An Open Marriage Agreement That He Suddenly Refused To Honor Chapter 14

An Open Marriage Agreement That He Suddenly Refused To Honor Chapter 14

Yes, I did. Compared to the heartfelt kiss of the night before, this touch was laced with something else

entirely.

For the first time, I couldn’t stand the feel of his hands on me.

Teary-eyed, I rinsed my mouth, then waved him away weakly.

But Ethan wouldn’t let me off. He snatched my wrist, yanked me to my feet, and burst into a rage.

“You planning to stay chaste for him or something?”

He advanced abruptly, pinning my arms and trying to kiss me, while roughly tugging at my nightgown.

His scent felt foreign now, so alien it made my skin crawl.

I finally reached my breaking point. I broke free with all my strength and slapped him hard across the face.

The sharp crack echoed through the quiet room. Ethan turned his head aside, frozen in silence for a long

moment.

My lips trembled as I spoke shakily.

“Ethan, you disgust me.”

After a long pause, Ethan slowly turned to look at me. His gaze held every emotion and none at all, all

tangled into one.

Then he ripped off his apron in one violent motion and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The next day, I went to the office. With a company this size, divorce involved share transfers and financial

audits. I needed to oversee things personally.

As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, a manager hurried over.

“Director Lila, Mr. Ethan just gave the order to fire Chloe. She’s packing up her things right now.”

I raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He’d dug in his heels and refused to let her go no matter how we fought before.

Now he’d made the call without hesitation?

I brushed a finger over my neck, where the hickey was already fading.

Had he finally tasted his own medicine? Did the sting of being on the receiving end make him understand at

last?

“Mhm.”

I sounded utterly indifferent.

It was far too late for this.

His compromise came when I no longer cared to accept it. Regret after the damage was done meant nothing

to me now.

I was heading toward Finance when I ran straight into Chloe, struggling with a large cardboard box. Two

male colleagues flanked her, ostensibly helping but clearly there to escort her out.

Her eyes were swollen and puffy, her waterproof mascara smudged all over her under eyes. She kept her

head down, tears glistening in her lashes.

Everyone around pretended to be busy with work, yet they stole glances and whispered, their faces full of

mockery and scorn.

She was an incompetent hire who’d ridden solely on Ethan’s favor, with an attitude to match. For years,

everyone had bitten their tongues out of respect for him. Now that Ethan had clearly withdrawn his

protection, she was nothing.

Chloe looked up and spotted me, raw hatred flashing in her eyes, as if she might lunge at me any second.

She swiped at her face to compose herself, lifted her chin, and blocked my path defiantly.

“Are you satisfied now, Lila?”

I’d wanted to avoid making a scene in public and ignored her, but she refused to let me pass.

Her face twisted with envy when she caught sight of my new Dior coat.

“You old woman! Ethan won’t let you get away with this once he’s back!

He’s never loved you, do you hear me? He told me himself touching you feels like touching a stranger-he’s

completely lost interest in you!

Ethan will leave you. He’ll divorce you and be with me, you’ll see!”

I barely held back the urge to roll my eyes.

“You’re a young girl sleeping with another woman’s husband for free, and you act like it’s some kind of

honor?”

My brows knitted tight.

“Did your mother teach you no manners at all?

Security-escort her out of the building. I’ve had enough of her nonsense.”

Chloe’s greatest foolishness was that she could never see the truth: she was nothing but a clinging vine living off Ethan’s support.

She could be arrogant and domineering only as long as he chose to shield her.

The moment he cast her aside, she had nowhere left to go.