No One Gets to Rewrite Our Love

A girl I’d never met dropped to her knees in front of everyone, begging me to give her my boyfriend. “I really love him. I can’t live without him. Please, will you give him back to me?” “Is this your ex?” “No. Lady, who are you?” My boyfriend looked completely bewildered. I believed they didn’t know each other and assumed she was mentally unwell. But later, I saw him holding her in his arms, begging her to forgive him. I stepped out of the fitting room, and a pretty young woman suddenly rushed over and knelt in front of me. “Please, give Ethan Bennett back to me. I’m begging you.” “You two won’t end up happy together. Ethan and I are meant to be.” “Please. Please.” She knelt at my feet, tears streaming down her face. She looked so pitiful. If she hadn’t been trying to steal my boyfriend, I might have felt sorry for her. Noticing she’d said “give him back” rather than “let me have him,” I raised an eyebrow at Ethan, who looked just as confused as I was. “Your ex?” The girl tipped her face up toward him and cried, “Ethan!” Ethan hurried to my side, anxiously explaining that he had no idea who this woman was. “Lady, who are you?” His cold response seemed to hurt her even more. She stared miserably at his right arm around me and whispered, “How could you forget me?” She’d caused enough of a scene that a crowd had gathered outside the store. “What’s going on? Is the girlfriend kneeling in front of the side chick?” “Maybe not. The one standing looks more like the real girlfriend to me.” “From what that girl’s saying, maybe he lost his memory, forgot her, and started dating someone else?” In a few short minutes, they’d dreamed up enough drama to fill a dozen soap operas. “Security! There’s a crazy woman here. Get her out.” Ethan called the guards over and watched the struggling girl with undisguised disgust. “Ethan! You’ll regret treating me this way!” The guards hauled her to her feet. As they led her away, she turned and gave Ethan one last, despairing look. Ethan rolled his eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. “What is wrong with her?” “Babe, did she scare you? You have to believe me. I really don’t know that lunatic.” He tugged at me, looking wounded. Normally, I found him adorable when he acted like this. I could never resist stroking his hair. This time, I knocked his hand away and said petulantly, “If I’d known one of your admirers would be here, I wouldn’t have come.” Realizing I was genuinely upset, Ethan immediately called his assistant. “Pull today’s mall security footage. Find out which psychiatric hospital that woman who knelt in front of Vivi escaped from.” The mall belonged to the Bennett family. Getting the footage would be easy, and with their connections, looking into one girl wouldn’t be difficult either. I was curious myself. What exactly was her connection to Ethan? Whether he’d been fooling around or still had feelings for an ex, the moment I had proof, I’d dump him and call off the engagement. I, Vivian Parker, was allergic to unfaithful men.After a relaxing bath, I asked the housekeeper to warm up a glass of milk. Now that I’d calmed down, I realized I still believed Ethan. The Parkers and the Bennetts were close, and Ethan and I had grown up together. I knew exactly which girls had ever been around him. That girl’s appearance was strange, but I’d never considered her a threat. To put it bluntly, someone like her wouldn’t normally get within ten feet of Ethan. Still... I kicked a stool in annoyance. “Stupid Ethan. He could at least try a little harder to make me feel better.” Suddenly, more than a dozen Snapchat friend requests popped up on my phone. Who was it? Had something happened to the puppy Ethan and I had adopted from the animal hospital? [Hi, Vivian. I’m Violet.] That familiar tone gave me a bad feeling. [I really, really love Ethan. More than anything.] [You already have so much. Can’t you let me have him?] [I can’t live without Ethan.] My fists clenched. I wasn’t about to indulge this lunatic, so I immediately replied: [Why should I? Because you’re crazy?] Violet’s reply came almost instantly. [Because I love him. I fell hopelessly in love with him the moment I first saw him.] [No one in this world loves him more than I do! Not even you.] [Why are you so determined to refuse to see the truth?] [You won’t end up happy together. You’ll die a horrible death.] [I’m the one Ethan is destined to be with!] Until then, I’d been willing to watch her make a spectacle of herself. But the moment she wished a horrible death on me, my expression darkened. I blocked the lunatic. She had no intention of leaving me alone. Furious, she started sending texts instead. [Did you block me because you’re ashamed? Because you know you don’t love him as much as I do?] [Ethan is going to be my husband!] [Our names both start with Vi. Do you think that’s a coincidence?] [Guess how I got your number. Ethan gave it to me, of course. You clueless little clown.] She sounded more unhinged with every message, but the last one did make me pause. Very few people had my private number. Was she really Ethan’s lover? Well, well. That bastard. I blocked her number too, then sent Ethan screenshots. He called within minutes. “Vivi, ignore that crazy woman.” I raised an eyebrow. “Care to explain, Mr. Bennett?” He sighed helplessly on the other end. “She’s one of the low-income students supported by the Bennett Group’s scholarship program. But you know how those programs work. We fund a whole group, and the staff handles the details. I’ve never even met her.” “Vivi, you can’t blame me for some lunatic.” A faint whine crept into his voice. It was the tone he always used when he wanted me to soften. I often teased him for being like a puppy, always whining for attention. Unfortunately, it worked on me every time. I couldn’t help laughing. “Ethan, I believe you. Because I love you.” I could picture him practically bouncing with joy. If he’d had