Buying My Forever Wife novel Chapter 331

Seeing her father finally home,

Stella hopped off her stool and threw herself at him.

"Daddy, I missed you so much! Why didn't you come home for so many days? I thought you didn't want me and Mom—"

Realizing she had almost slipped up in front of Ethan, she quickly caught herself.

"I thought you didn't want me and Ivy anymore."

Ethan also stood up, greeting him from the side. "Alaric."

Ivy, however, acted as if she hadn't seen him at all. Completely unbothered, she stayed seated, her eyes fixed on the piano keys as she fiddled with them.

Alaric scooped the little girl into his arms. After murmuring a few gentle words to her, his gaze drifted past Ethan and landed on Ivy.

She didn't even spare him a glance.

A wave of bitterness washed over him. Swallowing his frustration, he tossed a sharp directive at Ethan.

"Head downstairs. We need to talk."

As Ethan turned to leave, he called back to Ivy at the piano. "Wait for me, Ivy. I'll teach you how to play in a bit."

Deliberately trying to provoke the man who had been gone for so long, Ivy raised her voice. "Okay! I'm in no rush. Whenever you're ready."

Alaric, who had just stepped away with Stella, caught every word.

So they had been getting along perfectly fine this past week?

Ivy hadn't pushed Ethan away at all?

Remembering the warm, harmonious scene he had just walked in on, a surge of suffocating jealousy gripped Alaric's chest.

Once downstairs, he set Stella down and leveled a dark, predatory gaze at Ethan, who had trailed behind him.

"I gave you a chance. Any progress?"

If Ivy had truly dared to cross a line with Ethan while he was away...

Then there was no reason to keep a woman like her around.

Ethan took a seat nearby, offering a relaxed smile.

"Actually, yes. At first, she practically ignored me. But you saw us just now—she's willing to let me teach her the piano. I'd say that's solid progress."

He headed upstairs with urgent, heavy strides, making a beeline for the piano room.

Seeing Ivy still sitting there, aimlessly tapping the keys, he stepped inside and locked the door behind him. He approached her, radiating an icy, oppressive aura.

"Are you seriously planning to get involved with Ethan?"

Ivy still refused to look at him.

Even though she secretly wanted to look at him, even though she had wanted him to come home and send Ethan packing.

She simply refused to show that she cared.

Swallowing the bitter lump of grievance in her throat, she continued her haphazard playing and replied out of sheer spite.

"Isn't this what you wanted? And honestly, Ethan is gentle, considerate, young, and handsome. The more time I spend with him, the more perfect he seems."

"Ivy."

Alaric stepped forward and hauled her to her feet, forcing her to face him. "Do you have any idea what you're saying?"

"You are my wife."