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Lahat ng Kabanata ng He Thought I Couldn't Understand That Call: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 8

8 Kabanata

Chapter 1

Ethan Grant noticed my arms fall away from his neck and leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on the tip of my nose."Sweetheart, what are you zoning out about? Is my face not doing it for you anymore?"He looked at me with the same soft eyes as always, and it just felt ridiculous.Minutes ago, he'd been on the phone, reliving what it was like to sleep with my younger sister, Sandy Searle. Now he was right back to playing the perfect, devoted husband.How long had he been polishing this act? I was too scared to even think about it.I tucked my face into the crook of his neck to hide the bitter curl of my mouth. "Nothing. I was just wondering what you two were talking about."Ethan gave me a fond little smile. "I was talking business with Henry. He's been trading with Denmark lately, so he's gotten used to speaking Danish."He must've been too busy fooling around with Sandy to remember that Danish had been my minor in college.The air around me seemed to thin out all of a sudden.I

Chapter 2

I turned to Ethan. His eyes had gone sharp with suspicion.I held on to my usual gentle smile as I said, "A friend was filling me in on some office gossip. Apparently, a CEO cheated on his wife, and now she's talking about divorce."If he were set on putting on a show, I'd play my part all the way to the final curtain.Ethan studied my face, his gaze roaming as if he were looking for a tell. When he didn't find one, his shoulders finally loosened.He slid an arm around my waist and kissed my forehead. "That guy's an idiot. He doesn't get that the woman waiting up with the light on every night is the one who actually loves him."If it were me, I'd rather die than cheat on you."I met his deep eyes and let out a quiet laugh. "But what if it actually happened? What if—"Ethan cut me off right away. "Aria, we're not doing hypotheticals. I, Ethan Grant, swear on every bit of wealth and success I'll ever have that I will never betray you."I shook my head, swallowing the sting in my

Chapter 3

I tailed Ethan's car until he pulled into a private club for the upper crust, then I eased in and parked at the curb.Thankfully, the guard at the gate recognized my car. He just dipped his head in respect and let me pass without a word.I stayed in the car, watching quietly through the windshield.As soon as Ethan opened his door, Sandy burst out of the club in a ridiculously short skirt and threw herself into his arms, clinging to him like a cat in heat."Honey, that LED balloon show just now made me so jealous."Ethan patted her back, his voice dripping with indulgence. "Didn't I throw you that water projection show for your birthday a few days ago? Wasn't that enough for you, Little Pearl?"Just behave and don't let Aria find out about us, and you won't miss out on anything she gets."My chest tightened so hard it felt like I couldn't breathe. That lavish water projection show from a few days earlier flashed through my mind.That night, Ethan had told me he needed to "deal

Chapter 4

Ethan's face darkened. He grabbed Sandy by the wrist and dragged her into the backyard."I told you not to come here! If Aria finds out, you're finished!"I slipped behind the curtains on the third floor. From there, I had a clear view of the yard.In a burst of rage, Ethan shoved Sandy hard. "Have you lost your mind? Are you trying to ruin my life?"She was shaking, her fingers clumsy as she rummaged through her bag until she finally pulled out a medical report. Even from this far away, her voice carried straight up to me."I know I shouldn't have shown up, but I'm pregnant. I'm ten weeks along, and the doctor already says it's high-risk. Ethan, I'm terrified. Is the baby going to be okay?"This is your first child, the one who's supposed to be your heir."My world caved in. It was like my heart had cracked clean in two and someone had sucked all the air out of the room.So, Sandy was pregnant with Ethan's child, too?Back when Ethan and I had just gotten married, we talked a

Chapter 5

A heartbeat later, my phone started buzzing.Ethan's name flashed across the screen. I watched it ring, then held the power button until the screen went black for good.I'd already signed the strictest confidentiality agreement. I was supposed to cut every last tie to my old life.The car rolled past one familiar street after another. Ethan and I had kissed here and held each other in these corners, but now none of it had anything to do with me.I popped out the SIM card, snapped it in half, and tossed the phone out of the window without a second thought.…"Damn it!"Ethan ignored Sandy calling after him and took off after me without hesitation. But the car was already gone, swallowed by traffic, leaving nothing behind but a trail of exhaust.Sandy caught him by the sleeve, her face tight with worry. "Ethan, what's going on?""It's nothing. Let's go."He took a deep breath, trying to hold it together, but the fear in his chest was getting harder to control.He couldn't unde

Chapter 6

I only found out later that those messages were what finally made everything click for Ethan.He realized then that it was Sandy's taunting that had driven me away, and fury surged up from somewhere deep in his chest.My only regret was not being there to see what happened that night with my own eyes.I was left with bits and pieces of what people told me, and from them I pieced together what happened in that bloody purge.Word was, Ethan drove like a madman that night, heading straight to Sandy's secret apartment. When she opened the door, her eyes lit up, convinced she'd finally gotten rid of me for good."Ethan, are you here to take me home? I'll pack right now. I knew you couldn't leave our baby and me."She'd barely finished talking when Ethan slapped her hard across the face. He seized her by the collar, his expression going so dark it looked like he'd just clawed his way out of hell."Sandy, what the hell were you thinking, poking at Aria with those texts?"Sandy clutche

Chapter 7

It had never crossed Sandy's mind that Ethan could be this cold. Her voice climbed, her pleas turning frantic, but he didn't even look at her.Once he was done with her, he poured everything he had into finding me. He leaned on his contacts in the police department, even fired up his overseas intel network, and still came up empty.Even his federal contacts said I didn't exist in any system, like I'd dropped off the face of the earth.Ethan slammed his fist on the table, and the glass shattered. "No way! How does a living person just disappear?"All at once, he remembered what I'd asked him on our sixth anniversary. Back then, he'd sworn that if he ever betrayed me, he'd never be able to find me again.Now that promise circled back and hit him like a punch to the gut.Ethan suddenly thought of the gift box I left behind, the one I told him to open later. My disappearance had hit him so hard that he was only remembering it now.A small flicker of hope lit in his chest.Maybe the

Chapter 8

Seated at the head of the table, the research director introduced Ethan as the philanthropist.Only then did I find out he had poured nearly half his fortune into our pharmaceutical research, all just to get his foot in the door of this classified project.I forced myself to calm down, wiping any trace of emotion from my face as I stared at the big screen."Mr. Grant has made the largest donation our research project has ever received! His funding will help us fast-track breakthroughs in cancer drug development. You're all invited to a celebration dinner tonight."The room broke into applause, my coworkers buzzing with excitement over the sudden flood of funding.That night, I had no choice but to attend the dinner.I showed up in a plain white shirt and jeans, my hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Next to the women in evening gowns, I couldn't have looked more underdressed.Ethan stood in the middle of the room in a black tailored suit. He was thinner, with dark circles carved

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