His Contract Wife, His Unexpected Love

CHAPTER 14

Lily waited, but he didn’t continue immediately.

That silence felt heavier than usual.

After a moment, Ethan spoke again. “Before everything I am now… things were different.”

Lily turned slightly toward him. “Different how?”

Ethan’s jaw tightened a little, not in anger, but in thought. “I didn’t always live like this,” he said.

Lily didn’t interrupt. She could tell this wasn’t easy for him.

“There were people I trusted,” he continued. “Choices I made that weren’t business decisions.”

He paused again.

“And Victoria was part of that,” he added.

Lily felt something tighten in her chest, but she kept her voice steady. “What happened?”

Ethan looked at her then, fully. “It ended,” he said simply.

There was finality in his tone, but also something unspoken behind it.

Lily nodded slowly, accepting that he wasn’t going to explain more. She respected that, even if it left questions behind.

A soft breeze moved through the garden, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Ethan said something unexpected.

“You don’t have to stay inside all the time,” he said.

Lily looked at him. “I thought I was supposed to follow rules.”

“You are,” he said. Then after a pause, “But not every moment needs structure.”

It wasn’t much. But it felt like permission.

Lily gave a small nod, unsure how to respond to that version of him.

As Ethan turned slightly to leave, Lily spoke again without thinking. “Do you ever regret it?”

He stopped.

“Regret what?” he asked, turning back.

“Everything you gave up to become this,” she said.

The question lingered between them for a moment.

Ethan didn’t answer immediately.

When he finally did, his voice was quieter.

“Regret doesn’t change anything,” he said. “It only slows you down.”

Then he walked away.

Lily stayed in the garden long after he left, replaying his words in her mind. There was something about him she couldn’t fully understand. He wasn’t just cold. He wasn’t just strict. There were pieces of him hidden behind everything he showed the world.

And somehow, she was starting to notice them.

Later that evening, Lily returned inside and found a message waiting for her. Dinner was scheduled earlier than usual. Private dining room. Ethan requested her presence.

That alone made her pause.

When she arrived, Ethan was already there again, seated at the table. But this time, the atmosphere felt different. Less formal. Less public. More contained.

“You asked for me?” Lily said as she entered.

Ethan nodded once. “Sit.”

She obeyed, sitting across from him.

Dinner was served quietly, but neither of them rushed to eat. Instead, Ethan spoke first.

“You’ll be attending another event next week,” he said.

Lily nodded. “Claire mentioned.”

“This one is more important,” he added.

Lily looked up slightly. “Different how?”

Ethan studied her for a moment. “My board members will be there,” he said. “They will be observing you.”

Lily felt her stomach tighten slightly. “Observing me?”

“Yes,” Ethan said calmly. “They want to understand the stability of this arrangement.”

Lily leaned back slightly, processing that.

“So I’m not just your wife,” she said quietly. “I’m part of your business image.”

Ethan didn’t deny it.

That silence confirmed everything.

Lily looked down at her plate for a moment, then back at him. “Do you ever get tired of pretending?”

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly, not in anger, but in attention.

“This isn’t pretending,” he said.

Lily hesitated. “Then what is it?”

Ethan leaned forward slightly.

“It’s survival,” he said.

The word hung in the air.

Lily didn’t respond immediately. She just looked at him, trying to understand where the line between his truth and his walls actually was.

For the first time, Ethan didn’t look untouchable.

He looked human, but only slightly.

And that scared her more than anything else.

Because she realized something she hadn’t admitted yet,

She was no longer just surviving this arrangement.

She was starting to feel something inside it.

And that made everything more dangerous.