a tail, he would have wagged it right off. In our relationship, he really was the one who spoiled me more. When we were little, my parents strictly controlled what I ate. He would sneak me little pastries. In school, a girl once handed him a love letter. When he saw my face fall, he turned her down right in front of me. “Vivi is the only girl I’ll ever love.” He was a spoiled heir, yet he warmed my feet with his hands when it was cold. In summer, if he wanted to hold me and I complained about the heat, he’d just crouch nearby, whining and looking at me with pleading eyes. Ethan and I were childhood sweethearts. A perfect match. Wouldn’t I know if a girl like Violet had ever been part of his life? “Vivi, are you laughing?” “If you’re laughing, you’re not allowed to be mad at me anymore.” His voice brushed against my ear. Even through the phone, it gave me a little shiver. “Ethan,” I said. “I want fried chicken. The kind you make.” I loved fried chicken, but I worried about gaining weight. So Ethan had figured out how to make a version with less oil and salt that still tasted amazing. He made it for me. Only me. Our parents even teased us about it. We came from two wealthy families but acted like an ordinary young couple making ends meet. “Sure. Come to my office tomorrow. I’ll bring it for you.”I ran into someone I had no desire to see. Violet was blocking Ethan outside his company’s entrance, her eyes red. “Ethan, why did you tell the Bennett Group to stop supporting me?” “You know perfectly well that without the scholarship, my parents will sell me off to some single man back home!” Ethan was clearly losing patience. He was still carrying the spicy skillet meal he’d prepared for me. When he saw me, he looked even more aggrieved. He pushed past Violet and hurried over. “Vivi, she’s harassing me. I haven’t even looked at her, so don’t get the wrong idea.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Violet clutching the hem of her shirt, her expression ugly. Still, she refused to give up. She came over and grabbed Ethan’s sleeve. “Ethan...” He shook her off as if she were trash. The poor, delicate little flower finally burst into tears. I’d been having a lovely day. Of course seeing someone so unpleasant soured my mood. But we were standing outside the Bennett Group. It wouldn’t look good if people who didn’t know the story saw us “bullying” a young woman. If she caused a scene and someone twisted it into a scandal, we’d have a problem. I slipped my arm through Ethan’s and gave it a gentle shake. “Ethan, let her come inside. If there’s a misunderstanding, we should clear it up.” He brushed his nose against mine. “Whatever you say.” Violet went pale at the sight of our affection, but she had no choice except to follow us inside. In the elevator, she quickly pressed the floor button before either of us could, then turned and smiled at Ethan. Her little trick was obvious. She wanted me to know she knew what floor his office was on, implying they had a special relationship. What a self-important clown. When the doors opened, Violet shoved past me and headed straight for the security scanner outside Ethan’s office suite. When the system announced, “Beep. Facial recognition failed,” her face visibly fell. “Oh... I forgot. It isn’t time yet.” Ethan and I exchanged a look. We clearly agreed that someone should call a car and take her to a psychiatric hospital. “Excuse me. Move, please.” I gently nudged the little flower aside and unlocked the door with my own face. Ethan had added me to the system ages ago. He held nothing back when it came to loving me. Neither of us paid Violet any attention. Looking close to tears, she squeezed through just before the door shut. Ethan set the food on his desk and carefully opened the containers. Then he picked up a piece of fried chicken and fed it to me himself. Something flickered in Violet’s eyes as she looked at the golden, fragrant chicken. She picked up the mug I’d bought Ethan as part of a matching set and went looking for the water dispenser without asking. “This food is too greasy. I’ll get you some water.” She claimed she was getting water for both of us, but she only took one mug. When she carefully carried it back to Ethan, I finally put down my fork. “Are you applying to be a maid, Ms. Hayes? If so, isn’t plain hot water a little inappropriate to serve your employers?” Violet stared at her hands, reddened by the hot mug, and said miserably, “I was just worried the food was too greasy.” Ethan kept serving me food as he spoke casually. “Vivi likes her food light. Everything I make for her is low in oil and salt.” Violet quietly set down the mug and murmured: “Oh... I was just remembering how you always used to cook for me. I thought...” I slammed my fork onto the desk, raised my hand, and slapped her. “My family knows a psychiatrist. Perhaps I could introduce you.” Violet covered her cheek and stared at me in disbelief. Then she appealed to Ethan through her tears. “You’re just going to let her hit me?” Ethan glanced up at her. “You should consider it an honor.” Violet threw down her bag in fury. “I’m your wife, Ethan Bennett!” She lunged at me, but Ethan stepped in front of me. Smack. Another slap landed on Violet’s left cheek. Now they matched. Ethan tugged at his collar. “As a rule, I don’t hit women. But my fiancée comes first. Anyone who tries to hurt her doesn’t get that protection.” “As for your scholarship, you’re an adult now. Ending your support is perfectly legal and within the program’s terms. If there’s nothing else, you need to leave. Security, take her out.” Violet’s eyes filled with tears. She stared at Ethan with grief, anger, and a desperate resolve. The guards arrived quickly. For the second time, Violet was dragged away. She turned back and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Ethan, I’ve lived this life before! I really am your future wife!” “There’s a red mole on the inside of your left thigh!”