The Contract That Became Forever

COLD AGAIN

CHAPTER 10

The morning after the kiss, Ethan was gone before sunrise.

No note. No text. The driver said "Mr. Hart has meetings all day."

Sophia sat at the dining table alone. The pasta plates from last night were still on the coffee table, cold now. The blanket he’d put over her was folded neatly on the couch.

The house felt bigger. Too big.

Her phone buzzed at 9 AM.

`Ethan: Don’t wait up. Working late.`

That was it. No "good morning". No "about last night".

For three days, he barely came home. When he did, it was past midnight. She’d hear his footsteps in the hall, then the click of his office door closing.

Dinner was silent again. Three chairs between them. The chef was back.

On day 4, Mrs. Hale handed Sophia an envelope at breakfast. Her hands were shaking.

`From: Hart Legal. Re: Contract Review.`

Inside was a reminder of every clause. Highlighted in yellow.

Section 4.1: `Marriage is for business purposes only.`

Section 7.2: `No public displays of affection. No emotional entanglement. Either party may terminate with 30 days notice.`

Section 9.3: `Any breach may result in forfeiture of compensation.`

Sophia’s hands shook so bad she almost dropped it.

That night, Ethan finally came to dinner. He looked tired. Dark circles under his eyes. But his face was stone.

"You didn’t have to send that," Sophia said quietly, pushing food around her plate.

Ethan didn’t look up. "It’s to protect both of us."

"From what?" Her voice cracked.

"From this," Ethan said. He gestured between them. "From whatever that was."

Sophia’s chest caved in. The dining room suddenly felt freezing. "So that kiss meant nothing?"

For a second, his jaw ticked. Like he was fighting something.

Then Ethan finally looked at her. His eyes were empty. Colder than the night of the gala.

"It meant we got careless," he said. "It won’t happen again."

The words landed like a slap.

Sophia stood up so fast her chair scraped the floor. "Got it."

She walked upstairs. Past their bedroom. Into the guest bathroom.

And cried in the shower where no one could hear her. Where the water could hide it.

Downstairs, Ethan sat alone at the table for an hour. Staring at the empty chair across from him. His hand hovered over his phone.

`Typing...`

Then he deleted it.

`Don’t wait up.`