Four Childhood Heroes For Her? Fine, I Cut Off The Four Who Betrayed Me Chapter 03

Four Childhood Heroes For Her? Fine, I Cut Off The Four Who Betrayed Me Chapter 03

When the completed complaint was placed in my hands, I was still torn.

I had grown up with my four childhood friends, and our bond had always been deep.

Ethan’s care for me had always gone far beyond the other three.

When my parents passed away, I refused to let anyone near me.

Our families met and decided to send me to a residential psychiatric treatment facility.

Eight-year-old Ethan stood in front of the medical staff sent to take me away, begging them to give me one more chance.

He ate and slept beside me, and even when I lashed out and left him covered in scratches, he never gave up on me.

Eventually, I opened my heart and agreed to undergo therapy.

During my rehabilitation, the other three often grew frustrated by my slowness.

Only Ethan remembered the therapist’s advice—that the constant presence of loved ones was the true cure—and patiently walked me through those grueling exercises over and over again.

Gradually, I reintegrated into normal society.

Anyone who didn’t know my past would never guess I had once almost lost my sanity due to severe trauma.

If this lawsuit reached the court, it would destroy not only our twenty years of history, but also his professional future.

I asked my attorney to give me a little more time to think it over. But in the middle of the night, I received an urgent call from my academic advisor.

His tone was sharp and hurried. “Emma, I know you and Ava are close friends, but how could you give your final design project to her?”

“You even gave up your fellowship in Iceland!”

My mind went blank, and I instinctively denied it. “Professor, I didn’t give it up…”

My professor sent me a video of Ava speaking on stage as the honor graduate at the graduation ceremony.

In the video, Ava wore the custom gown I had ordered three months in advance, holding the physical jewelry prototype I had spent six months crafting, proudly displaying it to the audience.

The auditorium erupted in thunderous applause as the dean took the microphone and announced enthusiastically:

“Miss Monroe’s capstone project not only won first place in the International Young Jewelry Designers Competition, but also earned her a prestigious fellowship at the Iceland University of the Arts!”

“Let us congratulate Miss Monroe, and encourage everyone to follow her example!”

I quickly logged onto the university network, only to find that my name on the honor graduate exhibition page had been replaced with Ava Monroe’s.

Opening my email, I confirmed that the acceptance letter sent by the Iceland University of the Arts was also addressed to Ava Monroe.

I recalled the awkward expressions on my four friends’ faces before the trip, when I excitedly told them my capstone project had been approved and that I was about to study in Europe.

I hadn’t understood what was wrong then.

Until I scrolled back through our group chat and saw a message from Ethan, casually asking for my student portal and email login credentials.

He had claimed he wanted to double-check my capstone submission and fellowship application just to be safe.

In that moment, my heart turned to ash. My hands trembled violently as I dialed Ethan’s number.

The call connected immediately. Through the receiver, I heard the rowdy celebration of the four boys cheering for Ava.

Even surrounded by the noise, I felt as if I were standing alone in a blizzard. It took me a long time to steady my voice.

“Was it you who changed the credit on my final design to Ava? Did you use my work to steal my fellowship for her?”

“Ethan, you knew how much effort I put into this opportunity! You knew my parents’ company needed this entry into the international market to survive! Do you even have a conscience?”

Ethan laughed and told the people around him, “Just a spam call.”

Then he hung up.

When I tried calling back, I found I had been blocked.