The first time I stayed overnight at my boyfriend's apartment, his ex-girlfriend suddenly barged into the bedroom in the middle of the night. I could distinctly feel his body stiffen against mine. The room fell into a deathly silence. "Ethan," she choked out, her voice so hoarse it was barely recognizable. Yet he acted as if nothing happened, pinning my wrists down and continuing to kiss me, languidly. Chapter 1 Bang! The door slammed shut heavily, the sound echoing in the silent night. I heard my own strained voice ask, "How does she know the passcode to your lock..." Ethan paused for a second, then continued kissing me, his voice so light it was almost inaudible. "After we broke up, I forgot to change it..." "Really?" I instinctively turned my face slightly, avoiding his touch. He froze, then turned my face back, his thumb rubbing against my skin, promising slowly, "Really." Staring into his pitch-black eyes, void of any desire, I suddenly couldn't say a word. In a daze, I thought of Bella, the ex-girlfriend who had just left. This afternoon, she deliberately sent me a harassing text: "He's just something I didn't want anymore. Believe it or not, if I hook my finger, he'll come running back." Ethan was sitting right next to me at the time. Seeing the message, his expression remained bland, as if they weren't talking about him. Instead, I was the only one sulking. It wasn't that I was afraid Ethan would really be stolen away. I wouldn't get jealous over such groundless provocation from an ex, nor question my relationship with Ethan. I just felt a little aggrieved for him. And... my heart ached. Before I could say anything else, Ethan suddenly leaned in, kissing me without explanation. His voice was hoarse and slurred, inexplicably carrying a hint of coaxing. "Babe... don't go back tonight." Ethan had always been sexually reserved. We rarely kissed. This was the first time he called me "Babe" so affectionately, the first time he asked for intimacy. I didn't refuse. I never expected Bella to walk in on us. Her face was pale and drained of color, looking almost pitiful. But Ethan didn't look at her once the entire time. Was it that he didn't dare to look... Or that he couldn't bear to look? A sudden crash of thunder jolted my thoughts back to reality. A bright flash of lightning streaked past the window, illuminating Ethan's pale face. "It's raining," I said unconsciously. Ethan suddenly stopped. He looked out the window extremely fast, his indifferent eyes flickering slightly, lost in thought. I stared at him blankly. Having been together for so long, no matter how well he hid it, I easily saw through the emotion in his eyes. He was worried. Worried about Bella, who might be out in the rain. He was also regretting. Regretting being with me tonight. Chapter 2 A chill spreading from my chest instantly engulfed my entire body. My fingertips trembled as I pushed him away violently. Ethan dazedly withdrew his gaze, focusing back on me. I saw my wretched reflection in his pupils and lowered my face. "You should leave first. I need to change." A complex look crossed his face, but he said nothing and left silently. After getting dressed and walking out of the bedroom, I saw Ethan with an umbrella in one hand and his phone in the other, constantly dialing, already at the door. As the prompt that the other party's phone was off played again and again, the anxiety and impatience in his expression became more obvious. I watched blankly, tripping over something without noticing. My knee slammed hard against the table corner, the bone throbbing with pain. Not wanting Ethan to notice, I endured the pain and quickly sat on the sofa nearby. Hearing the noise, Ethan turned back hesitantly. Seeing me, his thin lips pressed tight. It took him a long while to speak. "It's raining too hard. Her mental state wasn't good when she left. I can't let anything happen to her." Piercing pain rose from my knee. I bit my lip, pleading words almost spilling out. "Don't go, please?" "I'm sorry, Sarah." He didn't hesitate at all. Several strings in my brain snapped. The last bit of pride in my heart could no longer hold up. I stood up with difficulty, limping over, tears instantly blurring my vision. "Ethan, you really should say sorry to me." I took a deep breath, wiping away tears frantically with the back of my hand. "Since you never got over her, why be with me?" "Settling? Or just a pastime during your gap period?" Saying "pastime," my voice was already choked with sobs. Yet I still looked up at him, stubbornly wanting an answer I already knew, but my body swayed and fell. Ethan caught my waist quickly. "What happened to your leg?" I looked