Sophia.
Our families had been close for generations, and my parents once wanted us to get engaged. I’d thought I was too young to be tied down by marriage, so I rebelled and left home.
Now, after a phone call with my parents, Sophia had shown up at the hospital right away to help me with the discharge. Facing her again left me feeling complicated.
In terms of looks, personality, and family background, Olivia couldn’t compare to Sophia.
How had I been so blind to fall for Olivia in the first place?
Love really does make people lose their senses.
Sophia drove me back to the apartment complex where Olivia and I lived.
That tiny apartment had held so many beautiful memories for me—
but those were all in the past.
As Sophia packed up my personal belongings, she teased, “For the eldest son of the Carter family to hole up in a little place like this… if anyone found out, their jaw would drop.
If Olivia knew your real identity, what do you think her reaction would be?”
I shook my head with a faint sigh.
Just then, Olivia and Daniel came back.
They reeked of alcohol, arms linked, laughing intimately.
When she saw me, Olivia froze for a second, instinctively letting go of Daniel’s arm.
“Ethan Carter, why are you back? Weren’t you in the hospital?”
Before I could answer, she spotted Sophia packing my things.
The moment she took in Sophia’s stunning beauty, jealousy flickered in her eyes, and her face darkened.
“And who is this woman?”
