You Can't Fix What You Shattered

Chapter 39: You Can't Fix What You Shattered

The silence in Li's office was heavier than Ethan remembered.

Her blinds were closed. Her desk was spotless. And she hadn't looked up once since he walked in.

"I asked for ten minutes," he said quietly. "Just ten."

Li didn't stop typing. "If it's not work-related, then I suggest you email."

He let out a breath. "This isn't how I want us to be."

"This is how we should've been from the start," she replied. "Professional. Distant."

The words cut deeper than he expected.

Later that day, the board held a closed-door session. Whispers filtered through the walls—about image, marriage, ethics. About how emotional entanglements were threatening shareholder confidence.

Su Rina smiled too sweetly through the glass as she passed by Ethan, like she already knew she was winning.

That night, Li stood at the edge of a luxury rooftop venue, forced to attend the company's quarterly gala. She wore a deep navy gown, elegant and untouchable, her mask of indifference flawless.

But Ethan couldn't stop looking at her.

He watched her smile at clients with forced grace. Watched her take a glass of champagne, sip, and then drift away—like she didn't belong to anyone anymore.

Like she never did.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, approaching her as a slow song began.

Li turned to him slowly, eyes unreadable.

"This isn't a fairy tale, Ethan."

"No," he said. "It's a war I started. And I'm trying to surrender."

A shadow of something flickered in her eyes—pain, nostalgia, or maybe regret.

She let him take her hand.

The dance was quiet, tense. Her body close, yet her soul miles away.

"You didn't used to be this cold," he whispered.

"You didn't used to lie," she replied.

He tightened his grip just slightly. "I want to fix this."

"You can't fix what you shattered."

Her voice didn't waver. Her heart did.

By the time the dance ended, the room had blurred into soft lights and murmurs. Li stepped back, the champagne finally hitting her system.

"Do you even know what you broke?" she said, her tone sharper now. "You didn't just lie to me, Ethan. You made me fall… and then laughed while I believed it was real."

He stood frozen.

"I was never your wife," she added quietly. "Just a clause in your contract."

Then she walked away—heels clicking like a heartbeat, fading into the night.