at him without speaking. Ethan's eyes darkened slightly. Without a word, he picked me up and placed me on the sofa. Returning with a first aid kit, he rolled up my pant leg bit by bit. His cautious manner made me freeze slightly. My right knee was swollen, with a large scrape. Bright red blood trailed down my calf, shocking to see. I didn't expect it to be this serious either. Ethan frowned even more, taking out antiseptic to clean the wound, his voice hoarse. "Bear with it." The next second, a sudden coolness on my knee made me grip his arm tightly in pain, nails digging into his flesh. Ethan let me grip him without a sound. After finally finishing the disinfection, Ethan took out a tube of ointment, but it was clearly almost empty. "I'll go down and buy some." He stood up. I suddenly grabbed his arm, my eyes red. He paused, long lashes lowering, looking somewhat gentle. "The pharmacy is just downstairs. Ten minutes tops. I'll be right back." Chapter 3 Three minutes, five minutes... Ten minutes... When I checked my phone again, I realized I had been waiting for almost three hours. My knee had long lost feeling from the pain. My throat was terribly dry. The water cup was not far away. I lifted my knee, moving stiffly and slowly. A seemingly simple movement took nearly three minutes. Finally lifting the cup and gulping down water, I realized the hot water Ethan poured before leaving was already cold. Wait a little longer. Wait a little longer. When another hour passed, I started calling Ethan constantly, sending messages. He didn't answer a single one, didn't reply to a single one. The light in my eyes gradually turned to dead ash and calm. I don't know how long passed before I received a harassing text from Bella. It was two paragraphs of text and a photo of Ethan brewing ginger tea in a hotel kitchen. In the photo, Ethan was soaked, hair and clothes alike. Even though he took an umbrella, he still got wet. Even though he looked wretched, his brow in the photo was relaxed and peaceful. "He said he never touched you before. Tonight was your first time, right?" "Heh, that's what he did when we first got together..." Chapter 4 When Ethan returned, it was already 3 AM. Click! The wall lamp by the entrance suddenly turned on. Dim, weak light spilled down onto his pale, plain face. "Why aren't you asleep yet?" He seemed surprised seeing me sitting stiffly on the sofa. My hand gripping the phone paused. I looked at him quietly. "I went to line up to buy cheesecake for our breakfast tomorrow." He lifted the box in his hand and calmly put it in the fridge. "You know that place only opens in the middle of the night. It's hard to queue for." His tone was as bland as always, acting as if nothing had happened. Seeing I didn't speak, Ethan frowned slightly and walked slowly toward the sofa. "What's wrong?" He stared at me for a long while before carefully lifting my leg onto his lap, lowering his head to check. "Does the knee still hurt?" From this angle, I could see his black hair tips brushing the back of his neck, glossy and smooth. Like it had just been washed and blown dry. The words Bella said just now flooded my ears again, harsh and arrogant, exploding beside me. Embarrassment, humiliation, anger completely broke through all my defenses. I controlled my trembling body, took my leg off him, deliberately avoiding his intimate gestures. Ethan zoned out briefly. "It's too late today, and my knee is injured. I'll borrow your sofa for the night. I'll transfer the accommodation fee to you tomorrow." Ethan's eyes finally darkened, looking at me grimly. "Sarah, what exactly are you making a scene about?" "Scene?" I repeated, looking up at him. "Ethan, where exactly did you go tonight?" Ethan's eyelashes trembled slightly, but he didn't look into my eyes. "I went to buy you medicine, then queued for the cake." "So, where is the medicine?" Ethan didn't speak. "I called you fifty-eight times tonight and sent one hundred and five messages." "Before you left, you poured me a cup of hot water, saying it would be cool in ten minutes tops, and I could drink it when you returned." "I don't know if she's okay or not, but my foot hurts a lot." The room was dim. Ethan had almost no expression on his face, only his fingers curling slightly, rubbing against the seam of his pants. This meant he was irritable and wanted to smoke. I blinked, forcefully suppressing the soreness in my eyes, staring at this cold face, biting my lip until I tasted blood before speaking with difficulty. "Ethan, let's break up." Almost instantly, Ethan grabbed my hand, responding in a deep voice: "I don't agree."
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