Leave the Wrong Man, Marry the Right Love

Chapter 5

Ethan drove me back to his private villa, and before we even reached the bedroom, he pressed me against the wall, kissing me with a fierce intensity that stole the breath from my lungs.

"Wait... hold on a second..." I barely managed to get out.

Ethan paused, his eyes glowing with the fire of the moment.

"I don't sleep in beds where other women have been," he said, his voice gravelly but calm.

I leaned into him, my chest rising and falling with the effort of breathing, my cheeks flushed from the alcohol, feeling warm and vulnerable.

"There's no one else," I murmured, "I don't sleep with them."

"It's just for fun," he said, his tone casual but his gaze never leaving mine. Before I could even process his words, Ethan swept me off my feet, and we tumbled onto the bed.

As my mind began to fade into a haze, one thing was clear, Ethan was more than I'd imagined. His physique, his presence, everything about him was exactly what I wanted in a man.

The next morning, I woke to the soft glow of dawn filtering through the curtains. Ethan was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast, while I mindlessly scrolled through my phone. That's when I saw it, Harrison had posted.

[To share a lifetime with you is enough for me,] he wrote, alongside a photo of him holding hands with a woman in front of a snow-capped mountain backdrop. Below, our mutual friends were commenting.

"Harrison and Nina, may you have lasting happiness. Can't wait for your wedding!"

"Lasting happiness, waiting for the wedding!"

"..."

A dry smirk tugged at my lips. It was clear now, Harrison had spent the night with her, and any lingering guilt I'd felt evaporated. But then, I wondered, was this post actually from Harrison? Or was it someone else?

"Not me, but I wish you both lasting happiness," I typed, then watched as Harrison's group chat went wild.

"Harrison, did you sneak out and cheat on Nina?"

"Yeah, what happened between you two? Isn't that hand supposed to be Nina's?"

"Being this open about it... aren't you worried Nina will be mad?"

Harrison's response came quickly: "She won't be."

"Wow. You really are something. Impressive."

"What if Nina gets so mad she calls off the engagement?"

Harrison shot back, "She wouldn't dare. Who else would want her besides me?"

"That's not certain. There are plenty of beauties, but someone as stunning as Nina is rare."

I watched as Harrison added a newcomer to the group, Grace. She immediately jumped in with enthusiasm.

"Hi, everyone! I'm Harrison's assistant, Grace. I'm excited to work with you all."

I took a deep breath, typed out my message, and hit send: "Since we have a newcomer, I'll leave the group to avoid any misunderstandings. From now on, don't include me in anything related to Harrison."

I tossed my phone aside, feeling a wave of overwhelm wash over me. My mind was a mess. How was I going to convince my parents to call off the engagement with the Shaw family? They'd never agree. But the truth was, I didn't want to be Harrison's wife anymore. I couldn't give him the freedom he wanted while I stayed trapped in a life I never asked for.