Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Months later, my life finally began to get back on track. This incident had changed me completely, inside and out, and made me see the true colors of the people around me.

One day, I received a call from Tyler Hayes. He sounded excited as he told me, "We have a lead on the IP address used to post that article!" I asked where the account had been logged in from, but Tyler Hayes hesitated. Finally, under my repeated questioning, he couldn't hold back and told me—the IP address traced back to Ethan Bennett's company.

I wanted to believe it was just a coincidence, that it had nothing to do with Ethan Bennett. But that same day, I received a text message from an unknown number, with just one short sentence: "This is what happens when you cross me."

I knew my personality could sometimes get me into trouble with people, but the intent behind that sentence was crystal clear. Thinking hard, I hadn't offended anyone lately—except Clara Winslow! I immediately pulled up the screenshot I had saved of that post, reading every word carefully. I had known all along that screenshot would come in handy someday.

Once habits are formed, they're like engravings in one's bones. No matter how hard you try to hide them, clues always slip through the cracks.

The post quoted Lu Xun's famous words criticizing the ignorance of his compatriots, and the writing exuded a masculine boldness. The structure of the paragraphs, the meticulous use of punctuation—this writing style was so familiar to me. It was Ethan Bennett who had written that post!

He was a liberal arts major. In college, he had sent me countless affectionate love letters. I could recite every word of those letters from memory, and I had sealed each one in an envelope with tape, storing them in my wardrobe to this day.

I couldn't believe it. The man I had loved so deeply had spread such lies about me! No wonder he had never defended me under that post—he was the one behind it all!

In an instant, feelings of betrayal, regret, and confusion spread through my heart like poisonous vines. I was overwhelmed with pain and conflict. It felt like a volcano was ready to erupt in my mind, billowing with smoke, just one spark away from exploding. I banged my head, forcing myself to stay calm. I still didn't want to believe Ethan Bennett had betrayed me. I needed to hear him admit it in person.

In a daze, I ran to Ethan Bennett's company and stopped him just as he was leaving work. Cutting straight to the point, I asked, "You wrote that post, didn't you? Why did you do it?"

Ethan Bennett clearly didn't want to 搭理 me and walked straight past. I shouted at his back, "Just tell me why you did it! I won't do anything to you. Why would you treat me like this?"

Suddenly, I thought of Ethan Bennett's first love. "Is this because of Clara Winslow?"

At the sound of that name, Ethan Bennett strode over to me, his voice cold as ice. "This has nothing to do with her. If you want to take your anger out on someone, take it out on me. Can't you just leave Shuwan alone? I now realize meeting you was a mistake! How dare you still come to see me, you shameless woman?"

Seeing the anger swirling in Ethan Bennett's eyes, I was overcome with sorrow. The last of my resolve crumbled. Tears blurred my vision as I said, "Ethan Bennett, don't be like this. I just want to know the truth. I want to know why you posted that article. Why did you do it?"

"Does it matter who wrote it? It's all in the past now!"

"Doesn't it?" I let out a bitter laugh, muttering to myself, "Right... it's all over."

Ethan Bennett brushed the matter off with a casual remark, completely oblivious that even though the incident was "in the past," the damage it had done to me would never be erased.

As Ethan Bennett turned to leave again, I quickly grabbed his arm. He wrenched his hand away, yelling at me, "What do you want from me?! You're so annoying! Coming to disturb my life every other day—how is it that you didn't die during that online harassment? It would be better if you disappeared from this world! If I were slandered like that, I would have jumped off a building a long time ago!"

In that moment, Ethan Bennett's words hit me like a bolt of lightning. "So you wrote that post to make me die? To make me disappear—disappear from your world... disappear from this world?"

I looked into Ethan Bennett's eyes, searching for an answer. He averted his gaze and said, "You're being ridiculous," before storming off, his figure vanishing into the crowd.

I had never felt so wronged in my life. I couldn't accept that the gentle Ethan Bennett—who had once been too afraid to raise his voice at me—was now yelling at me, telling me to die. Ever since Clara Winslow came back, Ethan Bennett had stopped being the man he used to be. Once again, I watched his figure disappear, and a splitting pain shot through my head, as if a string inside me had snapped. I clutched my head and burst into laughter—laughing at my own blindness, laughing at how stupid I had been to mistake a game for love. By then, his image had long vanished from my eyes, leaving only hatred behind.

I wanted to tear Ethan Bennett and his shadow to shreds. If he wanted me to disappear from his world, then I would grant his wish.