The screech of brakes tore through the silence.
"Are you insane? Slamming the brakes like that on the highway? You could've killed someone!" Hailey Tang gasped, clutching her seatbelt as the car jolted to a halt.
Ethan Yu gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles pale from the force. His voice came out cold, almost vicious. "It was just a dog."
Hailey blinked, stunned for a moment. Then she let out a disbelieving laugh. "So what if it's a dog? A life is still a life! Even a dog's life deserves respect!"
"Respect?" Ethan sneered. "For a dog? Don't be ridiculous. A dog is still just a dog. I don't see why I should respect it."
His words cut sharper than they should have. Hailey stared at him, confused and a little hurt. She had no idea what had gotten into him today—he was acting so… irrational.
"Fine, no one's asking you to respect anything." Her voice was clipped. "Just drop me off at the next plaza. I'll get out there."
They were still on the expressway, and under any other circumstance, she wouldn't dream of asking to be let off in the middle of nowhere. But being stuck in the same space as Ethan Yu right now felt suffocating.
Ethan's expression darkened even further. A cold, stormy silence descended between them.
"Can you drive already? How long are you planning to sit here? This is a highway!" Hailey snapped, frustration rising as the seconds ticked by.
Without a word, Ethan suddenly slammed down the gas.
The car surged forward.
Hailey lurched in her seat with a startled cry, barely managing to steady herself. He did that on purpose!
Her hands curled into fists on her lap, but she bit back the urge to argue. No point fighting a man already boiling with anger for no reason.
Just then, her phone rang. The screen lit up with Jo Ning's name.
Hailey quickly steadied her breath and answered. "Hello, Jo?"
"Hailey! They caught the guy—the suspect from that night! The police just called me. They want us to come to the station."
"They got him?!" Hailey sat up straighter, her earlier frustration momentarily forgotten. "That's amazing! I'll head over right away!"
Ethan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He clearly overheard the call, and his jaw tightened.
Hailey put her phone away and said without looking at him, "I need to go to the police station. Just drop me off ahead."
Ethan didn't even hesitate. "I'm going too."
Hailey turned to him, startled. "Why? What does this have to do with you?"
He let out a cold, humorless laugh. "You think you can handle this on your own? You're still my wife—at least on paper. Do you really think I wouldn't get involved?"
His voice was sharp, layered with a strange possessiveness that made her heart stutter.
She stared at him for a beat, then turned her head away. "Suit yourself."
If he wanted to come, so be it.
⸻
By the time they arrived at the police station, Ethan's lawyer was already waiting at the entrance. Clearly, he had made arrangements before even telling her. The kind of man who always took control—Hailey found herself both annoyed and impressed.
Jo Ning had arrived before them, alone. When she saw Hailey, her face lit up and she rushed over.
"Did you see him yet?" Hailey asked.
Jo shook her head. "I couldn't bring myself to. Just thinking about that night… I still get chills."
That night had left a scar. A shadow that followed her even now. But seeing Hailey's determined face gave her courage.
"Let's go together," Hailey said, giving her a reassuring nod. "You're not alone this time."
Encouraged by Hailey's steady voice, Jo Ning nodded, her grip tightening around her purse.
Meanwhile, Ethan had already finished speaking with the officer in charge and walked over to them with a calm but unreadable expression. The officer followed behind him.
"The suspect's name is Wang Qiang," the officer informed them. "He refuses to talk—denies everything. Says he has nothing to do with it."
"Of course he does," Ethan muttered under his breath.
"He's an orphan," the officer continued. "We've already contacted his only known relative—an older girl from the same orphanage. She'll be here soon."
Jo Ning looked stunned. "He's an orphan? I had no idea."
She had known his family situation was bad, but this… she never imagined he had no family at all.
Hailey's heart tightened. An orphan…
A name flashed through her mind—Lin Xin'er.
She too was an orphan.
In her previous life, Hailey had only discovered that fact by accident. She remembered using it cruelly—publicly humiliating Lin Xin'er just to lower her value in Ethan Yu's eyes. She had wanted Ethan to feel that someone like Lin Xin'er didn't deserve him. That she was too low, too dirty, too alone.
Back then, it had worked.
Lin Xin'er had been shamed, devastated. Ethan had looked at her with disdain.
But now… Hailey suddenly felt a strange ache in her chest.
She had thought that exposing Lin Xin'er would bring her satisfaction.
Instead, all it had brought was regret.
She had been so focused on tearing others down, proving herself worthy in Ethan's eyes, that she'd become someone she didn't even recognize.
And now? The tables had turned.
She was the one standing here, wounded and wary, holding herself together by sheer will.
She was no longer the woman who begged for his approval.
And Ethan?
He stood beside her silently, his presence dominating the room, his eyes never leaving her.
Whether he cared or not, whether he felt guilt or just control—it no longer mattered.
Because after this chapter closed, Hailey wasn't looking back.
Not at him.
Not at her past.
And definitely not at the woman she used to be.