novelraw Chapter 107: It’s You
Chapter 107: It’s You
Scarlett’s POV
The air felt different when I woke up. It was heavy and still. But the smell was what hit me first. It was that expensive, spicy scent that always followed Ethan. My eyes snapped open. For a second, I didn’t know where I was. Then I felt the heat of a bare chest against my cheek and the solid weight of an arm around my waist.
I didn’t just wake up—I jerked away.
The movement sent a sharp, stabbing pain through my head, and my stomach flipped. I scrambled backward, my hands tangling in the sheets as I tried to get away from him. I tried to stand, but my legs felt weak, like they might give out under me. I had to grab the heavy bedpost just to keep the floor from rising up to hit me.
"What are you doing here?" I choked out. My throat felt like it had been scrubbed with sandpaper.
The memories came back in painful, ugly flashes. The maid with the bowed head. The bitter, metallic taste of the tea. The way the world had tilted until I was staring at the floor. I remembered the screaming—the triplets. I remembered the heat of Leo’s skin and the way he begged me to breathe.
So why was Ethan the one holding me?
"Scarlett, easy," Ethan said, sitting up slowly. His eyes were red-rimmed, and his hair was a mess. He looked like he’d aged ten years in a single night. "How do you feel? Does your chest still hurt?"
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. I stared at his bare shoulders, then looked at the rumpled pillows where Leo had been just hours before. A bitter taste, worse than the poison, filled my mouth. "Where is he...? Where is Leo?"
"My uncle made them leave," Ethan said, his voice dropping to a low, flat tone. He started to slide out of the bed, reaching a hand toward me. "Are you feeling better..."
"Don’t," I snapped, the word sharp enough to make him flinch. "Please... just stay away from me."
He froze, his hand shaking slightly in the air between us. I leaned my head against the cold wood of the bedpost, my breath coming in short, fast gasps.
"I know I have no right to ask for anything," I whispered, looking at my bare feet. "I know you paid for me. I know I’m just a commodity you bought. But please, Ethan... I can’t do this right now. I want to be alone. Just leave."
I looked up, ready to see his usual arrogance, but the words died in my throat. His eyes were swimming with tears. A single tear tracked down his cheek, disappearing into the stubble on his jaw. I stared at him, my mind reeling. What is wrong with him? He had clearly asked me to stay away from him... he broke my heart, so why was he looking at me like I was the one breaking his heart?
The confusion made my head throb harder. I couldn’t look at him anymore. I turned and stumbled toward the bathroom, my hand fumbling for the handle. I didn’t even look back as I slammed the door.
I stripped off my clothes, my fingers clumsy and weak. I didn’t wait for the water to get warm. I stepped under the showerhead and turned the handle all the way to the side. The freezing spray hit my skin, knocking the breath out of my lungs, but I welcomed it. I wanted to wash away the scent of the tea, the smell of the room, and the feel of hands that didn’t belong to me.
I stood there for a long time, my forehead pressed against the wet tiles, listening to the water hiss. I was so lost in the noise that I didn’t hear the door open. I didn’t hear the footsteps.
Then, I felt the steam-chilled air shift.
A pair of strong, warm arms wrapped around my waist from behind. I gasped, my heart hammering against my ribs. I knew that touch. I knew the way his rings felt against my skin.
"I’m sorry, Scarlett," Ethan whispered. His voice was broken, barely audible over the roar of the shower. The water was drenching him, soaking his pants and matting his hair to his forehead, but he didn’t move. "I’m sorry... for everything that led to you lying on that floor last night."
I tried to pry his hands off, but he was like iron. He leaned his head down, resting his face in the crook of my neck, his breath hot against my wet skin.
"I stayed with you all night, watching you fight for your life." he choked out, his chest heaving against my back. "And in that moment I realized I don’t give a damn about my cousins. I don’t care about any mate bond."
He turned me around in the small stall, his hands sliding up to cup my face. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with a raw, desperate kind of pain.
"I’m in love with you," he said, the words coming out in a rush. "I’ve spent days chasing Elara, begging for a mate who treats me like trash, while the woman I actually want was standing right in front of me. My bond with her is nothing compared to what I feel when I look at you."
He searched my eyes, his thumbs brushing away the water on my cheeks.
"I know you still have feelings for the triplets," he pleaded, his voice cracking. "I see the way you look at them. But give me a chance. Just one. If you say yes... if you tell me you’ll try... I’ll reject Elara today. We’ll leave this house, the triplets, and all this pain behind. I’ll take you home. Where no one knows your name. I’ll give you the perfect happy life you deserve. Please, Scarlett. Just tell me I have a chance. That I’m not too late."