Lahat ng Kabanata ng While Marrying Mr. Steele: Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

Amelia's povBy the time Leo dropped me off, my nerves were still frayed and all I wanted was to crawl into bed and forget the entire night. I didn’t wait for him to open my door. I thanked him briskly, hurried up the front steps, and locked the door behind me before he could say another word.The house was quiet, but not empty.“Amelia?”Ethan’s voice drifted from the living room. Calm, curious, not yet tense.I tried to steady myself before stepping inside. “I’m home.”He appeared almost instantly, moving toward me with that controlled urgency he always had when something was wrong. His gaze dropped to my arm, then back to my face. His expression hardened.“What happened?”“It’s fine.” The words tumbled out, too fast.His eyes narrowed. “You’re bleeding.”I glanced down. The bandage was impossible to hide.Ethan closed the distance in two strides, his hands hovering as though he wanted to touch me but wasn’t sure if he should. “Who did this?”“Ethan, please—”“Who touched you?” His

Dr. Marks didn’t give me a choice.“The clinic outside of town has agreed to run the evaluations,” he said that morning, his glasses halfway down his nose as he scanned the clipboard. “They’re expecting you, Dr. Steele. And since it concerns the wellness project, Dr. Fournette will accompany you.”My chair creaked as I shifted. “Leo? Is that… necessary?”Marks didn’t even look up. “He’s the project manager. It is.”I pressed my lips together. “I could handle the assessment alone. Just forward me the notes after—”“Not negotiable,” he cut in, adjusting the glasses on his nose. His voice was kind enough for the staff in the room, but his eyes were flat. “The board wants both clinical and management presence. That means you and Dr. Fournette.”From the corner of my eye, I saw Leo leaning casually against the doorway, like he’d been there the whole time. He had that infuriating half-smile, the one that made it seem like he’d already won.“Don’t worry,” he said, hands slipping into his poc

Amelia’s POV“Amelia.”I blinked, my hands still on the door handle. Ethan’s voice came from the living room, low but firm. He was sitting on the couch, suit jacket still on, tie loosened like he hadn’t bothered to change after work.“You’re late,” he said.“I know,” I whispered, setting my bag down. My legs ached from the long ride back, and my head felt stuffed with noise I couldn’t shake.“You didn’t answer my calls.”“There was no service,” I said quickly. “The storm knocked it all out. I told you that in the message I left.”Ethan stood. His height always filled the room, even when he wasn’t trying to. “I know what you said. But that was hours ago, Amelia. Hours. I didn’t know if you were safe.”I forced myself to meet his eyes, though my throat felt tight. “I’m here now. Safe. That’s all that matters.”He studied me for a moment, too closely. Then he softened, just a little. “Come here.”I stepped forward, and his arms came around me, warm and steady. For a second I let myself s

Ethan's pov"Amelia,” I said, leaning against the kitchen counter, “are you sure nothing happened out there?”She stopped walking, her back to me, a dish towel in her hand. The sound of running water filled the silence between us.I hated the way the question came out—sharp, almost accusatory. But I couldn’t help it. Something about her since that night in the storm wasn’t right.Finally, she turned, her face pale under the warm light. “How many times do we have to go over this? The car got stuck, we waited, the rescue team found us. That’s it.”I shook my head slowly. “That’s not it. You flinch every time I say Leo’s name. You avoid talking about him. Amelia, I’m not asking if you cheated on me. I’m asking if you’re in danger.”Her shoulders stiffened. “Danger?” She let out a bitter laugh. “What kind of danger do you think I’m in?”“The kind you don’t want to tell me about,” I said quietly.For a moment, her eyes burned with frustration, then something softer broke through—fear. She

Amelia's pov“Ethan?”I looked up from the file in front of me. Sienna leaned against the doorframe of my office, all soft curves and a knowing smile. She wasn’t supposed to be here — technically, she didn’t even work in this wing.“What do you need?” I asked flatly.She closed the door behind her. “Can’t I just stop by to say hi?”I pushed my pen down onto the papers. “You could. But you never ‘just say hi.’”She laughed, low and easy, then came closer. Her perfume filled the air, sharp and sweet. “You’re always so serious. It’s a shame. You used to be fun.”I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms. “That was a long time ago. And I’m not interested in whatever game you’re trying to play.”Her smile didn’t falter. She walked around my desk, trailing her fingers along the wood until she was standing too close. “Games? No, Ethan. I’m talking about honesty. You’re drowning in responsibility, your wife is slipping away, and meanwhile Veronica and Ryan—”“Stop.” My voice cut sharper than