ManyWriters

Ethan Blake's father was my family's bodyguard. He was brutally stabbed to death while rescuing me from kidnappers.
My father, consumed by guilt, took Ethan into our home and raised him as part of our family. He planned for Ethan to marry me when we grew up, as a way in honor of this debt of gratitude.
I also felt indebted and tried everything to win Ethan's affection, almost to the point of fawning over him.
However, Ethan always treated me with cold indifference, barely acknowledging my existence.
One evening, I was working on my personal statements for university applications, he suddenly came to see me and asked about my preparations for the Science Innovation Award.
I thought he had finally warmed up to me and excitedly shared all the details of my project with him.
One week later, I discovered that Ethan's childhood sweetheart, Olivia, had stolen my idea and submitted it as her own for the competition.
She ended up winning first place in the Science Innovation Award and received an early admission to Stanford University.
Heartbroken, I confronted Ethan about why he had extracted my ideas to help Olivia.
He replied with utter indifference, "Aren't you supposed to be capable? Even without the early admission opportunity, you should be able to get in on your own merit."

My Dear Enemy, My New Beginning

Several weeks later, while Alexander and I were busy preparing our applications for the Ivy League exchange program, Ethan suddenly called me from an unfamiliar number.


"It's the anniversary of my father's passing today. Would you come with me to pay respects to him?" Ethan asked cautiously.


In previous years, I had always accompanied him to the cemetery on this day. But this year, I refused without a second thought: "I'll go to mourn Mr. Blake, but I won't go with you. I don't want to have any contact with you anymore."


Ethan hung up the phone, dejected. He had hoped to find an excuse to see me one more time, but I had completely rejected him.


As he entered the cemetery with a gloomy expression, a figure burst out from the bushes on a nearby hill, lunging at him with a gleaming knife.


"Go join your dad!" Olivia screamed maniacally.


Ethan instinctively raised his arm to block, but the blade still sliced deep into the tendon of his thigh.


Chapter 10