Attraction

The sound of rain tapped gently against the large windows of Ethan’s study. Olivia stood by the door, arms crossed, her body tense. She had come here to discuss lawyers, divorce papers, and splitting property. What she hadn’t expected was the fire in Ethan’s eyes when he looked at her.

It wasn’t the look of a man ready to let go.

It was the look of a man ready for war and maybe something else.

“Sit down, Olivia,” Ethan said quietly, his voice heavy.

“No, thank you. This won’t take long,” she replied, keeping her distance.

She thought he looked pale, still recovering from his accident, but he sat upright, shoulders broad, jaw tight, looking every bit like the man who once owned her heart. She hated that her chest tightened seeing him like this.

“I don’t want lawyers involved,” Ethan said. “We can settle things ourselves.”

Olivia laughed coldly. “That’s rich, coming from the man who couldn’t stay faithful for one year of marriage. You made this mess. Don’t expect me to clean it up for you.”

His face hardened. “You think I don’t regret it? You think I don’t hate myself every damn day?”

“Then why, Ethan? Why ruin everything we built?”

His voice cracked. “Because I was a coward. Because I couldn’t handle the pain after” He stopped suddenly, biting down on his words.

Olivia’s stomach dropped. He was about to say it. The miscarriage. The baby they lost.

Her throat tightened, but she masked it with a bitter smile. “Don’t. Don’t bring that up. You lost the right to speak about it when you chose her over me.”

Silence.

The storm outside grew louder, wind rattling the glass. Ethan pushed his chair back slowly and stood, moving toward her. Olivia stiffened but didn’t move away. He was close now, too close. She could feel the heat of him, smell the faint spice of his cologne.

“You can hate me all you want,” he whispered, eyes searching hers. “But don’t pretend you don’t still feel this.”

Her pulse spiked. She swallowed hard. “Feel what?”

He didn’t answer with words. He kissed her.

Olivia gasped against his mouth, pushing at his chest. But the moment his lips pressed harder, rough, desperate, she froze. Her body betrayed her. A rush of heat filled her, the kind she hadn’t felt in years.

She shoved him back. “Stop! You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to break me twice.”

Ethan’s chest rose and fell sharply. His eyes were wild, stormy, like the night outside. “Then hate me. Curse me. But don’t lie, Olivia. You want me.”

Her hands trembled. She wanted to deny it, to spit in his face. But the truth pressed too hot in her chest. She did still want him. She hated herself for it.

“I want my life back,” she hissed instead. “A life without you.”

But Ethan only smirked bitterly, as if he didn’t believe her.

Hours later, Olivia lay awake in the guest room, staring at the ceiling. The house felt too big, too silent. She could still feel his mouth on hers, still hear his words.

She told herself she’d leave in the morning. But her feet betrayed her again. Before she realized it, she was walking down the hallway, barefoot, toward his room.

The door was half open. Ethan was inside, shirtless, sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. He looked broken, haunted.

Olivia should have turned away. Instead, she stepped inside.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked quietly.

He lifted his head. His eyes were red, as if he hadn’t slept in weeks. “Not when you’re here,” he murmured.

Something inside her cracked. She should have hated him. But all she saw in that moment was the man she once loved.

She sat beside him on the bed. Silence stretched between them, thick and heavy.

“Olivia…” His voice was rough, like gravel. “I never stopped loving you.”

Her heart hammered painfully. “Don’t. Don’t say that.”

But he did. And when he reached for her cheek, she didn’t stop him. His hand was warm, his thumb brushing her skin gently.

And then she kissed him.

This time, she was the one who started it.

Their mouths clashed, fierce and hungry. Years of anger, grief, and longing exploded between them. Ethan pulled her onto his lap, his hands gripping her hips tightly. Olivia moaned against his lips, her fingers tangling in his hair.

“You drive me insane,” he groaned, kissing down her neck, biting softly.

“You ruined me,” she whispered, but her body arched into him.

His hands slid under her nightdress, roaming her thighs, her waist, her back. “Then let me ruin you again,” he growled.

Clothes disappeared in a frenzy. Olivia gasped as Ethan pressed her down onto the bed, his weight heavy over hers, his skin hot against hers. Their mouths moved desperately, as if trying to erase years of silence and lies.

Every touch was fire. Every kiss was war.

“Ethan’’.. she moaned, his name a plea and a curse all at once.

He thrust into her hard, and she cried out, clutching his shoulders. The pain mixed with pleasure, raw and overwhelming.

“You’re mine,” he growled, moving faster, deeper.

Her nails raked his back. “No.. I hate you,” she gasped, though her body said otherwise, trembling beneath him, begging for more.

“Then hate me,” he hissed, kissing her hard, swallowing her cries. “But don’t stop.”

Their bodies collided over and over, sweat slick on skin, breath ragged. It was rough, desperate, nothing like the love they once made. This was need. Hunger. Fury.

And when she shattered beneath him, crying out his name, he followed, collapsing against her with a guttural groan.

For a long time, they just lay there, tangled, trembling.

Silence filled the room, broken only by the storm outside. Olivia stared at the ceiling, her chest rising and falling quickly. Reality crashed back like cold water.

She had just given herself to the man who broke her heart.

Slowly, she pushed him away and sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. “This was a mistake,” she whispered.

Ethan caught her wrist, his eyes fierce. “No. This was real. Tell me you didn’t feel it.”

Tears burned her eyes. She wanted to scream at him, to deny it. But she couldn’t.

“I can’t do this again,” she said, her voice shaking. “You’ll destroy me.”

“I’ll fix it,” he promised. “I’ll prove it to you.”

But Olivia pulled her wrist free and stumbled from the bed. She didn’t look back as she fled into the hallway, her heart pounding, her mind a storm.

Back in her own room, Olivia pressed her back to the door, tears streaming down her face.

She had just crossed a line she swore she never would.

But before she could even gather her thoughts, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She picked it up, her hand shaking.

A message glowed on the screen from an unknown number:

“You don’t belong to him anymore, Olivia. You belong to me now.”

Her blood ran cold.

She dropped the phone, heart thundering. Who had sent that message? Was it Jessica? Or someone else entirely?

One thing was certain, her nightmare had only just begun…..