Chapter 4 — Forced Natalie’s POV

“Mmmm… ughhhh… E…Ethan please…” I moaned loud begging but he didn't listen, his strong hands gripped my thighs, lifting one leg high against his waist as he pressed me hard on the wall.

I felt his fingers slide between my legs teasing my entrance before pushing two thick fingers deep inside me.

“Ahh! Ethan…” My back arched, my breath caught as he pumped them in and out curling just right to hit that spot that made my knees buckle, his thumb circled my clit mercilessly sending sharp waves of unwanted pleasure through me, I was soaked… my body betrayed me completely even as my mind screamed that this was wrong.

“I miss you Layla…” he growled. His voice was dark and heavy with alcohol and grief, his eyes burned with fire as he replaced his fingers with the thick head of his cock, rubbing it on my clit before thrusting up inside me in one powerful stroke.

“Uhhhh… Ethan… fu… fuck…” I bit my lips tight, my voice was broken like I was tearing from my throat. He fucked me hard while standing and my leg, still hooked over his arm spreading me wide open for every deep punishing thrust.

Each slam of his hips drove him impossibly deeper, his pelvis grinding against my clit, my walls clenched around him involuntarily, the pressure was overwhelming… I never wanted this, but the way he took over me was so brutal that I couldn't resist him any further.

His free hand roamed my body squeezing my breast, pinching my nipple, gripping my ass as he pounded me like a possessed man.

The sounds were wet slaps of skin, my moans and his low grunts, I came hard around him shaking but he didn't stop, he carried me to the bed still buried inside me and flipped me over while he was standing behind me.

He gripped my hips and slammed back in… fucking me in deep relentless strokes, the doggy style felt even more raw.

His balls slapped me with every thrust, he pulled my hair with one hand as he drove harder.

“Layla…” he groaned again lost in the fantasy, I buried my face in the sheets torn in shame and the building's pleasure crashed over me a second time.

The next morning the first thing I felt was pain, I was sore down there.

Then warmth and the third was panic.

My eyes opened instantly.

Sunlight poured through the massive bedroom windows while a dull ache spread through my entire body.

For one confused second I didn’t understand where I was, then I felt his hand wrapped around my waist with his dark messy hair and his breathing was slow and heavy on my shoulder.

Suddenly I had a flashback of everything that had happened last night all at once.

The rain, his voice, the alcohol and the desperate way he held me while calling me Layla.

My stomach twisted painfully.

No.

No no no…

I tried coming down from the bed but that made Ethan turn and his eyes opened slowly, my heart nearly stopped.

For a moment confusion clouded his face, then he looked at me properly and everything changed.

Horror.

He jerked away from me like touching me disgust him.

“What the hell…” his voice came out raw and broken.

I quickly wrapped myself with the sheet, humiliation burnt through every inch of me.

“Ethan listen—”

“What did you do?!” I flinched.

The rage in his voice was terrifying.

“You were drunk and you thought I was—” I whispered.

“SHUT UP!” the force of his scream made me tremble.

Ethan stood up violently running both hands through his hair like he was losing his mind.

“This can’t be happening.”

The sunlight exposed everything, his bare chest, the marks on my skin and the horrifying reality of what happened between us.

Shame burned through me so bad I wanted to disappear.

His chest rose and fell heavily while fury consumed his face, “You trapped me.”

“No!”

“You knew I was drunk!”

“I tried stopping you!”

“Liar!”

Tears filled my eyes.

“I didn’t force you—”

“Then why were you wearing Layla’s coat?!”

I froze because he was right.

That coat had made him mistake me for her but none of this was planned.

“You think I wanted this? You think I wanted you to touch me while thinking I was someone else?” I spoke up.

Silence filled the room, then Ethan grabbed the whiskey bottle from the table beside the bed and threw it violently across the room.

CRASH!

Glass exploded everywhere.

I gasped in fear.

He turned away from me and gripped the edge of the dresser so tight his knuckles turned white.

“I can’t believe this happened…”

The pain in his voice hurt more than his anger because waking up next to me was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

“Ethan…”

“Don’t say my name.”

The coldness in his voice nearly broke me, I lowered my eyes.

“I never wanted to hurt you,” I whispered.

“You already ruined Layla’s life now you’ve ruined mine too.” he laughed bitterly.

