Ella Pierce had never thought there’d come a day when her own husband would throw her to another man just to force her into a divorce.
“Sign the divorce papers. I’ll make sure you’re compensated,” Ethan Langston said, his voice cold and detached. His sharp eyes held a hint of impatience.
“Can I at least ask why?” Ella was sitting stiffly on the sofa, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her shirt. Her voice was hoarse, almost trembling.
After what she’d been through last night, she was utterly drained, both physically and emotionally. She felt like every bone in her body had fallen apart. Somehow, she’d dragged herself back home, only to be hit with this.
For someone who had always swallowed her pain in silence, she couldn’t help but ask.
“Sophia’s back,” Ethan replied without hesitation.
Sophia Barnes.
The name made Ella let out a bitter smile.
So that’s what it was about.
Sophia Barnes―the woman Ethan truly cherished. Back then, when Sophia’s health was fragile, the Langston family refused to allow Ethan, as their heir, to marry someone who couldn’t bear children.Ethan Langston arranged for Sophia Barnes to go abroad for treatment, shielding her from any harm. After that, he married Ella Pierce to appease his family. That’s how the past three years managed to drift by without much turbulence.
In those three years, Ella carefully treaded on eggshells, maintaining their marriage. She was always acutely aware that she was just a placeholder, someone to placate Ethan’s elders. So, she buried her unspoken feelings deep inside, as if locking away something that should never see the light of day. Every additional day she spent by his side felt like a bonus she wasn’t quite entitled to. Ella had long accepted that one day, she’d have to relinquish the place of “Mrs. Langston” back to Sophia.
But what she hadn’t predicted was the utterly disgusting way Ethan would go about forcing her out.
Yesterday afternoon, he sent her a message asking her to meet him at a hotel. But the moment she stepped into the room, everything blanked out. When she woke up, she found herself lying naked on the hotel bed.
That moment felt as if her entire world had caved in on her.
“You didn’t have to go to all that trouble,” Ella’s voice rasped, hoarse and raw. “I owe you my life. If you’d just told me to leave, do you think I’d have clung on to you pathetically?”
Her words trembled with suppressed pain. The memory of what had happened the night before carved deep into her chest like someone had wrenched a chunk of her heart out, leaving an unbearable emptiness behind.Blood everywhere, pain sinking deep into her bones.
Ethan could dislike her, but how could he humiliate her like this? Seriously?
Ella’s expression threw Ethan off for a second. Something felt... odd.
But before he could say a word, Ella had already grabbed the pen, her movements sharp and decisive, leaving her name on the divorce papers without a shred of hesitation.
Ella Pierce.
That name—he had given it to her.
Three years ago, he had pulled her out of the water, found her clinging to life and stripped of all memory.
He offered her shelter, gave her a new identity to hold onto.
From that moment, he had become an indelible piece of her heart.
Day after day, her feelings for him grew stronger, deeper, until she was completely lost in them.
And yet, she never tried to dismantle his bond with Sophia.
She’d even swallowed her pride, ignored the damage to her reputation, to stand by him as his so-called wife.
But him? To cut ties this drastically?
Did he really doubt her character so much?
What were those three years to him? Just some big joke?"Ethan Langston didn't expect Ella Pierce to sign the papers so quickly and without a fuss. He had thought, well, maybe she would at least try to argue or delay it a little.
After all…
‘I don’t need any of it,’ Ella's voice was raspy as she waved off the offer. ‘Not the house, not the car. Nothing.’
When she arrived at this house, she had nothing of her own. Leaving it, she refused to take anything either.
Ella went upstairs and packed her things. Funny thing was, she didn’t even fill a small suitcase.
‘Where are you planning to go?’ Ethan frowned when he saw her quietly moving about.
‘Where I need to be,’ she replied plainly.
‘You have nowhere to go, alright? I told you, you can have this house.’ Ethan grabbed her wrist, his expression tightening. He knew her situation better than anyone. Without this place, she’d have nowhere else—probably end up on the streets.
‘Ethan,’ Ella said after a moment of silence, lifting her chin slightly to look at him directly, ‘you know I love you, right?’
His expression froze. Just for a moment, but it was enough.
‘Ha. So you do know,’ she let out a dry laugh, the sound filled with quiet irony.
‘And I don’t want to know,’ Ethan snapped back, agitation creeping into his tone.
Because every single time he was near her, her gaze would follow him around like a shadow. It wasn’t as if he could simply ignore it, however much he might want to.""I get it now." Ella Pierce lowered her gaze, a bitter smile creeping onto her face.
He had realized how she felt about him—that's why he'd orchestrated last night's humiliation.
No wonder Ethan Langston, ruthless and calculating in business, had left no room for compromise.
All for Sophia Barnes. Truly, he’d gone all out.
"Ethan Langston, I owed you my life, but now that debt is fully repaid."
"From this point on, we owe each other nothing."
"I wish you and Sophia Barnes a lifetime of happiness together."
With steady resolve, Ella pried Ethan's hand away, finger by finger.
Then, keeping her back straight and her pride intact, she turned, dragging her suitcase behind her, and walked out of a house that had never truly been hers.
Ethan Langston stood motionless, watching her retreating figure.
His eyes dimmed, shadowed by something deeper.
Ella had always been gentle, obedient, and considerate.
She had never looked at him with such icy detachment before.
Was she really intending to leave this time?
A reflexive urge made him want to follow her.
But his phone rang suddenly, breaking the moment.
It was Sophia calling.
Ethan's expression softened almost instantly, and he answered the call without hesitation.
"Hello.""Ethan, I'm not feeling well... Can you come over?" Sophia Barnes's frail voice came through the phone.
"Wait for me, I'll be there right away!" Ethan Langston's voice carried urgency, and without a second thought, he rushed out of the house, leaving everything behind.
At the same time, Ella Pierce was dragging her suitcase, looking for a place to stay, anywhere she could temporarily call home. Standing by the roadside, she waved for a cab. But fate had other plans.
A van, out of control, sped directly toward her.
A deafening crash followed.
Ella's body was thrown several meters into the air before landing heavily onto the pavement. Her suitcase tumbled to the ground, spilling its contents all over—just a few clothes and one picture frame.
Inside the frame was a photograph—a wedding picture. The woman in the photo was beaming with a bright, radiant smile, while the man beside her was expressionless, almost unwilling, as though coerced into being there.
It was Ella and Ethan’s wedding photo, taken during a ceremony that had little warmth to it. Ella had secretly enlarged the photo and kept it close ever since.
But now, the glass of the frame was shattered, the picture soaked in fresh crimson. Her blood.
Ella lay there, her fingers trembling as they reached toward the photo, struggling to touch it one more time.
And just as she was inches away, her strength gave out, her hand falling limply to the ground. Ethan Langston was driving past at that very moment.
His mind was entirely consumed by worry for Sophia Barnes, so much so that he didn’t even glance out the window.
With a press of the gas pedal, the car sped away.
Meanwhile, in her apartment, Sophia Barnes received a call.
“It’s done. That woman won’t survive this.”
“Excellent. I’ll have the rest of the payment to you right away.” Sophia’s lips curled into a faint smile at the words.
Even though Ethan had repeatedly assured her that he would handle his situation with Ella Pierce, she didn’t trust it.
How could some nobody like Ella willingly give up on someone as valuable as Ethan Langston?
No, the only way to feel truly secure was if Ella was out of the picture—for good.
Setting her phone down, Sophia turned to the mirror and carefully touched up her makeup.
No one would ever suspect that beneath such a beautiful face lay a heart so twisted and cruel.
