He Brought Her Home

**POV: Harper**

I felt a sharp pain in my heart and realized that she was openly flirting with my husband. It felt like something twisted inside of me, and I couldn’t bear it for much longer. For a brief moment, I contemplated turning around, making a hasty retreat from what was meant to be a charming evening for Ethan and me. It’s hard to believe that this is a make-up dinner meant for me and my husband. I mean, how is this a make-up dinner when he is pissing me off?

I had made up my mind to walk away and give him a flimsy excuse for my disappearance. But just then, Ethan turned my way and his gaze met mine, his face lighting up with a sincere smile. He stood, brushing off the lingering tension, and slipped away from her side to cross the space between us. He pulled me in for a warm embrace and a passionate kiss, holding me so close to his heart as if I meant the world to him.

“You mean the world to me, munchkin. I can’t imagine a world where I don’t have you as my wife. You are my everything.” He confessed, a warm smile playing on his lips. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he just read my mind as he walked up to me. His words were all I needed to ease my worries and enjoy the night as I had planned.

“Gosh, you are so beautiful, my love. If we didn’t have a guest in our midst, I would have gladly skipped dinner and taken you back home,” he teased, kissing me passionately to make his point.

“It’s never too late, my love. We could skip dinner if you want to. I have missed you so much; my body desires your touch. I need you so badly,” I confessed shyly, feeling the heat on my cheeks as I blushed at my own words.

“Holy fuck! How the hell am I supposed to concentrate tonight?” Ethan exclaimed, his enthusiasm obvious as he enveloped me in a warm embrace, which temporarily eased the bruising ache in my heart.

“We are heading home in a few minutes, I promise. I just want you to meet someone.” He pleaded calmly as he placed a gentle hand on my back, guiding me to the table where Serena's eyes sparkled with mischief and curiosity.

“Hi Harper, glad you could make it!” she greeted excitedly, pulling me in for a hug. I responded with the same energy she exuded, and soon we were both introduced to each other by Ethan. I found out that her name is Serena and she is just a friend that needs his help, just like he explained to me before.

As we settled in, I tried to immerse myself in the conversation, but Serena was relentless in her stories. She kept telling us amusing anecdotes from Ethan’s past that he never thought to share with me. It hurt to see that she knew so much about my husband; she probably even knows him better than I do.

“Remember when you got stuck in that tree trying to rescue a cat?” she laughed, nudging Ethan playfully.

“Or that time when you peed in the pool and got us all kicked out?” she continued, laughing nonstop as Ethan laughed along, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“You were always the coolest guy in the room, Ethan; everyone adored you, even if you always got us in trouble,” she teased, smiling coyly at him. He laughed at her jokes, completely unaware of her flirtation. He did not see the subtle glares that she kept throwing my way. He was just having fun, being happy. There was nothing I could do about it; I could only manage a tight-lipped smile, feeling like a ghost drifting through a memory lane where she had not yet walked. I felt like a third wheel here; if anything, it felt like I crashed their date and not the other way around. Anyone seeing us would think I was the intruder here and not her. She knew more things about his past than I did, and that was infuriating.

“My love, we said we were going to…”

“I’m so thankful to you, Ethan. My family and I will never forget your sacrifices and all your generosity in our trying times. I’m glad I get to live with you, Ethan. I’m just so excited.” She blurted out in an excited tone, throwing herself into his arms and hugging him tightly, too tight for comfort if you ask me.

Every time I tried to start a discussion with my husband, she would come up with a new memorable experience from their childhood days, and it would immediately take his mind away from whatever I had to say as he got drawn into the story because it was something that happened to him. It would be so funny that they would both laugh about it, making me feel like an invited guest at my own anniversary!

“My love, I want to go home. I’m feeling nauseous,” I told Ethan when he finally turned to me to drink to our anniversary.

“Perfect, munchkin. I can’t wait to take you home either. To be honest, I stopped thinking about dinner the moment you walked in through that door,” he confessed, leaning to place a soft kiss on my lips, rekindling our passion. We would have cleared the bills and left immediately, but he wanted to use the restroom first before we made our exit from the restaurant. When Ethan excused himself to the restroom, the atmosphere shifted. Serena leaned in closer to me, her tone suddenly mean and odd.

“I really envy your look, Harper. You know, you have such… an effortless beauty. It must be nice to turn heads like that.” She told me, making me smile like a fool. At first, I felt flattered, a warmth kindling in my stomach.

“Thanks,” I replied, my smile faltering as Serena continued.

“I mean, it’s like you could steal anyone’s boyfriend without even trying. Isn’t it just unfair? I feel like I always have to put in so much effort to get what I want. Girls like you should know your boundaries and stick to them so you don’t get hurt!” she told me sternly. The compliment felt less like admiration and more like an accusation now. For fuck’s sake, she had better curves than I did, so what the hell was her problem?

Her last statement even sounded like a threat. I shifted in my seat, crossing my arms defensively, suddenly feeling uncomfortable around her. Just when I thought that it couldn’t get any worse, she decided to take it up a notch. Her words took another turn.

“You remind me a lot of the last girl that tried to take something that belongs to me—my sister. She's got that same classic look, though she’s way more into fashion than I am. Honestly, I can’t believe Ethan prefers you over someone like her. She is way cooler,” she told me, chuckling at her own words. My curiosity was piqued, and I stared at her fixedly, forcing out a fake smile to coax more words from her.

“Really? I’d love to hear more about your sister,” I told her, smiling with tight lips. She smirked at me as she stirred her drink with a finger, refusing to say anything more about her sister. Before I could inquire further, Ethan returned, his presence pulling Serena's focus back to him.

“Sorry about that! Did I miss anything?” he asked, oblivious to the tension that had danced between his adorable childhood friend and me.

“Just girl talk,” Serena chirped, her voice light and airy, as if the previous conversation had never happened. I couldn’t help but stare at her every so often; there was so much I wanted to ask her. Eventually, we finished dinner and made our way to the exit, with her clinging to Ethan as if they were lovers, leaving me to walk alone out of the restaurant. I felt the need to reclaim some space, to establish an emotional boundary. There was no way I was letting this continue; I wouldn’t have her crashing all my dates with my husband. It was unacceptable!

“Babes, don’t you think that maybe we should drive Serena back to the hotel? You know, it’s getting late, and she needs to catch some sleep before returning to her family tomorrow,” I suggested, my forced smile barely masking my urgency and obvious irritation. Ethan shook his head and pulled me aside, looking deeply into my eyes.

“Come on, my love. You don’t expect my guest to stay in a hotel when I have a huge mansion with many vacant rooms, do you?” he asked me, sounding a bit offended by my idea.

“What are you saying, my love?” I asked him, dreading the answer he would provide.

“She is staying with us, munchkin. I would like to keep her close by and keep an eye on her. Isn’t that great?” he asked, sounding excited.

“That’s a great idea! You okay with that, Serena?” I turned to her with a hard glare, which she ignored completely as she continued her performance.

“Absolutely, Ethan! It’ll be so much fun!” she laughed, her enthusiasm cutting through me like glass. I wished I could open Ethan’s eyes to all her tricks and lies.

“That’s totally amazing! I’m so fucking excited! I’d love to hang out with you both a bit longer!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and I felt myself boiling with anger.

“Uh, you sure you want to stay over, Serena?” I found myself asking, my heart suddenly feeling heavy. Ethan grinned excitedly, unaware of the struggles going through my mind. I felt like I was losing because I didn’t even know the game. I had no fucking idea what was happening to me.