Free me, Lucien Volkov のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

(Aria’s POV) “We shouldn’t...we shouldn’t do anything here.” My voice came out shaky, breathless, almost betrayed by the way my body leaned toward his instead of pulling away. “It’s our first intimacy, Ethan. It shouldn’t be in a restroom.” I placed my hand on his chest, intending to create distance, but the moment my palm met the solid heat of him, he stilled. His gaze locked onto mine, his gaze dark and unreadable, like he was fighting something inside himself too. “Not here, Ethan,” I repeated, softer this time, like a plea. ”You don't know it's sinful to look this sexy right?" he said on my lips and I smiled. His jaw tightened. He rubbed his lips together slowly, the gesture alone enough to make my knees weak. Then, without a word, he took my hand and guided it downward. I bit my lips torturously as my fingers brushed against the hard line beneath his zipper, and I gulped. He was so hard that it startled me. Heat rushed straight to my belly, pooling between my thig

Aria’s POV The drive home was wrapped in silence, the silence pressed against my chest until breathing felt a bit uncomfortable. Ethan didn’t turn on the radio. He didn’t try to fill the space with words like he used to anytime I'm sad, that wouldn’t matter anyway. And I was grateful for that. I leaned my head against the window, watching the city lights blur past, letting the cool night breeze slip through the slightly open window and brush against my face. It was the only thing that felt real, the only thing that felt like it could touch me without demanding something back. Lucien’s words replayed in my head, hollowly. They didn’t shatter me the way I thought they would. They didn’t rip my chest open or knock the air out of my lungs the way betrayal usually does. Instead, they left behind a vast, echoing nothingness. A numbness so deep it scared me more than pain ever could. I felt nothing and that terrified me. It should hurt. God, it should hurt. I expected his desperatio

Ethan’s POV I watched her cry for her ex-husband, and it didn’t ignite jealousy in me the way people assume it should. It didn’t make my chest burn with insecurity or anger. All I felt was an overwhelming need to take her pain away. Because why not? when she cried like someone who had held herself together for far too long, like someone who had been strong when she shouldn’t have had to be. Her sobs weren’t loud at first. They were broken, muffled, almost apologetic, as if she was afraid to cry out her own pain. I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her, one hand coming up to her hair, patting it slowly, patiently, just to let her know she wasn’t alone in it. Her body trembled against mine, and every shudder felt like a reminder of what someone else had done to her heart. And guilt crept in quietly, a guilt I couldn't avoid. I felt guilty for stepping into her life when she was still bleeding.For wanting her when she was still healing. For being the man standing here whil

Author’s POV The sound of shattering glass echoed through the living room suddenly. The flower vase hit the marble floor and exploded into fragments, water spilling everywhere, petals scattering like casualties of a quiet war. Mrs. Volkov stood frozen for a second, her chest rising and falling violently, her hands clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms. “I don’t know what spell that stupid woman has cast on my son!” she screamed loudly. Her voice cracked the air, it was sharp and venomous, laced with fury that had been simmering for far too long. Sabrina flinched but didn’t move away. She had grown used to her mother’s rage, used to the way it erupted without warning, used to the way it demanded obedience rather than understanding. “Mother, please,” Sabrina said, stepping forward quickly. “We can sort this out.” She reached for her mother’s hands, trying to ground her, to pull her back from the edge. “Sort it out?” Mrs. Volkov snapped, yanking her hands free and turn

What's he planning? I can't believe I was scared that my world will never be the same. I guess that was because I hate humiliation especially from my opponent. With the way he was glaring at me makes me feel like he's up to something. Or NO he's up to something cheap. I rested my head, let's see what he planned, since he's an infant to me in the business world. I agree I needed the partnership and it'll benefit my company a lot but I had never felt this kind of humiliation before, not even when my mother slapped me in front of the staff, not even when Aria walked away from me without looking back. This was worse, much worse than I expected. I stood up in the Valen Global boardroom, surrounded by men and women who held stakes in empires, my presentation still glowing on the massive screen behind me. And the craziest part was the fact that Ethan is the CEO of Valen Global group, the same man who snatched Aria from me. My chest burned, if I walk out of this room, the humiliati