Chapter 4

IVY'S POV

72 Hours

It had been exactly 72 hours since I felt Adrian's touch, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.

72 hours since I had told Adrian to choose between me and his girlfriend. What was I even thinking?

Maybe it was the way my heart raced whenever he walked past, or the fire in my chest whenever he was with Lisa.

I placed a pillow over my head and screamed.

I got interrupted by a loud knock on my door.

It was currently 10 p.m., and I wasn't expecting any visitors.

I got up and moved towards the door. I opened it only to find Adrian standing there with a white T-shirt and shorts, his hair messy, and he looked like he had been drinking.

"Adrian, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Is that how you treat your guests ?" he said, his words slightly slurred.

Heat rushed to my face.

He took a slow step toward me.

I instinctively held my breath as his body came close enough for me to feel his warmth. His breath brushed against my cheek, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Are you shy ?" he murmured.

His fingers grazed mine before slowly tracing up my arm.

I swallowed hard, unable to tear my eyes away from him.

I felt my nipples harden at his touch.

I was wearing my black lacy bra and a pair of white shorts.

His fingers stopped at my neck, and he looked at me, his eyes darting down to my chest.

For a hot minute, his gaze lingered a little longer than usual before his eyes met mine.

"Goodnight, Elaina."

And he left me standing there.

What the hell just happened?

*******

The following weeks were extremely difficult.

Lisa was doing everything in her power to get me kicked out of the house.

Last week, she had deliberately burned the food and blamed it on me.

This time, she told Adrian that I had maxed out his credit card on luxury items she had bought from the store.

"How long will you keep doing this, Lisa?" I asked sternly.

She crossed her hands across her chest and said, "As long as I can. The moment Adrian gets sick of you, you'll be out of here in no time."

Adrian walked in and looked at the both of us. I tore my gaze from his and pretended to be looking at nothing.

But I was seeing everything, the way Lisa wrapped him in a hug and kissed him deeply.

But his eyes.

They were on mine.

I cleared my throat, announcing my presence. Lisa tore away from him.

"There's going to be a mansion party tonight," Adrian stated.

"I need you on your best behavior. Important people will be here, and I don't want you messing things up," he continued.

"Mess things up?" I asked. "How wonderful."

"Yes, because you always mess things up," Lisa stated as she tightened her grip against Adrian, placing a kiss on his lips.

*******

The Mansion Party

"It's so wonderful to have you all here," Adrian said. "My lovely wife, Elaina, and I would like to raise a toast to a blissful evening."

The crowd raised their glasses and clapped.

The feel of Adrian's hand around my waist made me want to throw up.

This was what he wanted, a perfect trophy wife that would look good on paper.

If only these people knew how much of a lie this was, they wouldn't be here.

My eyes spotted Lisa from across the room, her eyes filled with hate and jealousy.

Good.

The party moved on smoothly as usual. I received several congratulations from some of Adrian's friends on our marriage.

And that's when I saw him.

A dark-haired stranger looking at me from across the room.

I blinked and turned around to see if he was looking at someone else, but he wasn't.

I cleared my throat and walked away from his field of vision.

Then Adrian hit his glass with a spoon, calling our attention.

"As you all know, we cannot end a lovely night like this without some good food," he said.

Laughter filled the air.

"Let's get this feast started. The waiters will show you to your tables," he added.

Everyone began moving toward their tables, and I followed behind Lisa and Adrian. Before I could catch up, the dark-haired stranger from earlier stepped beside me.

He looked at me and smiled.

"You look beautiful, Elaina."

As we walked, I couldn't help but notice how different he was from Adrian.

If I hadn't been trapped with that devil, Adrian, I wouldn't have minded getting to know Elliot better. Maybe it was the way he had held my hand when we walked towards our table or the way he had pulled out my chair for me. He was such a gentleman.

On the other hand, Adrian had been shooting me death glares all evening.

Once everyone had settled around the long dining table, the staff began bringing out the food. I looked around at the endless dishes spread across the table, unsure of what to reach for first.

"You should try the lamb," Elliot suggested, pointing toward one of the dishes. "It's really good."

I looked at him. "You've had it before?"

He scratched the back of his head with a grin. "A few times. You could say I'm a regular at these kinds of events."

I laughed softly. "Then I'll trust your judgment."

I let out a laugh, and Adrian cleared his throat before speaking up.

"So, what do you do for work, Elliot?"

"Well, I am an investor," he said with a grin. "I own a couple of businesses here and there. You know how these things go."

Adrian lifted his glass, signaling to a waiter for a refill, but his attention remained on us.

Elliot's palm was still resting over mine, his fingers lazily tracing the back of my hand.

I glanced up and caught Adrian staring at us.

His jaw tightened.

For a moment, neither of us looked away.

Then his eyes dropped to Elliot's hand before returning to mine.

Something unreadable flickered across his face.

"Enjoying yourself?" Adrian asked, his voice deceptively calm.

I swallowed.

"Yes."

His gaze shifted to Elliot.

"Good."

Our food finally arrived. Lisa was chatting away about something related to buying a house and going on vacation while we ate.

Elliot seemed to be the only one actively listening. I pulled out my phone and went through my I*******m.

I clicked on Elaina's profile. She was in Paris, living her dream life, while I was here being her replacement.

I pushed those sad thoughts away and tried to focus on dinner, but I couldn't.

"I need to go to the bathroom," I said before getting up.

I found my way to the bathroom, and that's when I noticed that a man was following me behind.