THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171

“If you see me as your wife, you wouldn’t have locked me out, Ethan.” Elena’s voice carried a weight of hurt that made Ethan’s chest tighten.

“You would have trusted me and told me what was going on instead of leaving me in the dark like some stranger.”

Ethan’s face crumpled with guilt, she was right, and they both knew it. In his desperate attempt to protect her, he’d pushed away the one person who should have been his partner in all of this.

“I trust you, Elena,” he said quietly, his voice rough with emotion. “And I’m so sorry for everything I’ve put you through. For every sleepless night, every moment of doubt, every time you felt like you were fighting this battle alone.”

Elena opened her mouth to respond, probably to tell him that sorry wasn’t enough, that trust meant more than pretty words. But something in his expression stopped her cold.

The raw vulnerability in his eyes, the way his shoulders sagged under the weight of his own guilt, it was like seeing him without any armor at all and she just couldn’t act strong anymore.

“I locked you out because that was the only way I knew how to protect you,” Ethan continued, taking a tentative step closer.

“I can’t watch you get hurt, Elena. I can’t sit by and let someone use you to get to me, or worse, let you become collateral damage in whatever game they’re are playing.” He paused, running a hand through his hair in that familiar gesture of frustration.

“I won’t forgive myself if something happens to you because of me.”

The look in his eyes spoke volumes more than his words ever could. Elena could see the fear there, the bone-deep terror of losing her.

But more than that, she could see his love, more than any words could say. It was the desperate, fierce and protective love that had driven him to make choices she didn’t agree with.

She felt her anger beginning to soften around the edges.

“I trust you, Elena,” he said again, his voice barely above a whisper. “I know I’m asking for too much after everything I’ve done, but I need you to trust me too. I’ll fill you in on everything – every detail, every suspicion, every plan – when I’ve gotten to the bottom of all this. I promise you that.”

–

His eyes were pleading now, those striking brown eyes that had always been able to see straight through her defenses. They reminded her of rich chocolate, warm and inviting, and right now they were begging her for something she wasn’t sure she was ready to give.

But God, it was hard to stay angry when he looked at her like that. Like she was his entire world, like losing her would break something fundamental inside him.

She felt her resolve crumbling. She’d never been able to resist those eyes, and he knew it. The unfair advantage of being married to someone who could read you like an open book.

Yes Ethan was right, they were married. And she was going to do what good wife does – stand by him.

“What can I do to help you?” she asked, surprising herself with the question. Minutes ago, she’d been ready to walk away, to demand answers or nothing at all. Now she found herself offering to be part of whatever dangerous

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game he was playing.

Relief flooded Ethan’s features so completely it was almost painful to watch. “I just need us to remain a secret for now. Keep our marriage quiet, act like we’re still just… complicated. Maybe tell Mia and Stefan, but no one else. Can you do that for me?”

“Okay,” she said making Ethan let out a breath of relief. “I will. But you have to promise me something in return.”

“Anything.”

“You have to promise to let me in when things get too dangerous. Don’t try to handle everything alone just to protect me. I’m not made of glass, Ethan, and I won’t break at the first sign of trouble.”

“I promise,” he said, and before she could say anything else, he captured her lips in a kiss that stole all coherent thought from her mind.

It wasn’t gentle, no it was the opposite. This was desperate, hungry, full of weeks of suppressed emotion and fear and love. His hands came up to frame her face, thumbs brushing over her cheekbones as he kissed her like she was oxygen and he’d been drowning without her.

Elena melted into him, her hands fisting in the front of his shirt to pull him closer. She could taste the coffee he’d had earlier, could smell his cologne mixed with something like wood.

When he deepened the kiss, she met him eagerly, pouring all of her own fear and frustration and love into the connection between them.

“God, I missed you,” Ethan murmured against her lips, his voice rough with desire. “I missed this, missed us.”

“Then don’t shut me out again,” Elena whispered back, her breath warm against his mouth. “Promise me you won’t.”

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