Amelia only shifted uncomfortably and mumbled something, not waking up at all.
He had no choice but to pick her up again. This time in a princess carry.
He carried her to the door. To search her bag for the key, he had to prop her up against the wall for a moment.
Just then, Amelia’s phone, which was in her bag, suddenly rang.
The noise made her frown. She fumbled around in her bag, muttering irritably, “Noisy…”
Mason took the phone out for her, but she just covered her ears like she’d rather die than answer it.
The name “Ethan” flashed glaringly on the screen.
Mason looked at the name, his eyes flickering, a cold glint passing through them.
Then he slowly swiped to answer. He replied in a deep voice, “She can’t take your call.”
On the other end, Ethan had been furious, calling to demand why Amelia wasn’t home yet and wasn’t replying to his texts.
Unexpectedly, a stranger answered her phone.
“Who the hell are you?!” Ethan exploded. “Where’s Amelia? Do you know whose wife she is? If you know what’s good for you, don’t touch her!”
Mason didn’t give a damn about his lame threat. His tone was light, tinged with provocation. “And what if I do?”
Right at that moment, Amelia – who’d been leaning against the wall like a decoration – lost her balance. She swayed and fell toward Mason, mumbling in an aggrieved voice, “Can’t stand… Hold me.”
Her voice was soft and full of dependence.
Mason hung up without hesitation. He reached out and caught Amelia as she fell into his arms.
On the other end, Ethan only heard that ambiguous remark and the sudden dial tone.
He lost it.
At Rowe Estate.
Ethan stormed out of his study, furious. All he could think about was dragging that ungrateful woman home right away.
He wanted to see with his own eyes which idiots dared to touch his wife.
“Ethan?”
Hannah stood there in a soft pink silk nightgown, leaning weakly against the door frame. Her face showed just the right amount of concern.
“You’re going out so late? You don’t look so good.”
She paused, eyes testing the waters, then added carefully, “Is Ms. Harlow throwing a tantrum at you again because we didn’t wait for her tonight?”
That one sentence instantly snapped Ethan back to reality.
That’s right.
Amelia loved him so much – enough to give up everything. There was no way she could really be with another guy that fast.
This was just another one of her cheap little tricks to get his attention.
That guy was probably just someone she hired to make him mad.
Thinking about this, Ethan stopped walking toward the front door.
The anger in his eyes slowly faded.
No, he couldn’t go.
If he stormed over now in a rage, he’d be falling right into her trap.
Then, in their relationship, wouldn’t he end up at a disadvantage, under her control?
Anyway, Amelia has to come into the office
No Sex for Six Years Because of Her? I’m Done!tomorrow. He wanted to see how she would try to explain herself then.
With that thought, his shoulders relaxed, and he returned to his usual calm, confident CEO attitude.
On the other side, in Amelia’s studio.
It took Mason some effort to finally get her into the small bedroom on the second floor.
If Amelia were awake, she’d be shocked to see that this handsome stranger actually knew the layout of her studio way too well.
He gently placed her on the soft bed.
Like she finally found a comfortable little nest, she rolled over and burrowed into the blankets. The frown she’d been wearing all night finally relaxed.
Mason stood by the bed, watching her peaceful sleeping face under the moonlight shining through the window. After a moment of silence, he walked into the bathroom.
Soon, he came back with a warm, wet towel. He sat on the edge of the bed and carefully wiped the makeup and tear streaks from her cheeks.
Amelia seemed to sense the comfort in her sleep. She let out a small whimper and leaned into his warm hand, like a cat seeking comfort.
Mason gazed at the familiar face before him with complicated emotions.
He’d planned to keep avoiding her and never see her again.
But tonight, when he saw her being harassed and bullied by that scummy guy in the corner of the bar, he simply couldn’t stand by.
Too bad this thoughtless woman never realized he was there the whole time and thought of him only as a random hookup.
A sudden wave of anger, mixed with feelings he didn’t even understand, rushed up inside him.
Mason gripped her chin, the pressure unconsciously tightening with a hint of punishment. He wanted her to open her eyes and recognize him.
“Mm… Hurts…” Amelia frowned in her sleep, murmuring in discomfort. She instinctively swatted his hand, but her eyes never opened.
Mason’s heart tightened. He loosened his grip without thinking, but leaned closer, close enough to feel her warm breath.
Just then, a blurry name escaped Amelia’s moving lips.
“Ethan…”
Mason froze. He let go of her as if he’d been electrocuted.
He slowly stood up and stepped back, looking at the woman sleeping on the bed. A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
What was he even doing?
Why was he still soft when it came to Amelia?
She was the one who ruthlessly betrayed him back then and married Ethan right after.
Now, only that man existed in her heart and her dreams.
So what if her marriage was falling apart and her heart was broken? She brought that on herself. It had nothing to do with him.
The warmth in Mason’s eyes faded, replaced by complete indifference.
He pulled a blanket over her without any expression, then left the room and the studio without looking back.
The heavy sound of the door closing echoed in the quiet night.
And the moment he went downstairs, the girl on the bed rolled over, muttering a sleep-talk filled with intense disgust, light as a breeze, “Ethan… You jerk, go away.”
The next day, Amelia woke up with a sharp, pounding headache.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.