I Found His Mistress in His Virtual Fitting RoomChapter 3

Two days before our engagement party, the company organizes a trip.

But the trip is supposed to celebrate our anniversary.

Last month, I stayed up late planning it for our fifth anniversary. I picked the trail, the lookout point, the cabin, and even the hour when the meteor shower was supposed to peak.

Ethan barely glanced at the tablet before closing it.

"Stargazing takes too much time," he said. "I have investors to meet. Be good. I'll make it up to you when things slow down."

Now that Lena says she wants to see shooting stars, he clears two full days himself.

Before we leave, admin sends out a form for our outdoor gear.

Lena's section is filled out carefully with her height, shoe size, allergies, medication, and even a note saying she's afraid of the dark.

Mine has one word under size: Oversized.

The admin assistant looks at me.

"Do you want us to measure you again, Director Reed?"

Ethan answers before I can.

"No need. She doesn't care that much about clothes. Loose is more comfortable for her."

At midnight, the wind picks up at the top of the mountain, and the temperature drops fast.

I only have a thin knit top under my coat, and soon I'm shaking from the cold.

Ethan opens the trunk and takes out a fitted windbreaker.

The tag is still attached. Size small.

Lena stands in the wind with her arms wrapped around herself.

Ethan unfolds the jacket and helps her into it, then pulls the zipper all the way up to her chin.

"The mountain wind is strong," he says. "Why are you trying to act tough?"

Lena looks at him, her lashes trembling.

"Ethan, I thought this jacket was for Nina."

"She has me."

Ethan walks back to me and wraps his arms around me from behind. He opens his coat and pulls me against him, covering me with his warmth as his chin rests on top of my head.

"I'm right here," he says. "Isn't a man holding you warmer than some jacket?"

The coworkers around us start laughing and teasing.

Ethan tightens his arm around my waist and lowers his voice.

"Nina, people are watching. Give me a little dignity."

His body is warm, but my heart goes cold, inch by inch.

Half an hour later, we start down the trail.

Lena's strappy heels rub her skin raw. She grabs the railing, her eyes red with pain.

Ethan stops immediately.

"Don't move."

He takes my crossbody bag from my shoulder and opens the inner pocket. Inside is my last box of hydrocolloid blister pads.

They're not regular blister pads. Because my ankle bone sits at a strange angle, I once asked a friend overseas to help me order custom curved ones. They're the only kind that actually stay on my skin.

Ethan once studied the packaging for a long time.

"I'll remember this brand," he told me. "Tell me when you run out."

Now he kneels in front of Lena and tears open the last one.

His movements are slow and careful as he presses the edges flat with his fingertips and smooths the pad over her heel.

"Stand up and try it," he says. "Don't rush."

Lena puts a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, Ethan."

The year I first started working, I wore heels to meet clients until both my heels were bleeding.

Ethan knelt on the sidewalk just like this and put bandages on me.

That night, he carried my shoes in one hand and carried me on his back for three miles.

When Ethan stands up now, I've already looked away.

He reaches for my hand.

"The stairs ahead are steep. Hold on to me."

I step aside.

"No. I can walk by myself."

His brows draw together.

Before he can say anything, Lena sucks in a breath from the pain.

Ethan turns to steady her without thinking.

I go down the steps alone.

After a dozen yards, Ethan catches up and lays a scarf over my shoulders.

"Are you throwing a fit again?" he asks. "It's one blister pad. Why are you acting like a child?"

"It's something money can buy. Do you really have to make it a problem?"

Someone ahead warns Lena that the path is slippery.

Ethan's eyes immediately move to her.

I walk past him and don't stop until I reach the bottom of the mountain.

At the parking lot, Ethan tells the driver to take Lena to urgent care first.

Then he puts his own car keys in my hand.

"You drive home first," he says. "I'll go with her and come back after the doctor checks her foot."

The keys feel cold in my palm.