And then I saw it—a stream of bright red trickling from between her legs.
“Ethan! Ethan, save me!” she screamed, her voice hysterical. “Save our baby!”
Ethan froze, staring at the red stain spreading on the floor. Then, without a second thought, he shoved me aside and scooped her into his arms.
He rushed her out of the ballroom, not even looking back.
At that moment, he chose her.
He made me into a public spectacle, a joke.
But I’d already made up my mind. I didn’t care what anyone thought of me anymore.
When I got home, I started packing for my trip to Iceland.
A few days earlier, the lab had contacted me to confirm that I wasn’t backing out of the experiment. After finalizing everything, they sent me a new identity and plane tickets, just as I’d requested.
I was still Claire Watson—but my date of birth was now five years later than my real one.
CLAIRE'S POV
The period for the cryogenic experiment was scheduled to last five years.
By the time it ended, I would be five years younger than Ethan. The thought was strange as time would pass for him, but for me, it would stand still.
When Ethan finally returned home the next day, his face was pale, his expression caught up between anger and frustration.
“Claire, I didn’t think you could be this ruthless,” he spat, slamming the door behind him.
“Madeline just got pregnant, and now she’s had a miscarriage! That was my child!” His voice cracked, filled with raw emotion. “Do you even understand how long I’ve wanted to be a father?”
Instinctively, my hands moved to cover my belly, as if to shield my baby from the man in front of me. I didn’t want my child to hear the kind of person their father truly was.
“So let me get this straight,” I said, my voice calm but cold. “Your affair during our marriage, and your mistress’s pregnancy—somehow, that’s my fault?”
“Ethan,” I continued, staring him down. “You’ve known Madeline for what? A month? And you’re willing to break the vows you made to me for her?”
He rubbed his temples, groaning as if he were the one being wronged. “Claire, stop throwing those vows in my face like some kind of threat!”
“And how is this infidelity?” he added, his voice rising. “I was just looking for a little physical relief. My heart still belongs to you!”
My chest tightened as tears welled up in my eyes.
“All men are like this,” Ethan said as if it were a universal truth. “Other women can tolerate it—why can’t you?”