He Destroyed the Tenderly Nurtured Rose by His Own Hands

I spent the next day sorting and packing all my things, moving into the room at the end of the hallway.

It was the farthest room from Ethan.

When the butler, Shawn, offered to help me with my belongings, I stopped him.

"Let's just leave it for now. I'll be staying on campus soon, and it'll just gather dust."

As I carried my suitcase downstairs, I saw Sophie playfully hanging on Ethan.

He held her waist with one hand and supported her back with the other, his expression tender as if he were protecting a precious treasure.

When he noticed me coming down, he gently nudged her. "Come on, it's time to go."

Sophie pouted and shook her head. "Kiss me, and I'll come down."

Ethan sighed in exasperation but leaned down to place a kiss on her lips.

I hadn't realized they were waiting for me.

I pressed my lips together, the words of refusal stuck in my throat.

Once in the car, Sophie suddenly turned to me. "Emma, why is it that Ethan just let you move in, yet you're going to stay in a dorm? Are you still holding a grudge over the past?"

As our eyes met, I recognized the familiar challenge in hers.

Back in freshman year, Sophie had seen Ethan drop me off and pretended to be friendly to get closer to him.

I had encountered countless women like her since I was thirteen; their eyes gleamed with ulterior motives, and I saw right through Sophie's intentions.

I had been spoiled by Ethan's affection and didn't grasp subtlety; I confronted Sophie directly without leaving her any dignity.

After that, she began isolating me with two other girls from our dorm and secretly sabotaging me—like when they soaked my bed while I was in the shower.

When I discovered what they'd done, Sophie would taunt me, saying, "What proof do you have that we did it?"

They would mix strange substances into my skincare products when I wasn't around, causing allergic reactions.

It wasn't until I confronted them physically that Ethan found out.

From then on, he personally picked me up and dropped me off at school to protect me from further bullying.

But all of that crumbled on my twenty-first birthday when my bold confession sent Ethan running from me like I was poison.

The one who picked me up became Shawn instead.

And there was Sophie—despite everything—still standing beside Ethan.

Seeing me silent and downcast, Sophie shook Ethan's arm as he held the steering wheel. "Ethan, maybe I should just stay in the dorm? It was my fault back then; it's reasonable for Emma to dislike me."

The car swerved slightly before Ethan quickly corrected it.

He didn't scold her for such reckless behavior; instead, he glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Emma, what happened in the past is over. I've taught you to be magnanimous. Besides, Sophie will be my wife; you should learn to get along."

My hands clenched tightly together until they turned red.

In an instant, I released all tension and nodded obediently. "Okay."

Silence enveloped the car.

I didn't see Ethan frowning at me in the mirror for a long time.

Perhaps he had never seen me so compliant before.

In the past, I had been bold because I knew he was behind me; now, as Sophie said, I felt like a "pitiful creature" relying on others—what right did I have to say 'no'?

Sophie didn't like that Ethan's gaze lingered on me; she quickly changed the subject.

The front seat buzzed with chatter again as they seemed to have endless topics to discuss.

Meanwhile, I sat quietly in the backseat, gazing out at the blurred landscape outside—the colors of green and yellow merging into a hazy backdrop.

Between the front and back seats lay an invisible barrier that completely separated us into two worlds.