Chapter three

Ethan's POV:

I stood frozen, my sister's hand still in midair, the sting of her slap echoing around the room. My wife’s cheek was red, and her eyes filled with tears… tears of anger, hurt, and confusion. 

Those damned eyes, so wide, so trusting, and they were staring right into mine. Did she think I did it? Did she really believe I’d lay a hand on her like that? She is not as important as she thinks she is. 

Maxine continued to scream at her, accusing her of some ridiculous crime against our father, as if the old man didn’t have a brain in his head. I knew she was innocent in all this mess, but why did she have to accept his money and marry me? 

Doesn't she understand how dangerous I can be? Just because I haven’t acknowledged her existence doesn’t mean I don’t have a plan brewing in the back of my mind. She should be lucky I’m avoiding her. 

She’s small, too innocent, and that makes something in me want to shield her. But since that damned wedding day, I’ve felt things I shouldn’t. When she looked at me, her eyes were full of trust , a trust I don’t deserve, and I hate her for that. 

I despise her for making me feel something. Sympathy. Pity. A crack in the armor I’ve built around myself for years. 

She doesn’t know it, but whatever game she’s playing won’t work. She’s no better than the rest of them, a gold digger my father picked up, thinking her innocence would somehow purify his sins. That I would bend to him again. 

And for that, she’ll pay. She shouldn’t have said yes to this marriage, shouldn’t have stepped into my world. 

"I’ll make your life a living hell. The money you took from my father won’t even cover your therapy bills by the time I’m done with you," Maxine sneered, her voice dripping with venom. 

She turned on her heel, storming toward my room, clearly expecting me to follow. I really don’t feel like dealing with two women at the same time. They are so fucking dramatic. 

But I didn’t want to talk about this sham of a marriage or the woman standing there looking at me like I might actually have a heart. I felt her gaze burning into me, waiting for... what? An apology? Comfort? Ridiculous.

"Stay away from me," I snapped, my voice sharp and cold. 

Her flinch was so slight, but I saw it —the way she recoiled like I’d hit her myself. I made a disgusted face, turning away, taking the stairs two at a time, desperate to get away. Fucking gold digger. 

In my room, I found Maxine on her phone, pacing like a caged animal. I moved to my desk, pulling out my laptop, pretending to work, though my mind was miles away. For the past weeks. 

“I’m going now,” Maxine said after a moment, “and Alice is coming. She’s finally back after such a long time. We’ll catch up later.” She kissed my cheek, and I nodded.

"Don't do anything to the girl, Max," I called out just as she reached the door. She shot me a scowl but nodded, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I tried to focus on my emails, but Dahlia’s face kept intruding, the look in her eyes, the way she stood there so small, yet defiant. Frustrated, I headed to the bar in the corner of my room, pouring myself a glass of whiskey. One shot, then another, until the image of her started to blur.

That’s when I heard the familiar click of high heels on the wooden floor. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips despite myself. Alice. She’d been gone for weeks, away at some fashion show in Paris. 

“Ethan, baby,” she called out, her voice a sweet, seductive melody. 

She ran into my arms, pressing her lips to mine, and I grabbed her, kissing her back hard, needing to drown out the unsettling thoughts in my head. Alice was my constant, the one who knew me, who never judged me. 

After a heavy, heated kiss, we pulled back, breathing hard, her lips swollen and red. Her eyes roamed over me like she hadn’t seen me in years, and I felt a familiar stirring. But something felt off. I shook my head, trying to focus on her, on us. 

She was talking about Paris, her successes, her shows, but I could barely hear her. And then Dahlia walked in.

The room seemed to freeze, and I saw Alice's back stiffen. Dahlia stood there like a deer caught in headlights, small and scared, yet there was something in the way she held herself that caught my eye. A flicker of defiance. Was there more to this little mouse than I thought?

“What are you doing here?” I barked, almost at the same time Alice demanded, “Who are you?”

Dahlia hesitated, her hands wringing together, her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her cheek is red and swollen from the slap. For a moment, I almost felt a stab of sympathy, but I shoved it down. She deserves nothing. 

"Are you going to talk or not?" Alice snapped, her voice dripping with the kind of cruelty she reserved for those she saw as beneath her.

Dahlia raised her chin just a fraction, a tiny act of defiance Alice didn’t notice, but I did. There was fire in this little fool, after all. 

“I wanted to ask if I can go out,” she finally said, directing her words to me, ignoring Alice entirely. 

I gave a curt nod, and she spun on her heel, practically fleeing the room, her head bowed like she wanted to shrink into herself.

Alice turned back to me, her eyes filled with fury. “Is that your wife?” she spat.

“I think that’s pretty clear,” I replied, my voice cool.

“Don’t tell me you’ve slept with her, Ethan. That ugly girl is so far below your standards. What the hell are you doing with her?”

“I’m married to her, Alice. It’s only for a year, chill out,” I muttered, taking another sip of my drink, trying to appear unaffected, but my mind was racing. 

I remembered the first time I’d met Alice, years ago. She’d been a mess, ready to throw herself off a building, and I’d been there to pull her back. She’d poured her heart out to me, and for some reason, I’d listened. I’d promised to help her, and I had, even when I couldn’t help myself.

But right now, she was getting on my nerves. “It better be,” she muttered. “I don’t like her.”

“Me neither,” I replied, but the words felt hollow. 

I didn’t like Dahlia —I didn’t trust her, I didn’t want her— but why couldn’t I get her out of my damn head?