4. A Painful Accusation

Liora’s steps came to an abrupt halt.

A hand suddenly clamped around her wrist from behind—strong, hot, making her breath catch painfully in her throat.

Instinctively, Liora startled as she turned around. Her body stiffened, her breath stuck halfway.

“Eh—aaa .…!”

“You—!”

“Ssh!” Ethan silenced Liora in one swift movement.

His other hand covered her mouth while his body moved closer, trapping her. “Be quiet. We need to talk.”

Liora shook her head hard, her eyes wide with panic. She pushed against Ethan’s chest, trying to break free.

“I don’t want to! Let me go!” Liora protested in panic. She suddenly realized something—she was afraid her husband and her mother-in-law might see her together with Ethan.

Receiving her rejection, Ethan’s gaze hardened. There was no smile, only anger from feeling refused.

“I do not accept rejection,” he said lowly, dangerously.

“Come with me. Now. Let’s go,” Ethan pulled Liora’s hand, his steps fast and firm.

Of course, Liora did not stay still. She struggled, her heels nearly slipping on the floor. Luckily, she managed to grab onto the wall. Meanwhile, Ethan’s grip only grew stronger.

Within minutes, they stopped in front of a small door—the old storage room located at the end of the corridor. Far from the kitchen.

Ethan roughly pulled the door open, then lightly pushed Liora inside. “Get in!”

“I don’t want to, let go!” Liora tried to leave, turning around.

However, Ethan grabbed her again and slammed the storage room door shut.

Bang!

Liora’s body was pressed against the door. Her breathing became erratic as Ethan lifted both her hands and placed them above her head. The position left her helpless—trapped by the tall figure standing in front of her.

“What do you want to do, huh?!” Liora’s voice trembled. “Let me go!” she shouted angrily.

“Be quiet, or do you want everyone to hear that we’re together in here?” Ethan smiled meaningfully.

“Are you crazy? Stop talking nonsense!” Liora panicked, afraid that the man’s words might become reality.

Ethan’s face moved closer. Too close.

His gaze traced Liora’s face—her eyes, her cheeks, then stopped at her slightly parted lips caused by her uneven breathing. A faint scent of lavender wafted through the air, tightening Ethan’s chest.

Ethan restrained himself. With great difficulty.

“So tell me,” he whispered, his voice low and pressured, “you approached me on purpose, didn’t you?”

Liora stared at him sharply.

“What?” she exclaimed, shocked, shaking her head as she was accused like that by Ethan.

“You must have known that I am Daren’s older brother,” Ethan continued. “And then you deliberately seduced me so I would sleep with you. What was your real plan?” he accused.

Liora’s chest rose and fell rapidly. Her anger and the humiliation she had just endured from her mother-in-law blended into one.

“Don’t accuse me recklessly. You don’t know anything!” she snapped, holding herself back.

“How would I know you were Daren’s brother? We had never met before. Did I ever approach you with any intention?” Liora defended herself.

Ethan let out a soft, cynical chuckle.

“But the fact is,” he whispered with a faint smile, as if mocking her, “you seduced me. We did it. That night, you were so wild—”

“Stop!” Liora cut him off, her eyes reddening. “Don’t twist everything around,” she said angrily. “I am not that kind of woman,” Liora added, unaware of her drunken state back then.

Ethan lost control for a split second.

Smack!

Driven by emotion, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against Liora’s—rough, filled with anger and confusion. It was not a kiss of passion, but a misdirected release.

Liora was shocked. She pushed against Ethan’s chest, but the man was stronger.

With the last of her strength and courage, Liora bit Ethan’s lip.

“Argh!”

The sharp pain made Ethan recoil. Liora immediately shoved him away with all her might.

Slap!

The sound echoed inside the narrow room.

“You don’t know anything!” Liora shouted, her chest heaving. “I don’t know you. I had no intention of seducing you!”

Tears pooled in her eyes, but her voice remained firm.

“If we slept together,” she continued with a trembling voice, “it was because of an accident. And because I was wrong.” Liora looked at Ethan coldly.

“I thought you were a gigolo.”

Those words hit harder than the slap.

Ethan froze.

Liora wiped her cheek roughly, holding back the tears that were about to fall again.

“Today, I was insulted. Humiliated. And you—” she took a breath, “you reminded me of my biggest mistake.”

Liora stepped toward the door, stopping briefly without turning back.

“Forget that night,” she said coldly. “Pretend we never did it.”

Liora opened the door.

But before she truly left, she half-turned.

“And never think that I forgive you,” she continued softly but sharply. “Because you took something most precious from me.”

The door closed.

Ethan stood frozen. The image of white sheets stained with red that morning resurfaced in his mind.

“Damn …,” he rubbed his face roughly. “What have you done, Ethan?” he looked furious at himself.

Ethan realized one thing—that Liora’s words earlier were true.

“So she really didn’t know me. About that night, maybe she truly thought I was a gigolo because we didn’t know each other at all.”

Liora walked toward the kitchen with unsteady steps. Her hands trembled as she picked up a plate.

Not long after, another set of footsteps followed.

“Where have you been?” Stevani’s cold voice sounded.

Liora turned around. “Is there anything I can help with, Sister?” she tried to sound friendly.

Stevani’s gaze swept over Liora’s face, as if searching for a crack.

“I haven’t seen Ethan for a while. Did you see him?”

“No,” Liora answered briefly, then pretended to stay busy.

At that moment, Ethan appeared from the back corridor. His lip looked slightly injured.

Stevani noticed Ethan’s presence and immediately approached her husband.

“What happened to your lip?” Stevani tried to touch it, but Ethan brushed her hand away roughly.

“Where were you?” Stevani asked suspiciously, feeling strange as she saw Ethan keep looking at Liora.

Ethan glanced briefly toward Liora—who had already averted her gaze and returned to arranging the plates.

“I hit it on a door earlier,” he replied flatly.

Stevani did not believe him, but she chose to remain silent. “Oh, then let’s treat the wound first,” she said, linking her arm with Ethan’s. “Come on.”

After Ethan and Stevani left, only then did Liora feel her chest loosen. Truly, earlier she had felt suffocated, especially after remembering what happened inside the storage room.

“I hope I will never meet him again after this,” Liora wished.

At the dining table, the atmosphere froze.

The sound of spoons clinking against plates felt unbearably loud.

Daren tried to smile. He took some food and placed it onto Liora’s plate.

“Eat more,” he said gently. “You look thinner now.”

Liora only nodded, with no interest in touching the food Daren had taken for her.

Seeing that, Ethan unconsciously tightened his grip on his spoon.

His chest felt tight—foreign, hot, and wrong.

Ethan did not know when that jealousy had grown.

But he knew one thing for certain—

That mistake was not over yet.

And Liora was not a woman he could simply forget.

“Dear, I want some food too. Look at Daren and Liora. They look so affectionate, don’t they? Even though they’ve been married for three years, their intimacy is still well maintained,” Stevani deliberately provoked, trying to draw Ethan’s full attention back to her.

“Get it yourself. I’m already full!” Ethan replied coldly, then stood up, intending to leave.

Seeing his brother about to leave, Daren immediately approached him. “Brother, where are you going? Come back and sit down. You still have a lot of food. This is also the first time you’re eating with us.”

“I’m going to smoke for a bit,” Ethan pulled his hand away from Daren, then continued walking out.

Liora only glanced briefly. After that, she focused solely on her food.

“Hmph. He said he’s already full, but from what I saw, he looked jealous when Daren paid attention to me earlier,” Liora sneered inwardly.