This Time, I Choose Her to Live

Chapter 2

I was discharged from the hospital and returned to our marital home to recuperate. Ethan didn't come home that night.

Early the next morning, I was woken by the rumble of suitcases rolling across the floor downstairs.

Jenna stood in the entryway wrapped in Ethan's coat, with four suitcases lined up behind her.

Ethan supported her, and the look he gave me was cold.

"Jenna is kind-hearted. Thinking of the sisterly bond between you two, she asked me not to pursue what you did to her.

"You should be grateful that nothing happened to Jenna. Otherwise, I would never forgive you.

"It just so happens the doctor said Jenna has severe aftereffects from nearly drowning and cannot be left alone.

"I'm giving you a chance to make up for your mistake. Stay with Jenna and take good care of her while she recovers.

"This time, with me watching, don't even think about pulling any more tricks."

My breath caught.

Every detail of this house, from the bricks in the walls to the exact shade of the curtains, had been chosen by Ethan and me.

When Jenna came to our housewarming party, she'd laughed and sworn she'd never intrude on our life.

Now, here she was, all her belongings in tow, moving right in.

Ethan instructed, "The guest room is too close to the pool. Jenna gets scared whenever she hears water. The master bedroom is farthest from the pool. Let her sleep there for a few days."

Jenna looped her arm through mine in an overly familiar gesture.

"We're best friends. You don't mind, right, Summer?"

In my previous life, every woman Ethan brought home had stayed here too.

I'd scrubbed my hands until they were raw, cracked, and bleeding, but I could never wash away the strange scent they left clinging to our bedsheets.

This time, the nightmare had started even earlier.

"You can stay."

Lunch consisted entirely of Jenna's favorite seafood dishes.

I was allergic to shrimp. Ethan used to forbid even a single shrimp from entering the house.

Jenna peeled one and dropped it straight into my bowl.

I stared at the shrimp, a sudden sting burning the back of my nose.

Once upon a time, she'd been the one to push all seafood away from me before I could even reach for it.

I'd really thought she was my best friend.

Ethan picked the shrimp out of my bowl and casually held it to Jenna's lips.

"Always being so naughty. She can't eat this. You have it."

Jenna opened her mouth and ate it, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she looked up at him.

"I was just teasing her! Summer's been so quiet ever since the k********g. I was only trying to lighten the mood."

Ethan sighed and gently flicked the tip of her nose.

That night, I'd just finished packing my things when a sharp scream tore through the house.

Jenna had knocked over a glass of water. It crashed to the floor, and she huddled in the corner of the bed, shivering as she kept crying that she was cold.

Ethan rushed into the room and pulled her into his arms, repeating the same soft reassurance over and over.

"It's okay. I'm here."

Those were the exact words he'd whispered in my ear every time I jolted awake from a nightmare.

Jenna suddenly lifted her head and kissed him hard.

Ethan's body went rigid for a split second, but he didn't push her away.

His gaze cut through her long hair and landed directly on me standing in the shadows outside the door.

He was waiting for me to storm in.

In my previous life, I'd torn the clothes off those other women and knelt on the floor, begging him to come back to me.

But now, I simply tightened my grip on my suitcase, turned around, and walked away.

My chest hurt so badly that every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass, yet I couldn't even be bothered to confront them over what I'd just witnessed.

Ethan finally pushed Jenna away, sprinted to the stair landing, and grabbed my arm.

"Why... didn't you do anything?"

I looked him straight in the eye. "Ethan, let's get a divorce."

He stared at my red-rimmed eyes, and the tension around his lips actually eased.

"You're really this upset over a kiss? That's one hell of a jealous fit."

He leaned down to kiss me, just like he'd always done after every fight we'd had, completely convinced that one kiss would be enough to make me give in.

I turned my head away and shoved him back hard.

"Don't touch me!"

Ethan stared down at me. The faint, smug satisfaction in his eyes disappeared almost instantly.

"Jenna didn't die, so I was willing to let the whole k********g thing go. But I take one step back, and you have the nerve to threaten me with divorce?"

He glared at me, his voice turning icy.

"Summer, I've spoiled you so much you've completely lost your sense of boundaries."

I glanced past him at Jenna standing in the master bedroom, wrapped in my bathrobe.

Whatever tiny spark of hope I'd had left died completely.

"You think divorce is that easy?"

Ethan pulled a gilded invitation from the inner pocket of his suit and slapped it down on top of my suitcase.

"Show up and publicly apologize to Jenna. Once the banquet is over, I'll let you go."