CHAPTER FIVE

LENA’S POV

I knew something was wrong the moment Edward came home early. The house was too quiet. He never comes home before nine. Never.

I was in the living room, barefoot on the rug, pretending to read a book I hadn’t turned a page of in twenty minutes. Ethan had left an hour earlier. I could still feel his presence like he hadn’t yet.

The front door opened. Closed. Slow. Measured footsteps. Edward doesn’t rush. He doesn’t slam doors. He doesn’t shout. He controls.

“Lena.” My name always sounds different in his mouth when something is wrong. I stand immediately. That’s instinct now. “You’re home early.” He sets his keys down carefully. Too carefully. “Yes.” His eyes scan me. Not lovingly. Not curiously. Assessing.

“You seemed… distracted this afternoon. My stomach drops. “I was just tired.” He walks closer. One step then another. I don’t move.

“Were you?” His voice is soft. Calm. Almost kind. “Or were you distracted by something else?” I shake my head too quickly. “No I wasn’t.”

He reaches out suddenly and grabs my wrist. Not hard at first. Just enough to stop me from stepping back. My pulse jumps.

“I don’t like being lied to,” he says quietly. “I’m not lying.” His grip tightens. Pain shoots up my arm. “I don’t like repeating myself either.” I try to pull away. That’s when his hand moves. The slap isn’t loud. But it’s sharp. My head turns with it.

For a second I just stand there, stunned. The room feels far away. My cheek burns. Edward exhales like I’ve disappointed him. “Look at me.” His fingers dig into my jaw, forcing my face up.

“I give you everything,” he says. “Everything. And you repay me with distance?” Tears blur my vision but I refuse to let them fall. “I didn’t do anything.” The second hit comes harder. Not my face this time it was my shoulder.

I stumble back into the edge of the table. Pain blooms through my side. He steps forward again. And that’s when the door of the sitting room opens.

“Edward?” Ethan’s voice. Everything freezes. Edward straightens immediately. His hand drops from me like he was never touching me at all. Ethan walks in and sees it instantly. The way I’m holding myself. The way I won’t look up. The tension in the room. He knew exactly what was happening. His jaw tightens.

“Is everything okay?” he asked Edward adjusts like nothing happened. “Of course,” he says smoothly. “Lena and I were just talking.”

Ethan’s eyes flick to my cheek. Blooming red. He sees it. He knows. But he doesn’t challenge Edward. Not here. Not now.

“I left my watch, I just came to pick it up” Ethan says calmly. Edward nods once. “Take it.” He walks past Ethan without another word and disappears down the hallway.

The second he’s gone, the air changes. My knees give out before I can stop them. Ethan catches me. His hands are warm. Steady.

“Lena,” he breathes. “Did he…” I shake my head even though it’s obvious. “I’m fine.” “You’re not.” His thumb brushes lightly over my cheek. I flinch. His entire body stiffens.

“He touched you.” It’s not a question. I don’t answer. That’s answer enough. Ethan’s jaw clenches so hard I can see the muscle jump. “He doesn’t get to do that.” I laugh weakly. “He does. He’s my husband.” The word tastes like poison.

Ethan’s hands slide to my waist, steadying me. “He doesn’t own you.” I finally look at him. Really look at him. His anger isn’t explosive like Edward’s. It’s protective. Dangerous in a different way.

“He’ll ruin you,” I whisper. “If he even suspects anything about you and I” “Let him.” My breath catches.

Ethan lifts his hand again, slower this time, giving me space to move away. I don’t. His fingers graze my jaw. Gentle. “You don’t deserve that,” he says softly. Something inside me cracks. Not from pain. From being seen. My hands fist in his shirt without thinking.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I whisper. His forehead presses against mine. “You don’t have to.” Ethan closes the distance between us. Not rushed. Not hesitant. Intentional.

His hand slides to the back of my neck, steady but not forcing. And then his mouth is on mine. Warm. Certain. Claiming. For a second I freeze. This is wrong. This is dangerous. This is everything. I kiss him back. And the moment I do, I know there’s no going back. His grip tightens slightly at my waist. Not like Edward. Not to control. To anchor. To hold. And I let him.

I let myself sink into it into him like I’ve been starving and just realized it. His hand tightens in my hair, not rough, just desperate. My pulse is everywhere. In my throat. My wrists. Between us.

“Lena,” he breathes, like a warning. A sound splits the silence. A floorboard. Not distant. It sounds close. We freeze mouths inches apart. Another step. Slower. Measured. Ethan’s eyes shift over my shoulder, sharp now. Calculating.

“Don’t turn around,” he whispers. The footsteps stop outside the door. Silence presses in. Waiting and neither of us dares to move.