Chapter 22
[ 480 words ]
Chapter 22:
He sat down beside me on the bed and reached out with his long arm, gathering me and the blanket into his arms.
“Don’t be scared. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep,” he murmured near my ear, his warm breath brushing softly over my temple.
I made a muffled sound in response, and tears spilled out all over again.
Why did he always have to do this?
After disgracing me, he turned around and gave me the comfort I longed for most on nights like this, when storms broke overhead.
This gentleness, no matter how poisonous I knew it was, was something I could never bring myself to reject.
I breathed him in greedily. Wrapped in that familiar scent, my frayed nerves finally eased, and I slipped into a deep sleep.
𝗟atеѕ𝘁 c𝘩𝘢𝘱𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗈n 𝘨𝘢𝘭n𝘰v𝘦𝘭𝘴.сo𝗆
Lianne’s POV:
By the time I opened my eyes the next morning, the other side of the bed was already vacant.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Ethan had gone.
It almost felt like having him there with me in the dark had only been some cruel trick of my mind.
A faint, bitter smile tugged at my lips.
The mate bond really was a disgusting kind of biological compulsion. Even after the way he had shamed me and mistrusted me the night before, the second he wrapped me in his arms in the darkness, my determination to walk away had shamefully begun to falter.
I had even caught myself thinking that if I told him I was pregnant, maybe he would finally spare me a glance for the sake of our baby.
But I smothered that ridiculous thought almost at once.
I spent the morning at the office sorting through a mountain of pending paperwork, then headed straight to the photography studio that afternoon.
The session went surprisingly well.
Maybe because she had spent last night with Ethan, Ivy was in an unusually good mood today.
Beneath the studio lights, her makeup looked immaculate, and every look she gave off carried a dazzling confidence that bordered on arrogance.
During a break, the photographer, May Blake, came over with her camera, scrolling through the photos with obvious excitement. “Lianne, look at this. Ivy’s range in front of the camera is incredible. Our new line is going to be a huge success.”
I had to admit that, as the face of Sparkle, Ivy truly was flawless.
“Reset the stage! Get ready for the last set!” the director shouted.
Filming started again. The lighting team repositioned the huge reflectors and the weighty light stands.
I was standing beside the monitor, scribbling down figures, when sudden noise broke out near the entrance.
“Ivy, look who’s here!” someone called.
I lifted my head without thinking and saw Ethan walking into the studio.
He had changed into a dark charcoal suit, which made him look even colder and more commanding.
Ivy’s eyes brightened at once. She gathered up her skirt and drifted toward him. “Ethan!”
And that was the exact moment everything went wrong.
.
.
.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.