My Secret Guardian Is an Incubus Chapter 04

My Secret Guardian Is an Incubus Chapter 04 The Trashy Ex Returns
I never knew any of that before.
But thinking about it now…
It really was strange.
I’d lived alone in Blackwater City for three years, yet nothing bad had ever happened to me.
No creepy men following me home.
No harassment.
No dangerous late-night encounters.
Had Lucien really been protecting me the entire time?
My emotions twisted into a mess.
Then my eyes landed on the row of porcelain couple figurines sitting on my desk.
They were gifts Ethan had given me over the years.
Back then, he constantly forgot my birthday.
Every single time, I’d get upset first before he finally smiled sheepishly and pulled out another figurine, insisting he made it himself.
Five years together.
Five pairs of figurines.
That was every romantic gift Ethan Cole had ever given me.
Out of curiosity, I took a picture and searched them online.
A few seconds later, the results popped up immediately.
Temu.
Mass-produced.
Factory-made.
And the inside of the figurines even had the original shop logo stamped onto the bottom.
Price?
$0.99 each.
I stared at the screen in disbelief.
Compared to Lucien’s silent, almost obsessive devotion, Ethan’s so-called love suddenly looked as cheap as the figurines themselves.
The floating comments nearly died laughing after seeing me image-search them.
“SHE FINALLY FOUND OUT THEY WERE DOLLAR STORE GIFTS I’M SCREAMING.”
“Ethan really survived five years of dating on pure audacity.”
“Annie baby… your standards used to be in HELL.”
I twitched slightly.
Back then, I genuinely thought those stupid figurines were romantic.
Now that I looked back on it—
I really had been catastrophically stupid.
The sound of a key turning suddenly came from outside the apartment.
I froze.
Before I could react, the front door opened.
Vanessa walked in first.
Ethan followed right behind her.
The moment Ethan saw me holding the figurines, his eyes softened instantly.
“Annie…”
Three years apart had polished him into an even more attractive version of himself.
Tailored coat.
Gentle eyes.
That calm doctor-like elegance women loved.
Three years ago, I probably would’ve thrown myself into his arms.
Now?
I just felt annoyed.
Especially after learning the truth through the floating comments.
“Why are you here?” I snapped.
“And why do you have my apartment key?”
Vanessa smiled as if nothing was wrong.
Then she openly looked around my apartment with greedy eyes before sitting down on my couch like she owned the place.
“Your father gave it to me,” she said casually.
“I brought Ethan over so he could get familiar with the place.”
Ethan walked toward me slowly.
His gaze lowered tenderly onto my face.
“Annie, I finally figured it out.”
“You’re the person who’s right for me.”
“Back then, Chloe manipulated me. I thought I could save her, so I chased after her overseas and hurt you instead.”
“I know now that I was wrong.”
He paused dramatically before continuing softly—
“I also know you haven’t dated anybody these past few years because you were waiting for me.”
“So… I came back.”
I frowned harder and harder the longer he spoke.
Then the floating comments appeared again.
“Oh PLEASE. Chloe never manipulated him. This loser cheated because he thought he could marry rich and skip thirty years of hard work.”
“Now he sees Annie owns property and makes good money, suddenly he remembers his ‘true love.’ Funny how that works.”
“Annie’s family is trash too. Imagine helping outsiders scam your own daughter.”
“Once the stepmom showed up, her dad stopped having a spine.”
“Waiting for Ethan? Be serious. If he’d come back a week later, Annie probably would’ve already been dating Lucien.”
The memories came flooding back instantly.
Ethan humiliating me publicly.
Ethan taking my savings.
Ethan lying about “studying overseas” while chasing Chloe across another country.
I only discovered the truth because of Chloe’s<span< span=””> style=”color:red”> Instagram </span<>posts.
Heat rushed into my face.
Unfortunately, Ethan misunderstood immediately.
Thinking I was emotional, his expression softened even further.
Then he reached out and grabbed my wrist.
“Don’t be afraid anymore, Annie.”
“I’m not leaving this time.”
“And Vanessa already accepted the wedding money from my family.”
His voice grew lighter, almost excited.
“Now we can finally go home together and discuss the wedding properly. Aren’t you happy?”
Vanessa immediately lit up beside him.
“Exactly! Look how perfect this is. Childhood sweethearts finding their way back to each other.”
“Once you two get married, your father and I can move into this apartment too. The environment here is much better for his recovery.”
I stared at them in disbelief.
The floating comments exploded again.
“EXCUSE ME??? They already planned Annie’s entire future without asking her?”
“Lucien has approximately five seconds before he arrives on the scene.”
“The girl he’s loved for three years is suddenly about to marry somebody else. This man is about to SNAP.”
“Calling it now — Lucien’s dragging her home tonight.”
“Annie better prepare herself. Incubus possessiveness is not for the weak.”