Unlocked His Phone, Divorced Him Chapter 03

Unlocked His Phone, Divorced Him Chapter 03

I pushed the door open and tried to get out myself.

But Ethan was faster—he bent down, hooked an arm under my knees, and lifted me before I could get a foot on the ground.

Not gentle, but steady.

Inside, he grabbed the first aid kit, fumbled with the spray cap, and pressed too hard—a burst of cold liquid hit my ankle before he even aimed.

His jaw was tight the whole time. He never looked me in the eye.

“Don’t do that again.”

I just watched him in silence as he finished.

This was always how Ethan worked—a slap in the face, then a piece of candy to make it better.

Hot and cold, back and forth, until I’d spent years exhausting myself trying to figure out where I stood. Did he even care about me? Even a little? It’s stupid to obsess over whether someone loves you. But I’d been stupid for five years. Time to wake up.

I stopped overthinking and just said, “Thanks.”

Ethan didn’t move. He stood in front of the couch, frozen.

“Something else?”

He pressed his lips together. “Don’t you have anything to ask me?”

I shook my head calmly.

I’d already checked Evelyn’s social media. Yesterday, she’d posted a photo from the plane—just landed. The caption read: Waiting for you.

I’d scrolled through every comment. No trace of Ethan. No like, no reply.

But I knew he’d be there. And he was.

“I’m tired. I’m going to sleep.” I stood up. “I’ll take the guest room tonight.”

Ethan grabbed my wrist.

“Claire.”

For once, he actually volunteered an explanation. “It’s not what you think between me and Evelyn. She just got back. And she’s still not used to it here. I was just helping her out.”

I nodded. “Right.”

He searched my face, looking for any crack in the calm. Any sign I was pretending.

“Claire. She and I ended a long time ago. We’re just friends now.”

I gave a disinterested nod. “Got it.”

Ethan drew me against his chest. He leaned in to kiss me—something he almost never did first.

The heat of his body bled through the thin fabric—warmth I’d once craved more than anything.

He knew physical affection melted me. He thought one kiss would undo it all.

I turned my head away.

His body locked. He hadn’t seen that coming. Not from me. Never from me.

Then his face darkened—confusion twisting into something harder.

“Claire! My patience has limits. Don’t test me.”

That night, we slept apart. Ethan took the guest room and left me the master.

The next morning, the apartment was quiet. He was already gone.

I kept a straight face and went straight to the office to hand in my resignation letter.

If I was leaving, I was going all the way.

I’d only stayed at this company because of him—so we could work together, spend more time in each other’s orbit.

But at work, he kept our marriage a secret. Said it wasn’t a good idea to let people know.

Not only that—he kept his distance. When he needed someone for business trips, he never picked me. In meetings, I was invisible. Even when I delivered a major project solo, I never got a word of praise.

My coworkers started wondering if he had something against me. Or if I’d crossed him somehow.

HR was one of the few people who knew the truth about us.

“What? You’re leaving?”

“Mr. Ethan said you were being demoted—he never said anything about you leaving…”

I blinked. “Demoted?”

HR nodded, a flicker of sympathy in her eyes.

“Your position was taken over by someone who just came back from abroad—a total outsider. Mr. Ethan personally approved it.”

A cold chill ran through me. I heard my own voice—shaking.

“Her name… is it Evelyn?”

“Yeah! That’s the name.”

I almost couldn’t stand. I gripped the desk for support.

Even though I was already leaving, this news hit me like a freight train—a devastation I couldn’t have prepared for.

At work, Ethan never gave me a single advantage. I fought my way up to Director, every single step, on my own.

And he gave it away. Just like that. To her.