My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 4: Ethan Rhodes Has Arrived in Lumina

That deceptively innocent comment from Kiana had made Stella stare at the photo for a long time.

She had been especially sensitive to color since she was a child, able to distinguish even the most minute differences in shade.

That was why she found Owen Rhodes’s ring so familiar.

Especially that rare pink diamond.

She had specifically unblocked Kiana, found the photo, and spent a long time online comparing it with other reports from the day of the auction.

It was a match.

A perfect match.

’Could it really be the one I have right now...’

’No, no, no, that’s impossible!’

Stella thought Owen Rhodes’s proposal must have driven her mad.

’How could it possibly be the one I’m holding!’

Would a man who could afford a 60-million-dollar diamond ring really need to earn money as a life model?

’Besides, if it were real, would Owen Rhodes have just let me walk away with it?’

’This has to be a cheap cubic zirconia knockoff.’

But real or fake, one thing she was sure of now was that Ethan Rhodes had definitely not been the one who bought that diamond ring for Kiana Sterling.

’Otherwise, Kiana would have come to flaunt it long ago.’

As long as Ethan Rhodes wasn’t the one who had bought the ring, she felt a sense of relief, no matter who the final bidder was.

As for the one she had, it would be returned to its owner tomorrow anyway.

The little bit of wine she drank that evening had an unexpectedly good sleep-inducing effect, and for once, Stella Sterling had a good night’s sleep.

The next day at noon, she was woken by her phone ringing.

The caller, surprisingly, was Ethan Rhodes, who hadn’t contacted her in over three months.

They had been in contact three months ago.

On that day, right after she landed in Lumina, she had sent him a message: "Ethan Rhodes, I’ll wait for you in Lumina for 100 days. If you don’t come, then this is where we end."

The chat history stopped there.

After that, she had just been crossing off the days on her calendar by herself.

Today was, coincidentally, the 100th day.

For a moment, Stella Sterling didn’t know what to feel. She answered the call mechanically.

"This is Ethan Rhodes."

"Yes, I know."

"I’m in Lumina. Are you free to meet today?"

She was instantly wide awake.

’Ethan Rhodes actually came!’

She thought she had given up all hope, but an irrepressible surge of joy and anticipation rose in her heart.

"I’m free. Send me the address."

The address Ethan Rhodes sent was on The Sunward Coast, a three-hour drive away.

Stella Sterling quickly got up, washed up, and got dressed. As she was leaving, she completely forgot she had arranged for Owen Rhodes to come over at two in the afternoon.

A little after five in the evening, Stella met a dapper, suit-clad Ethan Rhodes in a stylish restaurant on The Sunward Coast.

After not seeing him for over three months, he looked much healthier. The sickly pallor was gone from his face, and he had even regained the weight in his cheeks that he’d lost during his coma. He looked just as she remembered him best.

She fought back the tears welling in her eyes, forced a smile, and walked over to sit down across from him.

The corners of Ethan Rhodes’s mouth curved into a smile as he looked at her, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Kiana told me your schedule is a bit erratic, and that you don’t like people asking you out at the last minute. She said if you did come, you likely haven’t eaten all day. Why don’t you see what you’d like to eat first?"

Ethan Rhodes pushed the menu toward her and raised his hand to call a waiter.

It was a thoughtful gesture, but Stella didn’t want to hear a single word he was saying.

’Kiana is really getting addicted to this ’good sister’ act.’

Her appetite vanished. She only ordered a glass of lemon water.

"Let’s skip the pleasantries. Just say what you have to say. You didn’t come all this way just to buy me dinner, did you?"

Ethan Rhodes picked up a small cardboard box from the seat beside him and pushed it in front of Stella.

"Stella, I’m told the things in this box are gifts you gave me back when we were dating. I’m getting engaged to Kiana soon. I love her very much, and I don’t want to keep these things around and cause any misunderstanding or sadness. So, I’m giving them back to you."

Stella’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the water glass, her eyes stinging with a painful ache.

’So, he came today to draw a line between them.’

She turned to look out the window, suppressing the sting in her eyes and feigning nonchalance.

"You really didn’t have to make a special trip. If you don’t want them, just throw them away. I don’t do something as tacky as taking back gifts I’ve given."

Ethan Rhodes pulled his hand back, but the box remained on the table.

"Kiana said it would be more appropriate to let you decide what to do with them. After all, they were once tokens of your affection."

It was true.

Every gift she had ever given Ethan Rhodes had been filled with her deepest feelings.

’When did things between her and Ethan even begin?’

Time rewound, and her memories took her back 14 years.

The beginning of her story with Ethan Rhodes, the source of every change, all started the year she turned ten.

That year, Kiana Sterling had an accident.

That year, she went from being the little princess of the Sterling Family to the one blamed by everyone.

That year, besides her grandmother, Ethan became the only person who was kind to her, the only one she could talk to.

At this thought, Stella opened the cardboard box after all.

She gave it a quick glance, her brow furrowing, then began to rummage through the contents.

"Where are my letters?"

For ten years, from the age of ten to twenty, they had constantly exchanged letters.

It was old-fashioned, but the feeling of pen on paper had always brought her a sense of peace.

Those letters contained not only her complicated teenage secrets but also some of her old manuscripts.

Ethan Rhodes froze, then asked, "What letters?"

Stella stopped, slumping back into her chair in defeat.

’Right. He has amnesia.’

"...It’s nothing."

’So he’d forgotten even this.’

The look in Stella’s eyes grew even more vacant.

Ethan Rhodes didn’t seem to care. Since she said it was nothing, he simply moved on.

"Stella, Kiana actually came today, too. You know her health has never been very good, but because you refuse to return to the country, she insisted on making the long flight to see you. She wants to try and persuade you to come home. She’s been very worried about you. Since you’re already here, come and see her with me."

At some point, the smile on Ethan Rhodes’s face had vanished, and his gaze toward Stella now held a touch of iciness.

It was as if he were blaming her for being inconsiderate, for making her frail, sickly sister exhaust herself for her sake.

’Ethan was blaming her.’

’Blaming her for Kiana’s sake.’

Her emotions instantly boiled over.

"Did I ask her to come? She’s the one who chose to make a scene, so why is it my fault? If you’re so concerned about her, why didn’t you tell her not to come? All she has to do is mention her poor health, and everyone dumps all the blame on me. Does that mean if she drops dead one day, you’re all going to say I killed her?"

Her tone wasn’t loud, but her anger and sense of grievance were unmistakable.

Ethan Rhodes was taken aback, not expecting such a strong reaction from her.

Stella’s eyes were bloodshot, the tears threatening to spill over. Her voice trembled and broke as she spoke.

Even though Ethan Rhodes had always found her disagreeable, seeing her like this, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh.

"That’s not what I meant..."

Ethan Rhodes suddenly felt at a loss for words. After a moment’s thought, he decided to change the subject.

"Actually, besides returning your things, I also came here to give Kiana a proper proposal. She said she wants to be proposed to at a beach bonfire party. I thought she might be a little happier if you were there to witness it, so would you be willing to spare an hour or two? This was my idea, so don’t blame Kiana."

Kiana "wanted a proposal at a beach bonfire party," and Ethan Rhodes just had to invite her to witness it.

SNAP—

Something inside her suddenly snapped.

"What... did you say?"