Ex Wife's Collapse After Divorce novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The front door clicked shut behind Vivian.

–

The hallway went quiet. Just the hum of the air conditioning and Sophie’s perfume – too close, too sweet, too deliberate.

Ethan grabbed Sophie’s wrist and pried her arm off his.

“She’s gone.” He stepped back, putting distance between them. “You can drop the act.”

Sophie didn’t move. She stood in the middle of the hallway, silk robe slipping off one shoulder, and stared at him with an expression that had nothing to do with performance.

“You think that was an act?”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “We barely know each other, Sophie. Whatever this is – gratitude, amusement, some grudge against Vivian – it’s not what you’re pretending it is.”

“Do you believe in love at first sight?”

The question landed like a slap.

Sophie closed the front door. The lock clicked. She turned back to him, and her eyes were burning – not with mischief, not with the playful flirtation she’d been wearing all night. Something raw. Something that had been caged for a long time.

“The first time I saw you,” she said, “was at Vivian’s housewarming party. You were in the kitchen, washing dishes while everyone else was drinking champagne in the living room. You had soap suds on your sleeve and you were humming something – I don’t even think you knew anyone was watching.”

Ethan said nothing.

“I wanted to walk over. I wanted to talk to you. But Vivian was my best friend, and you were her husband, so I kept my mouth shut.” Sophie’s voice dropped. “Every time the three of us were together, I’d find excuses to sit closer to you. And every single time, you’d move away. Keep your distance. Like you could

feel it.”

Her fingers curled at her sides.

“Three years ago, at that company dinner – I’d been drinking, yes. But the kiss wasn’t a drunken mistake. “Her chin lifted. “It was premeditated. I’d been thinking about it for months. And when I finally did it – when Vivian cut me off, when you blocked my number, when I lost everything -“A sharp breath. “I didn’t regret it. Not for one second. Because at least I got to know what your lips felt like.”

She stepped forward.

Ethan stepped back. His shoulders hit the wall.

The alcohol was still in his system – a dull heaviness in his limbs, a fog at the edges of his vision. His

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reflexes were half a beat slower than usual.

Sophie closed the gap. Her hand came up to his jaw.

“Sophie -”

“Three years.” Her thumb traced his cheekbone. “Three years I stayed away. And then you walked back into my life on your own.” Her breath was warm against his chin. “You don’t get to do that and expect me to behave.”

She leaned in.

Ethan turned his head. Her lips grazed his jaw instead of his mouth.

Sophie’s hand slid to his throat – not choking, but firm. Insistent. She tried to turn his face back toward

hers.

That was a mistake.

The fog in Ethan’s head burned away in an instant. His hand shot up, caught Sophie’s wrist, and twisted. In one fluid motion, he spun her around and pinned her against the wall – her back flat against the plaster, both wrists locked above her head in his grip.

Sophie’s eyes went wide.

“Don’t.” His voice was low. Controlled. The kind of quiet that preceded storms. “Touch me again.”

For a moment, neither of them moved. Sophie’s chest heaved. Her wrists flexed against his grip, testing

– and finding no give.

Then she smiled.

“You’ve gotten strong.” Her voice was breathy, but her eyes were delighted. “The Ethan I remember

couldn’t have done that.”

“The Ethan you remember doesn’t exist anymore.”

He released her wrists and stepped back. Two paces. Three. Enough distance that she couldn’t reach him without crossing open ground.

Sophie rubbed her wrists, still smiling. She didn’t look hurt. She looked thrilled.

Ethan exhaled through his nose.

“Listen to me carefully.” His tone left no room for negotiation. “I’m not interested in a relationship right now. Not with you. Not with anyone. Once this business deal between us is wrapped up, we go our separate ways. No calls. No visits. No this.” He gestured at the space between them. “Are we clear?”

Sophie tilted her head. The smile faded – slowly, like a sunset. She studied him for a long moment, then sighed, pressing her back against the wall with theatrical defeat.

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