Nora confessed to Ethan?
That might have been when she was drunk later.
She had drunk quite a bit, was tipsy, and had no recollection of what happened afterward, only remembering… someone seemed to have called Ethan’s name.
“What did Ethan say?” Clara curiously asked Belle.
None of them expected Clara to ask such a question.
She asked what Ethan said?
Shouldn’t she be angrily questioning Nora right now?
Nora was also at tonight’s banquet, dressed stunningly, outshining everyone.
“I don’t know,” Belle said coldly.
Clara: “… Oh.”
Belle detected disappointment in Clara’s tone.
“If you want to know what Ethan said, go ask him,” Belle suggested.
Clara nodded, “Then I’ll go.”
With that, she really left.
The two watched Clara’s back with furrowed brows.
Her attitude… was puzzling.
Are young people’s thoughts nowadays… all so strange and hard to understand?
Clara returned indoors, knowing what Belle meant.
Wasn’t it just to deliberately tell her this, then make her go find Nora and start a fight?
And Belle… could watch the drama unfold from the sidelines.
How insidious and despicable.
Did Belle think she was stupid?
Couldn’t see through such a simple plot to sow discord?
She wouldn’t go ask Ethan.
She trusted Ethan.
Not because she believed Ethan loved her deeply.
Whether Ethan loved her or not, she didn’t know.
But she knew Ethan definitely wasn’t Nora’s.
As always, no one could force Ethan. If he truly loved Nora, where would that leave the two Everett sisters?
She wouldn’t ask Ethan.
What if she made him angry?
Her biggest fear was Ethan retaliating against the Everett family in anger.
As long as Ethan didn’t retaliate against the Everett family, she was willing to be obedient and not interfere in his other matters.
Besides, for a man like Ethan, having women confess to him was normal.
After all, who wouldn’t love an outstanding man?
Clara had just returned to the venue when she saw Nora before finding Ethan. Nora also saw her.
Nora walked straight towards her.
What did she want?
To argue with her?
Cause trouble?
Or start a fight?
Probably not.
Nora, a socialite, wouldn’t do such things, right?
In Clara’s various speculations, Nora approached her.
Nora looked at Clara and said, “Can we talk?”
Clara: “Sure.”
Talk then.
After all, the only thing Nora could talk to her about was Ethan.
She would deal with it as it came.
“Let’s go outside,” Nora suggested.
Clara nodded.
Just came in from outside, now going out again.
Should have waited outside for Nora earlier.
Nora and Clara went to a corner of the garden with a small pond filled with koi fish.
Clara looked at the pond… not too big, but not too small either…
Why did Nora bring her here?
Was she planning to push her into the water?
But she could swim.
And… the water shouldn’t be deep either.
“About that day… I’m really sorry,” Nora said to Clara.
“… Huh?” Clara looked at Nora in confusion.
Which day?
Nora: “… I didn’t mean to.”
Clara: “Oh.”
She then remembered which day Nora was referring to.
It must have been the day they went drinking. After she got drunk, something must have happened.
“Back then, I lost a game and chose truth. They asked if I still loved Ethan… I had no choice but to answer yes,” Nora said, watching Clara’s every expression closely.
So that’s how it was.
The truth behind Belle’s claim that Nora confessed to Ethan… was this.
This couldn’t be considered a confession, right?
Nora was just answering a truth question.
But saying ‘love’ did sound like a confession.
“Don’t mind it,” Nora said.
Clara replied, “I don’t mind.”
She genuinely didn’t mind.
Words came from Nora’s mouth; she could say whatever she wanted.
If she minded every time someone said they loved Ethan, she’d have too much to mind about in a day.
There were at least hundreds of women in Riverton who liked Ethan. Should she mind every single one of them?
Then she’d have no time for anything else, not even school. Just minding those who admired Ethan all day long.
Nora looked at Clara, unsure if she genuinely didn’t mind or was pretending not to care in front of her.
“Ethan… told you about our relationship, right?” Nora asked Clara.
Clara nodded, “Yes, Ethan said you were his first love.”
Nora guessed Clara knew about her relationship with Ethan… but thought it wasn’t from Ethan himself but from others telling Clara.
But now Clara said… Ethan told her personally?
“Ethan told you himself?” Nora asked again, unwilling to give up.
Clara nodded, “Yes.”
Puzzled, she looked at Nora. Was there a problem with Ethan telling her himself?
Nora suddenly didn’t know what to say.
She looked at Clara and suddenly wanted to know… how Ethan described their past to Clara.
Was it downplayed?
Or nostalgic?
“What did he say?” Nora asked.
Clara thought for a moment and said, “He said you two dated, and after one semester, he felt you were incompatible and broke up.”
Nora: “…”
That statement… was close to the truth. No embellishments.
That statement… was indeed something Ethan would say.
Downplayed.
Incompatible, so they broke up.
He spoke lightly, not knowing how heavy those words were for her.
The word ‘breakup’ weighed so heavily on her that she still hadn’t moved on or let go until today.
“You see…” Nora smiled bitterly, “Men are like that. When pursuing you, they think you’re perfect and say sweet words. But once they have you, they don’t cherish you. When they want to break up, they discard you with a simple ‘incompatible.'”
Her smile was bitter and desolate.
Sweet words?
Ethan said sweet words to Nora?
She tried to imagine it but couldn’t picture a cold and reticent man like Ethan saying sweet words.
Her imagination failed her.
She couldn’t imagine it at all.
Besides… Ethan probably didn’t say sweet words either.
Ethan told her he didn’t love Nora back then. He just felt he was old enough to consider dating, and Nora was the most outstanding girl of suitable age in their circle. He thought she was suitable and got together with her…
Ethan’s description lacked any emotion.
But listening to Nora’s description… it sounded like Ethan had pursued her with sweet words…
So who was telling the truth?
Who was lying?
Who should she believe?
Clara looked at Nora and pondered… how should she respond?
Should she join Nora in criticizing men’s heartlessness and ruthlessness?
But… the man being criticized was her husband.
She didn’t want to do that.
Should she comfort Nora then?
She didn’t know how to comfort her either.
Besides… comforting a woman who harbored ill intentions towards her husband?
That would be too strange!
In the end… Clara thought long and hard and responded with an ‘oh.’
“Oh.”
A perfunctory and emotionless ‘oh.’
Nora looked at Clara… what kind of reaction was this?
A normal woman would seize the moment to ask about her past relationship with Ethan, right?
Even if Ethan had told Clara, women still wanted to hear it from another person’s mouth again for confirmation. To see if their man had lied to them or not.
But Clara… did she lack basic curiosity and jealousy as a woman?
Women were always curious about their husband’s first love and ex-girlfriends, weren’t they?