Chapter 29

My words linger in the air while we lock eyes for a bit. He seems to be still processing what I just said.
Not sure what to do with my limp body, I grab a microfiber cloth and absentmindedly wipe the already spotless counter, just to keep my hands busy while I process what I just said to him. I can’t believe I said that.
“Stop it!” Ethan abruptly grabs the cloth from my hand with such force that it whips in the air. “Stop making yourself welcome in my house.” Jaw hard, he throws the cloth into the sink next to me, and when it falls to the bottom of the sink, it causes a loud noise that makes me flinch.
Remorse hammers through me, crushing my chest like a heavy fist. For a moment, I’m scared of his angry reaction, and I promptly lower my gaze and respond in a way that I’m used to doing with Logan. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You just couldn’t keep your distance from me, could you?” The snarl in his tone likely only represents a fraction of his anger. “It only took one night for you to head over heels for my dick. What else would be the reason you suddenly wanted to stay here?”
This self-absorbed jerk! Does he think the world revolves around him? “Believe me or not, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t really need to,” I say angrily, trying to keep my voice steady despite the unease gnawing at me.
I can feel my sinuses starting to burn as tears form in my eyes. I’m not used to losing my temper like this with anyone. I don’t know why I always get so emotional around Ethan. I just end up saying too much. More than I’d like to reveal, especially to him.
“If I had known you would be here, I wouldn’t have even come.” I step closer to him and press my index finger into his hard chest, looking up into his angry black eyes. “You couldn’t be more way off the mark! I don’t want to come within a foot of you or your stupid cock!”
His eyes seem to find amusement in what I’ve just said despite the hard face he has on before he responds, “Since you’ve had my stupid cock buried deep inside you, you know you’ve got to step back farther than a foot to stay out of its reach.”
I open my mouth wide, flabbergasted, and rapidly snap it shut, causing my teeth to make a loud clattering sound. Clearing my throat and the memory he had just placed in my mind, I lower my finger and take a step back. “Well, no one could ever accuse you of having low self-esteem,” I say.
Ethan stares at my braid resting on my shoulder as if it had done him some harm. Perhaps he has come to the realization that the Alicent he saw that night, all dressed up, was merely a subpar imitation of Cinderella, and now he regrets ever desiring someone who is so poor that she cannot afford even a hair stylist and must resort to braiding their own hair.
With more distance between us now, his anger appears to also intensify. He pushes his rigid shoulders even further back, seeming taller than he already is. “Know your place! Stop thinking this is your home!” Ethan snaps, narrowing his dark eyes to me as if he remembers something that struck his nerve. “You drive me crazy! You’re not welcome here!”
“This wasn’t what Vi told me,” I retort, unsure why I’m even speaking. I blink, caught off guard by the venom in his tone. “You can’t—”
“I own this place. I’m in charge.” Ethan interrupts me. “You’re welcome to leave whenever you want. Arrogant of you to assume my sister would care about you if you left right now.”
This time, the tears threaten to fall from my eyes with more force than before, and I take a deep breath, trying to stop my hands from shaking. He’s right. Not only because I assume that my friend, who barely knows me, would care so much about me, but also because even if she did care that much, I wouldn’t want her to fight with her brother on my behalf.
And I would never want to be the reason for a fight between the two of you, Ethan...” I turn away, and I start walking towards the door. “I’ll remember my place.”
I look down at the floor so I don’t trip as I walk, wiping away my tears. He doesn’t say anything else and doesn’t come after me.
I increase my pace to go to the beautiful bedroom that Vi generously let me sleep in last night.
After going through a bunch of twists and turns in this massive mansion, I finally stop crying and wipe away my tears. When I enter the room, Az is sitting with Lily on the plush rug on the floor near the fireplace with a book open, the two of them are reading.
“Mom?” Az calls, a little worried as he looks at me. Apparently, I couldn’t hide it well. I turn my face so he doesn’t see the redness in there and start stuffing our belongings into my backpack quickly. “What are you doing?” he asks, standing up.
“It’s time to go, buddy. Uh, get your things, okay?”
“Now?” Lily asks, also standing up next to him. The desperate tone in her voice makes me pause for a moment and look at the little girl. She goes on, “I thought you were going to stay longer.” Lily’s eyes look teary in Az’s direction.
My son glances at her and then shifts his gaze towards me with eyes full of hope.
“Az, pack your things. We’re leaving right now.” I turn to Lily. “Do you know where your mom is? I need to talk to her.”
“She had to get out of the packhou—” She clears her throat, “I mean, she had to leave real quick, but she’ll be back soon.”
“That’s fine. I’ll call her on the way.”
Az seems to notice the urgency in my voice because he immediately starts packing his few belongings into his bag, and not long after that, we leave the dreamy bedroom. I check it one last time, and the room looks as impeccably tidy as it was when we arrived.
“Az...” Lily says, “I’m going to miss you.” She holds his hand through the car window, where he is already sitting in the passenger seat.
Az doesn’t say anything, but I have never seen my son so desolate.
“I promise you will see each other as soon as possible! I will also call your mother later, Lily. She got my number. You can call him whenever you want!”
“Okay,” she says, looking at me with her big brown eyes welling up and her chin trembling. Then, she abruptly turns and runs into the mansion without looking back.
I look at the gas level and am amazed that it’s full. Did Vi do this? Because I’m pretty sure it was almost empty when I got here.
One more thing to thank her for later. She’s been an angel in my life. At least with me gone, she won’t have to worry about me anymore.
“Where are we going, Mom? Home?” Az asks as I start the car.
I just nod because the lump in my throat will make me cry if I say anything.

🐺 🐺 🐺

I spent the whole way back to town thinking about everything that had happened. I asked Vi to stay at her place for three days, but after the fight with Ethan, I couldn’t stay there any longer. I needed to leave.
Ethan angrily told me that I was driving him crazy. Part of me was afraid of how he would react if I stayed there any longer. I don’t want to anger him and risk being accidentally hit, just like what happened with Logan.
I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not going to get trapped in a situation like that again. The last thing I want is to get a scar on the other side of my rib to match the one Logan gave me. One is enough to make my skin look ugly.
My mind keeps repeating over and over again Ethan kissing his wife, even though I force myself to stop thinking about it and forget about it. Every time the image of the two of them rerun in my mind, I hate Ethan a little bit more for having cheated on her with me.
Even though it was the best sex of my entire life, Ethan is a cheater. Ethan did the same thing that Logan did to me. He’s no better than my ex-husband, and that alone should be enough for me to stay away from him.
After parking the car and arriving at the building, Az and I walk up the stairs to our apartment.
“You hungry, bud?” I ask, throwing back my braid that is resting on my shoulder and reaching for the key in my pocket.
Az nods his head, his eyes droop with sleepiness. He’d been asleep the entire trip.
I attempt to insert the key into the lock, but the door creaks open just a sliver the instant the key touches the lock. My pulse quickens, and every instinct in my body goes on high alert, sensing that something is off and is not because of the dim light from the flickering hallway bulb.
I gently push the door open and look around the apartment.
My lips part.
Not only is the apartment door lock busted, but everything inside the apartment is wrecked.