Chapter 207
After Oscar finished speaking with firm seriousness, Michael said nothing more.
He simply nodded once, restrained and quiet, as though accepting something he wasn’t yet ready to fully confront.
Once most of the guests had been escorted out, Ethan finally noticed Michelle still standing alone near the edge of the hall.
She hadn’t left with the Keller family.
Instead, she had remained behind at a table, unmoving, as if her body had forgotten how to follow instructions.
Now, as the ballroom emptied and the noise faded, she slowly rose in a daze, preparing to leave.
“Michelle.”
A soft voice called out to her.
Ethan approached with measured steps.
She turned.
Her eyes were visibly red and slightly swollen. The remnants of tears had not yet dried, and her expression carried a raw, unsettled fragility.
“What is it?” she asked, her tone sharp but tired.
Ethan smiled gently, as if he hadn’t noticed her condition at all.
“You don’t look well tonight,” he said politely. “Did we fail to take proper care of you?”
“I’m fine,” Michelle replied immediately.
He nodded.
“You’ve had a few drinks, haven’t you? I’m heading out now—let me give you a ride.”
Michelle had already arranged her own transport.
Under normal circumstances, she would have refused without hesitation.
But tonight was different.
The shock had not left her.
Nick and Khloe’s marriage…
Legal.
Final.
Irreversible.
The thought alone made her chest feel suffocated.
After a brief pause, she followed Ethan out.
Inside the car, she ignored the front passenger seat and went straight to the back.
Ethan didn’t comment.
He simply started driving.
The silence between them stretched.
He attempted a few polite conversation starters, but Michelle barely responded. Her mind was elsewhere—stuck in the image of Nick holding Khloe’s hand, standing before everyone without hesitation.
Eventually, Ethan stopped trying.
Only the sound of the engine filled the car.
They hadn’t gone far when the vehicle stopped at a red light.
Suddenly, Michelle leaned forward.
“I’m going to be sick.”
Her voice was strained.
Before Ethan could react, she was already fumbling for the door.
He quickly unlocked it and pulled over near the roadside.
The moment the car stopped, Michelle rushed out, staggering toward a nearby tree.
She bent over and vomited, completely disregarding her appearance, her makeup, or the expensive dress she wore.
Ethan stepped out more slowly.
He turned his head slightly, clearly uncomfortable, and took a silk handkerchief from his pocket before offering it to her.
“You’ve had a rough night,” he said softly.
His tone was gentle.
But his eyes were not.
There was a faint trace of disdain beneath his calm expression.
Michelle Keller—once the flawless socialite everyone admired—now looked unsteady, disheveled, and emotionally broken.
All because of Nick Hunt.
Ethan watched her for a moment longer before averting his gaze.
After a while, Michelle straightened up, wiped her mouth, and leaned back against the tree.
Then she casually tossed the handkerchief aside.
Ethan’s eyes flickered slightly.
It was an expensive item.
Not that he cared about its loss—but the carelessness still registered.
“You don’t need to act so polite,” Michelle said hoarsely, her voice still unsteady. “Just say what you actually want.”
Ethan turned toward her with a faint smile.
“I simply feel sorry for you.”
“Sorry for me?” Michelle let out a short, humorless laugh. “For what exactly?”
Ethan stepped closer, his voice calm and deliberate.
“Everyone knows you and Nick grew up together.”
“A childhood bond. A perfect match in everyone’s eyes.”
“You were almost engaged once, weren’t you?”
He tilted his head slightly.
“And now in a single night… everything has changed.”
“Nick Hunt is now someone else’s husband.”
His gaze softened, as if offering comfort.
“Isn’t that something worth regretting?”
Michelle’s eyes sharpened instantly.
“What do you know?” she snapped.
But Ethan didn’t react.
He only smiled.
“I may not know everything,” he admitted lightly, “but I can see how deeply you feel about him.”
He paused briefly.
“And I can also see that a marriage formed so quickly between Nick and Khloe… isn’t necessarily stable.”
The words landed exactly where he intended.
Michelle fell silent.
Her expression shifted—anger slowly giving way to something more conflicted.
Ethan watched her closely.
Carefully.
Like someone testing a crack in glass.
“I can help you,” he said quietly.
Her gaze lifted.
He continued, voice smooth and persuasive.
“Just because they’re married now… does that mean they’ll stay married forever?”
“How long have Nick and Khloe even known each other?”
“And you…”
He stepped slightly closer, lowering his voice.
“How long have you known him?”
A pause.
Then, gently, he reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“If sincerity doesn’t work…”
“Then take back what belongs to you.”
His smile deepened faintly.
“I’ll help you.”
Michelle stared at him.
For a moment, something inside her—pain, jealousy, longing, desperation—stirred all at once.
Like a spark catching in dry grass.
And in that fragile silence…
It began to burn.