The words went straight to my chest.

“I didn’t ruin anything!”

“Then where is she?!”

His roar echoed in the room.

“I don’t know!”

For a second we just stared at each other, both broken and hurting but completely different kinds of pain.

Ethan looked like a man drowning in grief.

And I… I looked like someone who loved a man that would never choose her.

Ethan then punched the wall beside the bed hard enough to crack it.

He was completely out of control.

“If people find out about this…”

My stomach dropped because people will find out.

The Hale family servants already knew I spent the night here and high society loved scandals more than anything.

As if fate wanted to prove me right a loud knock echoed outside the bedroom.

“Mr. Hale? There are reporters outside the estate and your mother is downstairs.” the maid sounded nervous.

Silence.

Then Ethan looked at me and the hatred in his eyes destroyed something inside me permanently.

“You should’ve left before morning.”

My throat tightened.

Before I could respond, he walked past me and opened the bedroom door wide.

The maid standing outside lowered her head but not before her eyes moved to me, the bed.

To the scattered clothes across the floor.

My stomach dropped.

She knows.

Which means everyone know.

Within hours the entire city exploded with rumors and by noon every elite family already knew Ethan Hale spent the night with Natalie Faye the sister of the missing woman he loves.

Online the headlines were merciless.

Billionaire Heir Sleeps With Missing Lover’s Sister.

Did Natalie Faye Seduce Ethan Hale?

Scandal Rocks The Hale Family.

But the one that got to me was the last news I saw before dropping my phone with pain.

‘Allegedly, Mr Ethan Hale was raped by a murderer Miss Natalie Faye in his bedroom.’

I sat silent in one of the mansion’s guest rooms while my phone buzzed with endless messages, calls, insults and accusations.

My hands wouldn’t stop shaking and when Ethan finally entered the room again, his face looked colder than death itself.

I slowly stood up, “What’s happening outside?”

“You know exactly what’s happening.”

I swallowed hard, “Ethan…”

“My grandfather is furious, the board members are already talking about the scandal.” He loosened his tie.

“I never asked for this.”

“But you benefited from it.” my chest tightened.

“You really believe I planned all this?”

“Yes.”

He answered without hesitation like he truly believed I was capable of destroying him for my own gain.

Tears burned my eyes again, “how can you think so little of me?”

Ethan stepped closer, “because every terrible thing in my life started the moment you touched it.”

The cruelty of the words nearly knocked the air out of me.

I love him.

God…

I love him so much and he hates me this deep.

I looked away before he could see me breaking apart.

“So what now?” I whispered weakly.

For a long moment Ethan didn’t answer, then finally…

“We’re getting married.”

“What?” I stared at him in shock.

“You heard me.”

“No!”

He narrowed his eyes,“No?”

“You don’t love me… you don’t even want me.”

“That stopped mattering this morning.”

My heart shattered.

“This is because of your reputation right?.”

“It’s because the media will destroy both families if I don’t fix this immediately.”

Fix this like I was a mistake or a scandal, or something dirty he needed to clean up.

“You’re punishing me,” I whispered.

Ethan’s expression hardened.

“You trapped me into sleeping with you.”

“I didn’t!”

“Then why didn’t you stop me?”

The question made me silent because I did try, but deep down a weak and selfish part of me had also wanted him close even if he mistook me for Layla and maybe Ethan saw the guilt flash across my face, his eyes went cold.

“There it is.” he said.

“No…”

“You wanted this.”

“That’s not true!”

“Then tell me would you have pushed me away if I knew you were Natalie from the beginning?”

I opened my mouth then closed it.

The answer hurt too much and my silence became a confirmation in his eyes.

“I knew it.”

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

“You’re being unfair…”

“No. I’m finally seeing you clearly.”

I broke down.

For years I had loved him silently, watched him love my sister and protected his happiness even when it broke my own heart.

And now…

This was what remained, hatred, humiliation and a forced marriage built from grief and misunderstanding.

Ethan pulled a folded document from the table nearby and threw it on me.

Marriage papers.

I stared at them numbly.

“You already prepared this?”

“The lawyers handled it this morning.”

Morning.

That fast? like marrying me was another business arrangement not a life or a future.

“I’ll make sure you suffer every single day beside me.” that was the last word he said to me before dragging me to the waiting marriage registrar downstairs.