I'm Done Playing Your Love's Replacement, Sir

For five years, Ethan Stone spoiled me, making me the envy of every woman in the city.

He remembered I didn't eat spicy food, that I hated noise, and that I preferred simple, understated white dresses.

He even had white noise machines ready in advance, knowing I'd have trouble sleeping on rainy nights.

Everyone said he was madly in love with me.

Until that night, when I saw a list titled "My Dearest" in his notes app.

That's when I realized I didn't actually dislike spicy food, and I was never afraid of noise.

Every single item on that list, which he had memorized by heart, was about his first love.

For five years, he had merely been meticulously carving me into another woman's image.

Now, the dream was over.

Mr. Stone, I'm not going to be your stand-in anymore.

The auction house glittered with dazzling lights.

My eyes were glued to the ruby necklace on stage.

It was the main item of the night, and something I'd coveted for a long time.

"Fifty million."

Ethan Stone, next to me, raised his paddle, his voice deep and cool.

My heart fluttered. I turned to him. "Ethan, are you really buying it for me?"

Ethan didn't even spare me a glance.

He stood up and, from the hostess, accepted not the ruby necklace, but a diamond bracelet.

I froze.

He had just bought that bracelet for sixty million.

Ethan casually handed the ornate box containing the diamond bracelet to his assistant behind him.

"Deliver this to the Willow Creek Estate immediately."

"She's a light sleeper. Don't ring the doorbell. Just give it to the butler."

The assistant nodded respectfully, then quickly left.

I watched the assistant's retreating back, my heart sinking little by little.

The Willow Creek Estate.

That was where Sophia Grey had been staying since she returned to the country.

Ethan finally turned to me, giving me a look.

He looked at my plain white evening gown, completely unadorned, and his brows slightly relaxed.

"That ruby is too flashy. It doesn't suit you."

"Don't you always prefer simple and elegant things?"

His tone was matter-of-fact, as if stating an undeniable truth.

I opened my mouth, but my throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

I didn't like simple things.

I loved bold reds, vibrant passion, and anything that sparkled.

But five years ago, the first time I stood before him in a red dress, he frowned and said, "Too garish. Change it."

After that, my closet only held black, white, and grey.

My jewelry box only contained pearls and thin, plain bands.

I thought that was the way he liked me.

On the drive home, the silence in the car was suffocating.

Ethan leaned back, closing his eyes to rest.

Suddenly, his phone automatically connected to the car's Bluetooth.

An obnoxious calendar reminder popped up on the screen.

"Thunderstorm tonight. Remember to remind her to drink hot milk and turn on white noise."

My breath hitched.

I turned to look out the window, and sure enough, a fine rain had begun to fall.

But I was never afraid of thunder.

I slept deeper than anyone during rainstorms. I didn't need white noise at all.

Ethan suddenly opened his eyes, quickly dismissing the reminder on the screen.

He offered no explanation, merely stating, "Just a work reminder."

I looked at his perfect profile, and suddenly felt incredibly estranged.

Was it really just work?

Late at night, Ethan was showering in the bathroom.

The water rushed loudly.

His phone, resting on the bedside table, lit up with a message notification.

Sophia: "Received the bracelet, it's beautiful. Thank you for remembering I like this style."

I stared at the message and, as if compelled, picked up his phone.

The password was his birthday. I had always known that.

But I had never checked his phone.

Because I trusted him implicitly.

Tonight, however, that trust felt like it had been eaten through.

I tapped on his notes app.

At the very top, there was a pinned folder named "My Dearest."

Inside, there was a long, detailed list.

"She doesn't like bright colors; her clothes should be white."

"Her taste is light; she absolutely can't touch chili."

"She's afraid of noise; she dislikes crowded places."

"She's allergic to seafood; be careful with meals."

"She gets scared during thunderstorms; needs company."

Every single item, every word, felt like a sharp knife stabbing into my eyes.

I looked at these "preferences" he held as gospel.

I was chilled to the bone, as if plunged into an ice cave.

I loved bold reds.

I lived for spicy food. My favorite was all kinds of spicy dishes.

I loved going to music festivals, loved screaming in the crowd.

My favorite food was spicy seafood. I wasn't allergic at all!

For five years, he had strictly followed this list, dictating my life.

When I took him to a spicy restaurant, he'd coldly say, "Eating this isn't healthy. Didn't you say you disliked it?"

When I wanted to go on a beach vacation, he'd say, "The beach is too noisy. Let's go to a private resort instead."

I thought he was just controlling, just a bit arrogant.

For love, I desperately suppressed my true nature to fit his "rules."

Only today did I understand.

I wasn't being cherished.

I was just being loved wrong.

The person he loved was never me.

He was merely carving Sophia's image onto me, stroke by stroke.

The sound of the shower stopped.

Ethan walked out, drying his hair.

