All Chapters of The Price of A Bet: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Vivian's breaths were uneven, her body still trembling from the way Ethan's touch had unraveled her. She was pressed against the couch, his weight a comforting pressure, their lips still ghosting over each other’s in slow, lingering kisses. The heat between them was undeniable, the tension thick enough to suffocate. "Vivian," Ethan murmured, his fingers tracing a delicate path along her jawline. "Tell me to stop." She couldn't. Her fingers slid into his hair, pulling him closer, silently giving him the answer he needed. He let out a soft, shuddering breath, his hands pressing into her lower back as he leaned in, deepening the kiss. His lips moved against hers with urgency, tasting her, consuming her. The warmth of his breath sent tingles down her spine, making her knees weak beneath him. His hands roamed down her arms, his touch featherlight yet electrifying. Every inch of her skin awakened under his fingertips, and she arched into his touch, her body betraying her mind, urging h

Ethan lay beside Vivian, their bodies still tangled beneath the sheets, the heat of their passion lingering in the air. He traced slow circles on her bare shoulder, his fingers reverent as if memorizing every inch of her. Vivian sighed, her head resting on his chest, her heartbeat gradually slowing from the intensity of their night together. "This is crazy," she murmured, her voice laced with contentment and dread all at once. "We shouldn’t have done this." Ethan shifted, lifting her chin with his fingers so she would meet his gaze. "But we did. And I don’t regret a damn thing." She searched his eyes, and for a brief moment, she allowed herself to believe in the illusion that this could be more than just a mistake. That this could be something real. Then the sound of a car door slamming outside shattered the illusion. Vivian's body tensed instantly. "No..." She bolted upright, dragging the sheets over her chest as she listened. Ethan sat up too, brows furrowed. "What is it?" F

Ethan's fingers drummed anxiously on the steering wheel as he sat outside Vivian's house, his mind racing with worst-case scenarios. He had watched her enter, seen the tense exchange through the large living room window, and now, he could feel the weight of something slipping away—something he wasn’t willing to lose.His phone buzzed. A message from Ethan's friend.Did you do it? Got proof?Ethan scowled and shoved the phone aside. None of that mattered anymore. This wasn’t about a bet. It hadn’t been for a long time. He had fallen for her, hard, and now she was being ripped away from him.His grip tightened around the wheel. He needed to see her. Needed to talk to her. Needed to do something before it was too late.Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the car door and stepped onto the damp pavement. The night air was cool, and a slight breeze carried the scent of rain from earlier. He moved toward the side of the house, search

The days following Vivian's public commitment to Daniel Ashford were like navigating through heavy, sticky fog.Ethan had trouble faking indifference. He teased his friends. He flirted with women. He played the part of the charming, unattainable Ethan Carter.But inside, something was leaking, raw and ugly.Every time he looked at Vivian—her thin hand on Daniel's arm, that civility stretched so tight across her face—something inside him cracked a little more.And Vivian?She felt every inch of that space, too.She sat at the back of her classes these days, mute, mechanical.Her laughter was gone. Her smiles artificial.The fire that had once blazed between them was reduced to furtive glances, agonized silences, and heavy stares that said everything and nothing simultaneously.---Late one afternoon, when the spring rain lashed against the windows and most of the students had long since deserted the halls, Ethan found her.Vivian was sitting in the library, books spread out in front of

The rain-tossed world outside was gray and shaking, but within Ethan's arms, Vivian was warm for the first time.For a few precious minutes, they just stood there in the doorway, clinging to each other like shipwreck survivors.Breathing each other in.Recalling.Vivian didn't want to move.Didn't want to break the magic.But the real world, as always, was in no mood to wait.Her phone buzzed wildly in her coat pocket. Again. And again.Ethan recoiled, his face darkening.Vivian pulled out her phone.Forty-two missed calls.Texts upon texts piling up like a tidal wave.From her mother. Her father. Daniel.Her chest tightened painfully.She knew what they were saying without even looking.Where are you?What are you doing?Come back now.**You don't have to answer them,**" Ethan breathed, his gaze on her face.Vivian hesitated.The weight of years of obedience was crushing her shoulders.But then she remembered the dead-eyed girl looking back at her in the mirror at the dress fitting.