Chapter 2: The Night Everything Changed

In the middle of the night—

Ethan Blake, who hadn’t shown up for two months and even missed our wedding anniversary, finally came home!

The apartment was quiet except for the hum of the old fridge in the kitchen. I was half-asleep and rolled over, the comforter warm but heavy on my legs.

Before my face even hit the pillow, a strong perfume stung my nose—loud, passionate, ostentatious. Just like Ethan himself. But this was women’s perfume.

I struggled to turn my head and saw a face so handsome it was almost unreal. His Adam’s apple bobbed, sharp as a knuckle, and I caught myself staring—again. The kind of face you’d see on a Calvin Klein billboard, not in your own bed. His abs looked carved from stone; the sharp lines of his muscles shadowed in the low light. His eyes burned with desire, like he wanted to set me on fire.

No wonder he’d topped People Magazine’s "Most Eligible Bachelor" list for five years running! Once, flipping through glossy covers at the grocery store checkout, I’d pause at his photo and think, who actually lands a guy like that? Turns out, sometimes it’s just the plain girl in line for almond milk.

When Ethan saw my face, he paused, his gaze clearing a little, and the fire in his eyes faded noticeably. But he didn’t stop. Everywhere he touched felt like it was under a harsh spotlight, my skin prickling with goosebumps.

I instinctively wanted to escape.

I called out twice, "Babe," my voice came out too high, too sweet, like I was auditioning for a part I never wanted. I raised my tone: "Babe, why are you back so early?"

"I missed you so much. I missed you so much I didn’t even eat dinner!"

That did it—Ethan’s interest disappeared completely.

He stopped, got out of bed, and reached for a cigarette on the nightstand.

He shot back, "What are you, a toddler? Eat your own damn dinner."

I quietly let out a sigh of relief. That ridiculous excuse—"I missed you too much"—was enough to put him off.

Logically, a man like Ethan, who’s been with so many women, should see right through my lie. But I’d always acted like I loved him to death. I’d chased him for three years, watched him change girlfriends like socks, and never gave up.

Ethan once said I was the most persistent doormat he’d ever met.

I went back to sleep. Ethan went out to the balcony to smoke. He made a call, his voice drifting faintly through the glass.

The night air outside was sticky, humid—one of those New York summers where you feel the city sweating. I cracked an eyelid, hearing his muffled voice. "Dude, you’ve been gone so long—settling down for your wife now?"

Ethan sneered, "What makes a woman like her think she could ever tie me down?"

"Honestly, the first time, I could barely even kiss her."

The guy on the other end burst out laughing.

Ethan snapped, "It’s the middle of the night, keep your voice down—people are sleeping!"

Just as I was about to drift off, Ethan finished his smoke and came back in. He set a small box by my pillow.

I forced my eyes open and glanced at it. Inside was a pair of diamond earrings—very pretty. If I hadn’t seen that the matching necklace from this collection cost ten times as much, I wouldn’t have known these earrings were just a free gift that came with the necklace.

But I wasn’t angry at all. In fact, I even felt a faint sense of anticipation.

It had been a year. Since marrying me, Ethan really had seemed to settle down. Finally, he was about to lose control. And so was I.