Chapter 4The Midnight Intrusion: No Longer Yours

It was 3:00 AM when Ethan finally returned.

With a click, the wall sconce by the entryway flicked on. The dim, yellow light spilled downward, casting shadows over his pale, emotionless face.

"Why are you still awake?" He looked surprised to see me sitting rigidly on the sofa.

My hand tightened around my phone, and I watched him in silence.

"I waited in line to buy a cheesecake for our breakfast tomorrow."

He lifted the box in his hand and calmly placed it in the fridge. "You know that bakery only opens in the middle of the night. The line is pretty crazy."

His tone was as indifferent as ever, acting as if absolutely nothing had happened.

Seeing that I wasn't speaking, Ethan frowned slightly and slowly walked over to the sofa.

"What's wrong?"

He stared at me for a long moment before carefully lifting my leg onto his lap. He lowered his head to inspect it. "Does your knee still hurt?"

From this angle, I could see his pitch-black hair brushing against the nape of his neck, smooth and glossy.

Like it had just been washed and blow-dried.

The words Mia had sent suddenly rushed back into my ears, piercing and arrogant, as if exploding right next to me.

Embarrassment, humiliation, and rage utterly annihilated all my defenses.

Suppressing the tremors racking my body, I pulled my leg off his lap, deliberately avoiding his intimate gesture.

Ethan paused, momentarily stunned.

"It's too late today. My knee is injured, so I'll borrow your sofa for the night. Tomorrow, I'll wire you the money for the stay."

Ethan's eyes finally darkened, and he looked at me with a chilling expression.

"Chloe, what exactly are you throwing a tantrum about?"

"A tantrum?" I repeated, looking up at him. "Ethan, where exactly did you go tonight?"

Ethan's eyelashes fluttered, but he didn't meet my eyes. "I went to buy you medicine, and then I went to wait in line for the cake."

"So, where is the medicine?"

Ethan didn't speak.

"Tonight, I called you exactly fifty-eight times and sent you one hundred and five text messages."

"Before you left, you poured me a glass of hot water. You said it would take ten minutes to cool down, just in time for me to drink it when you got back."

"I don't know if she's okay or not, but my leg... it hurts a lot."

The room was dim. Ethan's face was practically devoid of emotion, save for his fingers slightly curling, rubbing the seam of his pants back and forth.

That meant he was irritated and wanted a cigarette.

I blinked, forcing down the burning sensation in my eyes. I stared at his aloof face, biting my lip until I tasted blood, before finally forcing the words out.

"Ethan, let's break up."

Almost instantly, Ethan grabbed my wrist, his voice deep. "I refuse."