He glanced at the phone in my hand, and his face instantly darkened.

"Summer, who gave you permission to touch my phone?"

He strode over and snatched the phone away.

There was no guilt in his tone, only offended fury.

I sat on the edge of the bed, looking up at him.

"Ethan Stone, I'm not allergic to seafood."

My voice trembled as I spoke each word.

Ethan froze for a moment, then frowned.

"What's gotten into you in the middle of the night?"

"Didn't you break out in a rash last time after that sushi place?"

I laughed, tears streaming down my face.

"That was from the raw cashew cream at that fancy vegan restaurant you insisted we go to!"

"I told you many times, I'm not allergic to seafood. I love spicy food. I love rubies!"

Ethan's gaze turned cold.

"Summer Lynn, are you throwing a tantrum over that necklace today?"

"It's just a necklace. Tomorrow I'll have my assistant buy you ten plain gold chains."

"Don't make a scene. I'm tired."

He turned, tossed his phone onto the sofa, and got into bed.

Leaving me with only his cold back.

I looked at his back and suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

This was the man I had loved for five years.

He didn't even know what I truly liked.

He didn't even have the desire to understand me.

The next morning, I went to my jewelry design studio.

I'm a jewelry designer.

But in these five years of marriage, my work had become increasingly scarce, and my style more and more monotonous.

All minimalist, simple, lifeless lines.

As soon as I walked into the studio, Mia, my assistant, rushed over.

"Summer, this is bad!"

"Mr. Stone canceled the media pre-interview for the international jewelry exhibition next month!"

I stopped abruptly.

"Why?"

Mia's face was grim.

"Mr. Stone's secretary called to say you don't like being in the limelight, don't like being surrounded by too many people."

"He said such noisy occasions weren't suitable for you, and asked the organizers to withdraw your name."

I stood there, my fingertips digging deep into my palms.

That was the big exhibition I'd been preparing for an entire year!

I'd pulled countless all-nighters for this exhibition, designing a collection of colored gemstones.

I wanted to use this opportunity to rediscover the radiant person I once was.

But Ethan Stone, based on a single line in his notes app "She's afraid of noise" had casually crushed all my hard work.

He didn't just want to control my life; he wanted to strangle my career.

Just then, the studio door opened.

Ethan walked in.

Beside him was Sophia Grey, dressed in a simple white dress, looking delicate and fragile.

The atmosphere in the studio instantly dropped to freezing point.

Mia and the other employees exchanged glances, not daring to breathe.

Ethan surveyed my studio, a slight frown on his face.

"Why is this place such a mess?"

He turned to Sophia, his voice immediately softening.

"Sophia, you've just returned. You want to open an art gallery, and I think this location is perfect."

"Summer doesn't really need this much space anyway. Why don't we just give half of it to you?"

I stared at Ethan in disbelief.

This was my studio!

It was a place I'd saved up for and bought myself before we got married!

How dare he decide, with a single sentence, to give half of it to his first love?

Sophia gently tugged on Ethan's sleeve, smiling graciously.

"Ethan, let's not. Don't make Summer feel awkward."

As she spoke, she browsed the display cabinets.

Suddenly, her gaze stopped at a glass case.

Inside was the centerpiece of my recently completed colored gemstone collection an exaggerated, wildly styled ring set with a top-grade pigeon blood ruby.

Sophia's eyes lit up.

"Ethan, this ring is so unique."

Ethan walked over, glanced at it, and his frown deepened.

"The color is too intense. It doesn't suit your delicate style."

Sophia bit her lip, looking a little hurt.

"But I really like it."

Ethan turned to me and said in a condescending tone:

"Summer, wrap this ring up and give it to Sophia as a welcome-back gift."

"Your overly flamboyant designs don't sell anyway. You might as well do someone a favor."

I stood there, feeling all the blood rush to my head.

"No."

I coldly spat out the single word.

Ethan's face instantly darkened.

"Summer, don't be so petty."

"Sophia isn't feeling well. Can't you just indulge her a little?"

I walked to the display cabinet and locked the glass cover.

"Ethan Stone, this is my passion project. It's not a prop for you to use to flatter other people."

"Want to give a gift? Go buy one yourself!"

Sophia's eyes instantly welled up, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Summer. I didn't know this ring was so important to you."

"Ethan, let's go. I don't want it anymore."

Ethan protectively put his arm around Sophia's shoulder.

He turned to me, his eyes filled with utter disgust.

"Summer Lynn, why have you become so petty and mean-spirited?"

"You truly disappoint me."

With that, he shielded Sophia and walked out of the studio without looking back.

I watched their retreating backs and suddenly burst out laughing.

Laughing until tears streamed down my face.

Petty and mean-spirited?

For him, I had turned myself into a soulless puppet.

In the end, in his eyes, I was just a jealous woman who wouldn't even give a ring to his first love.