My Mother Killed Me For Her Stepdaughter novel Chapter 24

Over a decade ago, Ethan Carter and I were polite and respectful to each other.

He was the handsome young man next door, only twenty, yet already showing exceptional business talent, with a brilliant résumé and limitless potential.

Falling in love with someone like Ethan Carter seemed inevitable.

He was so remarkable, yet his family background was humble.

I couldn't bear to see his talent go unnoticed, so I went to my father and begged him to give Ethan a chance.

Perhaps it was youthful impulsiveness, but I never hid my feelings for him.

What I didn't expect was for my father to use this as leverage.

"Marry her, or be blacklisted from every business opportunity in the city."

My father held unrivaled influence in New Harbor. With just one word, no one would dare hire Ethan Carter.

I didn't learn about this deal until after we were married.

After the wedding, Ethan changed completely.

The warm, considerate man I fell for became cold and indifferent, like an icy wall that couldn't be thawed.

I cried, I screamed, and in moments of anger, I spat cruel words at him.

"Everything you have now is because of my father! How dare you treat me like this?"

The way Ethan looked at me then is something I'll never forget.

His eyes were filled with disdain, as if he were staring at a clinging, irritating burden.

"I promised your father I'd take care of you," he said coldly.

"But beyond that, there will never be anything between us."

That was when I finally understood everything.

Later, I wanted to confront my father.

Why did he force Ethan into this? Why did he push me into such a painful marriage?

But then, everything fell apart.

"All of this is his own doing. The Hargrove family is under my control now.

Your life won't change much—you're still Mrs. Carter. What else could you possibly be dissatisfied with?"

I looked up at him, my eyes bloodshot with rage.

Even if Ethan didn't love me, even if he kept a mistress outside our marriage...

"Don't worry, Ethan Carter," I said, forcing a bitter smile.

"I will always be Mrs. Carter in this lifetime.

And you… you'll always be the ungrateful son-in-law who crawled your way up.

You and those disgraceful women you keep will never amount to anything.

I'll watch you burn in hell with my own eyes."

From that moment on, Ethan and I embarked on a decade of mutual torment.