Chapter 3The Midnight Intrusion: No Longer Yours

Three minutes, five minutes...

Ten minutes...

When I checked my phone again, I realized I had been waiting for almost three hours.

My knee had long since gone numb from the pain.

My throat was suddenly incredibly dry. There was a glass of water not too far away.

I lifted my knee, moving with stiff, sluggish motions. A seemingly simple task took me nearly three minutes to accomplish.

When I finally picked up the glass and took large, desperate gulps, I realized the hot water Ethan had poured for me before leaving had gone completely cold.

Just wait a little longer.

Just a little longer.

When another hour passed, I started calling and texting Ethan repeatedly.

He didn't answer a single call. He didn't reply to a single text.

The look in my eyes slowly died, settling into a heavy, ashen calmness.

I don't know how much time passed before I received another harassing text from Mia.

It was two lines of text and a photo of Ethan brewing hot tea in a hotel kitchen.

In the photo, Ethan was completely soaked—both his hair and his clothes.

He had taken an umbrella when he left, yet he was still drenched.

Even though he looked like a mess, the expression on his face in the photo was relaxed and peaceful.

“He told me he hasn't touched you yet. Tonight was supposed to be your first time, right?”

“Heh. When he and I first got together...”