An Open Marriage Agreement That He Suddenly Refused To Honor Chapter 13

An Open Marriage Agreement That He Suddenly Refused To Honor Chapter 13

Early the next morning, the aroma of home-cooked food filled the house.

I thought I was imagining it. I never allowed strangers inside, so we had no live-in housekeeper-only a

cleaner who came by on a fixed schedule.

I walked barefoot into the living room.

Ethan stood there in an apron, holding a spatula. His gaze fell on the mark on my neck, then darted away as

if burned, his smile strained and forced.

“Come have breakfast. I made your favorite chicken wings.”

Three dishes and a bowl of soup steamed hot on the dining table.

It was obvious he hadn’t cooked in years and was out of practice. The chicken wings were slightly burnt, and

the greens had been boiled far too long, limp and wilted.

Ethan wiped his hands awkwardly on his apron, clearly noticing his clumsy work.

“It’s been ages since I cooked. It doesn’t turn out nearly as well as before.”

I sat down at the table, lost in a daze.

I’d eaten these dishes countless times long ago.

Back when Ethan hadn’t made his fortune yet, we lived in a tiny rented studio with a shared communal

kitchen.

I’d always been frail and prone to falling ill back then.

A hospital check showed I had anemia.

His career was only just starting, swamping him with work, yet he still rushed home every single day to cook

for me.

I told him I could manage on my own, but he’d never feel at ease leaving me to fend for myself.

He’d always say gently, “It’s fine, I’m not tired.”

Chicken wings, greens, cabbage and shrimp, and tremella lotus seed soup-these were all my absolute

favorites.

Later on, he’d mastered the craft perfectly, able to finish all the dishes in an hour and a half, every plate

neatly and beautifully made.

I couldn’t remember how long it had been since I’d last tasted them.

It all ended the very day I first caught a whiff of another woman’s perfume on him.

Just a few years had passed, yet sitting across from him sharing a meal felt like a lifetime away.

I spoke with tangled emotion.

“Why even bother?”

What was the point of all this now?

Ethan filled my rice bowl, sat down opposite me, and carried on in a quiet, resolute tone.

“I’ve thought it all through. I crossed the line before. You know how men are-we struggle to control

ourselves sometimes.

I shouldn’t have humiliated you over Chloe. You were right to want her gone. I’ll have my assistant fire her

right away.

I’ll keep myself in check from now on, and we-”

He paused, his voice faltering for a moment.

“Let’s stay married. Please?”

I lifted my eyes to look at him.

Ethan had always been confident and unyielding. Even when he cheated, he’d hold my gaze and admit it

bluntly without a shred of remorse.

Now he couldn’t even meet my eyes.

I knew him too well.

He was panicking.

Suddenly the food in my mouth turned tasteless, like chewing on plain wax.

If he’d begged me like this half a year ago, I would’ve been overjoyed.

He’d worn me down for years, my whole fixation clinging to the foolish hope he’d turn back to me.

Loving someone too deeply makes you lose yourself, lose all sense and reason.

But now…

Jasper’s soft words from the night before echoed in my mind.

He was right.

It was Ethan’s loss for not loving me, not mine.

I would never let him hurt me again.

I shook my head.

“There’s no need.

If we try again, we’ll only end up right where we started.”

“It won’t be like that.”

Ethan set down his bowl and strode over to stand in front of me.

“I’ll never go near another woman again.” His fingers brushed slowly over the skin of my neck, rough calluses stinging me faintly.

Darkness settled deep in his eyes, his voice dropping to a hoarse murmur.

“Lila, is he better than me?”

A wave of discomfort washed over me.

I inched my chair back.

Ethan leaned down, pressing close to my neck. His warm breath fanned across my skin, raising goosebumps.

“Lila…” He mumbled my name, his lips brushing against my skin.

“I can give you everything he can.”

We hadn’t been intimate for a very long time.

grown

He’d

tainted.

tired of me, craving the novelty of younger women; I’d grown repulsed by him, seeing him as

We didn’t even share the same bed anymore.

In that instant, a violent wave of nausea churned in my stomach.

I shoved him away hard and bolted for the bathroom, throwing up every bite I’d just eaten until there was nothing left.

I retched uncontrollably, tears streaming down my cheeks, gasping for air long after.

Ethan hurried after me, his face drained and rigid with shock.

“Lila,” he said, barely able to comprehend it, “do you find me that repulsive?”