HELLO PRINCESS

CHAPTER 4

Ethan resumed driving. The car engine made a steady sound. Amelia sat quietly, her arms wrapped around herself. Her cheek still felt warm where Ethan had touched her.

She hadn’t planned for this.

This date was supposed to be a distraction, a reckless attempt to drown out the ache Ryan had left behind. But it had spiraled into something far more intimate—something she never expected, not even with Ryan.

Ryan.

Her fingers curled into her lap as the weight of his name pressed against her chest. She had loved him, once. Had dreamed of a future where he was the first man to claim every part of her—mind, heart, body. She had promised herself to him, planned to give herself to him on his birthday next month. But that future had shattered the moment he walked away, leaving her with nothing but empty promises and a bruised heart.

And now… now she had given a part of herself to someone else. To Ethan.

A stranger.

Her stomach tightened. She could still feel the ghost of his touch on her skin, his lips, his hands—

“Hey.”

Ethan’s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. She flinched, turning to him as he shot her a glance. His hands gripped the steering wheel casually, his expression unreadable in the dim glow of the dashboard lights.

“You’ve been quiet,” he mused, eyes flicking back to the road. “Regretting it already?”

She swallowed hard, unsure of what to say.

Was she?

Her silence was answer enough.

Ethan chuckled, shaking his head. “Thought so.”

Amelia turned back to the window, unable to face him. The city stretched on before them, but the road home felt endless.

The car rolled to a smooth stop in front of Amelia’s apartment complex. The sudden stillness jolted her back to reality.

“We’re here,” Ethan said casually, his voice laced with amusement.

She blinked, realizing she had been staring blankly at the dashboard. Without a word, she reached for the door handle, eager to escape the suffocating tension pressing down on her chest.

As she stepped out, the night air felt colder than before, sending a shiver down her spine. Her legs felt unsteady, her thoughts a tangled mess. She needed sleep. She needed time to think.

Ethan watched her from the driver’s seat, his lips curling into a smirk. The way she rushed to leave, the way she avoided looking at him—it was almost adorable.

“What a spoiled brat,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he leaned back against his seat.

Amelia didn’t hear him. She was already disappearing into the building, her arms hugging herself tightly.

With a low chuckle, Ethan shifted gears and drove off, the taillights of his car fading into the darkness.

The moment Amelia stepped into her apartment, her phone buzzed in her hand. She exhaled sharply, her nerves still frayed from the night’s events. Without looking, she swiped to answer.

“Hello, babe, are you back?” Sarah’s voice chirped through the speaker, excitement buzzing in her tone.

Amelia shut the door behind her and leaned against it, closing her eyes. “Yeah.”

Sarah gasped. “So? How was it?”

Amelia hesitated, rubbing her temple. How was she supposed to explain it? That she had gone on this date just to forget Ryan, only to end up in Ethan’s arms? That her body still tingled from his touch, and her mind refused to shut down?

She sighed. “Hmm… good and bad.”

“Wait, what?” Sarah’s voice sharpened with curiosity. “What happened? Spill.”

Amelia opened her mouth, ready to speak, but before she could get a word out, her phone screen shinned—then went black.

“Seriously?” she groaned.

The battery had finally given up on her, just like that, Amelia sighed, tossing her dead phone onto the nightstand.

Her body still carried the tension of the night, a strange mix of exhaustion and restlessness pressing down on her. She rubbed her arms, as if that could erase the lingering sensation of Ethan’s touch.

Shaking her head, she dragged herself to the bathroom.

The moment the warm water hit her skin, she let out a deep breath. Steam curled around her, but it did little to clear the fog in her mind. She replayed everything—Ryan’s betrayal, her reckless decision to go out with Ethan, and the unexpected way it had all unfolded.

Her fingers trailed over her lips. She could still feel the ghost of his kiss.

With a frustrated groan, she shut her eyes and tilted her head back under the water, letting it wash over her.

By the time she stepped out, her limbs felt heavier, but her thoughts hadn’t quieted. She slipped into an oversized shirt, climbed into bed, and buried herself under the covers.

Sleep didn’t come easily.

She lay there, staring at the ceiling, lost in memories she wished she could escape.

The next day sunlight streamed through the curtains, Amelia groaned, pulling the blanket over her head, but it was useless—morning had arrived, and with it, the relentless flood of memories.

There was no work to bury herself in, no distractions to keep her mind from replaying last night.

She rolled onto her side, grabbing her phone from the nightstand. It had fully charged overnight, the screen lighting up with notifications. Her thumb hovered over them, hesitant, until a familiar name caught her attention.

Ethan.

Her heart gave an unsteady thump as she opened the messages.

Morning, princess.

Hungover from regret yet?

Bet you’re overthinking everything. Stop it.

She bit her lip, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. His teasing words, annoyingly enough, did exactly what he intended—they eased the storm raging in her chest, even if only for a moment.

But just as the laughter bubbled up, a thought struck her like a slap.

What if last night was nothing to him? Just another moment, easily forgotten?

Her stomach twisted.

Amelia stared at Ethan’s messages, her fingers frozen over the keyboard. A dozen replies ran through her mind, but none felt right.

She could brush it off with a sarcastic comeback. She could act like last night was just another reckless decision, something to forget.

Her grip on the phone tightened as an unsettling thought crept in. What if Ethan didn’t see it the same way? What if, to him, she was just another girl, another moment, easily replaceable?

She squeezed her eyes shut. She had already made that mistake once with Ryan.

She wouldn’t make it again.

Before she could overthink any further, her phone buzzed with another message.

Princess, did you just leave me on read?