The sunlight outside the car window was blinding. Ethan Sullivan squinted at Sophia Laurent's silhouette standing beside the vehicle.

She wore a white sundress today, resembling a blooming gardenia in the sunlight.

The irony struck him hard.

Someone so pure carried another man in her heart.

"Drive," he ordered the chauffeur coldly.

Sophia slammed her palm against the window. "Ethan!"

The soundproof glass muffled her voice. He pretended not to hear.

In the rearview mirror, her figure shrank until it became a mere white speck.

His fists clenched. Nails dug deep into his palms.

His phone vibrated in his pocket.

Sophia.

He stared at the screen for three seconds before rejecting the call.

A text popped up instantly: What's wrong with you?

Ethan smirked and tossed the phone aside.

The driver hesitated. "Mr. Sullivan, to the office or—"

"Tang Palace."

Cigarette smoke swirled in the private room.

Business associates immediately summoned hostesses when he entered.

"No." He waved them off and retreated to a corner.

Whiskey after whiskey burned his throat but couldn't extinguish the fire inside.

His phone rang again.

This time he answered.

"Ethan, we need to talk." Sophia's voice carried that familiar tenderness through the receiver.

A woman's flirtatious laughter erupted in the background.

Silence on the other end.

"Busy?" Her tone turned icy.

He deliberately let the woman beside him speak.

Sophia's breath hitched audibly.

"Kyle and I—"

"Enough!" He cut her off sharply. "Don't say that name in front of me."

The whiskey glass shattered against the wall. Fragments scattered.

The room fell dead silent.

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"Be at Tang Palace in thirty minutes." He ended the call with a violent stab of his finger.

When Sophia pushed the door open, she saw a heavily made-up woman draping herself over Ethan.

The sight punched her in the chest.

Ethan lifted his gaze through the smoky haze, locking onto her face.

"Happy now?" He swirled his drink. "Got what you wanted."

Sophia stood rooted, fingers strangling her purse strap.

"Let's talk outside."

"Say it here." He drained his glass. "What? Afraid of the light?"

She inhaled deeply. "Kyle Grant is actually Lu Yao."

The glass thudded onto the coffee table.

"So?" His eyes turned razor-sharp. "Should I applaud your reunion?"

The others discreetly exited the room.

Sophia stepped forward. "He saved my life."

"And what about me?" Ethan surged to his feet. "What do these three years mean?"

She retreated a step.

"You knew all along—"

"Yes, I knew!" He ripped off his tie. "I knew every time you looked into my eyes, you saw him!"

Sophia paled.

"That's not true—"

"Choose." His voice turned glacial. "We end this today."

Her lips parted, but tears fell first.

Watching that single tear, Ethan felt his heart being torn in two.

His hand lifted halfway to wipe it away, then froze midair.

"I understand."

Grabbing his jacket, he strode toward the door without looking back.

Sophia caught his wrist. "Give me some time—"

"Time?" He shook her off. "Three years wasn't enough?"

At the threshold, he paused.

"Sophia, I'm setting you free."

As the door clicked shut, she heard the sound of her heart breaking.