Chapter 6

knock knock

Violet squinted before slowly opening her eyes. It was already morning. She looked toward the bed—it was empty. Sitting up groggily, she heard water running in the bathroom.

“Coming,” she called out, walking over to open the door.

To her surprise, it was Ethan’s father—Mr. James William.

“G-Good morning, Dad…”

He smiled warmly at her, then glanced inside the room, his eyes landing on the blanket neatly folded on the couch. His smile faded as he turned back to her with concern.

“Did you sleep on the couch?”

Violet’s breath caught in her throat. She’d completely forgotten to hide the blanket. Her palms began to sweat. She wasn’t sure whether to lie or tell the truth.

“I… I slept on the couch.”

Before Mr. William could say anything, Ethan emerged from the bathroom in a bathrobe, towel-drying his hair. He smiled at her sweetly and stepped forward.

“She wants to take things slow, and I respect that. So I chose to sleep on the couch to make sure she didn’t feel uncomfortable.”

Violet felt a lump in her throat. The way he lied so smoothly in front of his father made her skin crawl.

---

Violet’s POV

As if trying to confirm Ethan’s words, Mr. William looked directly at me. I forced a smile and nodded, even though my heart was racing. I couldn’t remember the last time I lied. It’s not like I never lie… I just try my best to avoid it.

“It’s alright,” he said gently. “You have your whole life ahead of you. Ethan can be difficult, Violet, but I know you won’t disappoint me. You’re perfect for my son.”

Ethan scoffed, clearly unimpressed by the compliment, but his father ignored the attitude. Then his eyes shifted to my suitcase, and he frowned again.

“You haven’t unpacked yet? Is there not enough space in the closet?”

I tensed up again and glanced at Ethan, hoping he would step in to help. But he stayed silent.

“Uh… it’s just… I-I was really tired yesterday,” I stammered, panicking. “So I didn’t get around to it. I-I’ll put my things in the closet today… Dad.”

I tried to smile again, forcing my breath to stay even. Whenever I lie, I get this awful feeling in my chest—like I can’t breathe and everything inside me is tightening.

Mr. William didn’t look fully convinced, but he nodded quietly and stepped out, leaving us alone.

As soon as the door closed, I exhaled the breath I had been holding and looked back at Ethan, who stood silently behind me. His expression was unreadable… but it didn’t look like he was pleased.

Was he not satisfied with my answer?

"Did I say anything wrong?"

He scoffed and threw the towel onto the bed before striding over to me. Gripping my jaw—not hard, but firm enough—he looked straight into my eyes.

"Wrong?!" His voice was sharp. "You were too obvious. He could tell something’s off between us. You acted like that on purpose, didn’t you?"

He tightened his grip, making me wince and frown in pain.

"I—I really didn’t... I didn’t know how to answer him. I-I was just nervous."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but instead, he abruptly let go, making me stumble back a step. I rubbed my jaw, swallowing the lump rising in my throat as he glared at me.

"Why are you standing there? Put your things in the closet. Or do you want him to see your suitcase again?"

"I-I'm going to do that," I muttered, quickly turning to unzip my suitcase.

"Don’t touch my stuff," he warned coldly before disappearing into the bathroom to change, I assumed. I let out a quiet sigh of relief once I was alone.

I opened his closet and began placing my clothes on the empty side. After hanging the last dress, I was about to close the door when something caught my eye—a photo frame tucked between his shirts. I glanced at the bathroom door to make sure he wasn’t nearby, then carefully picked it up.

It was a photo of him as a child with, I assumed, his mother. He looked adorable back then, and his mother was stunning. Maybe he took after her—handsome, sharp features—

"How dare you touch that?!"

I flinched and lost my grip on the frame. It slipped from my hands and fell to the ground, shattering.

Glass pieces scattered everywhere.

Ethan stormed toward me in long, angry strides. Without sparing me a glance, he crouched and picked up the photo from among the broken glass, not caring if he cut himself. When he looked up, his jaw was clenched, his eyes burning with rage.

"I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—it slipped—"

He didn’t say a word. Instead, he stood, grabbed my wrist, and yanked me out of the room. I tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong.

As we passed a window, I noticed Mr. James William’s car pulling out of the driveway. He was leaving. Which meant... I was alone with Ethan.

"E-Ethan, I—I'm really sor—"

Before I could finish, he shoved me into a dim, dusty room. A storeroom. The air was stale, and everything was covered in thick layers of dust. There were no windows, no light—just shadows.

His face was red, eyes glowing with fury.

I had broken something precious. No apology could undo it.

So I said nothing.

"It’s my fault... I should never have let you into my room."

With that, he slammed the door shut, locking me inside.

I sank into the corner of the room, helpless and alone. Closing my eyes tightly, I tried to calm the fear rising inside me.

“It’s my first day here, and look at me. So pathetic. Why am I like this? Why couldn’t I just keep my hands to myself?”

Tears slipped silently down my cheeks. I wiped them away and waited. Would he come back?

Of course he would. He’s not that cruel... right?

At least, he wasn’t like this when I first met him.