Chapter 10 He’s Not That Bad
“Hello? Who is this?” I asked, confused.
“Annie…” A familiar voice came through the line, soft and hesitant.
My heart clenched. It was Ethan.
He sounded hurt, his tone frayed at the edges. “You’re not even taking my calls anymore?”
“What is this for?” I asked.
Ethan and I were never officially together. There were no labels, just a vague understanding. Still, I couldn’t shake this guilt.
After a pause, he asked softly, “Last night, well, are you okay?”
He’d heard my groan. Of course he had. I pressed my lips together. “I’m fine. Just normal adult things.”
Ethan went quiet. All I could hear was the soft sound of his breathing.
What we had was simple once. Now it just felt heavy. I started to end the call. “If that’s all-”
“Annie, please, just meet me,” he cut in, his voice thick with emotion.
I hesitated, Charles‘ warning echoing in my mind. “I’m sorry, I’m not feeling well tonight. I just want to rest.”
He let out a bitter laugh. “You won’t even see me now? Even if we can’t be together, don’t we owe each other a real conversation?”
He had a point. We needed closure, for his sake, and for mine. But Charles’s words made me hesitate.
“Annie, please. I know you don’t want to be alone with me, so I asked Diana to come too. We can just hang out like friends. Okay?” He sounded so vulnerable, so sad.
My heart sank. I sighed softly. “Alright. Where?”
He named a café. When I got there, Diana and Ethan were already waiting.
“Annie, what are you standing there for? Come here,” Ethan said as soon as he saw me, quickly stepping forward to pull me closer.
I sidestepped his reach and took a seat beside Diana.
He stared at his now–empty hand for a moment, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. It sent a sharp twist of guilt through my chest.
As soon as I sat down, Diana wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Why did you run off like that last night? Are you okay?” she asked, her voice full of concern.
Then she reached for my collar as she spoke, “And it’s so hot out. Why are you dressed in long sleeves and high–necked pants? Aren’t you burning up?”
I caught her hand gently and forced a light laugh. “I’m just feeling a bit under the weather.”
When I looked up, I met Ethan’s complicated gaze. I quickly glanced away, silently cursing Charles for marking me so obviously, especially on my neck. It was beyond embarrassing.
Ethan stood and got me a cup of water.
Diana grinned. “Ethan’s always so thoughtful with you, Annie. He’s always been the one who spoils you the most. If you two just-”
“Diana,” I cut her off. It was time to set the record straight and avoid any more misunderstandings.
I looked at both of them seriously. “I’ve fallen for Charles.”
Díana stared at me, stunned. “What?”
Ethan’s eyes locked onto mine, his knuckles whitening where his hand rested on the table.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly, directing the words to him.
He turned away with a faint, strained smile. “Don’t be. There was never anything official between us. You liking someone else isn’t a betrayal, Anna.”
For a second, I thought I saw something cold and dangerous flash in his usually gentle eyes.
But that couldn’t be right. Ethan was always kind always calm and never harsh. It must have been my imagination.
Successfully unlocked!
Diana still looked horrified. “Annie, how could you fall for Chades?.He took advantage of you. We used to hate him. How could you possibly-”
“A lot happened during our marriage,” I said quietly. “Feelings aren’t always easy to explain.”
Ethan’s gaze intensified. “Then why did the two of you get divorced?”
1/2
Chapter 10 He’s Not That Bad
I clenched my hands in my lap and stayed silent.
Diana burst out, “That jerk held a grudge. The moment he got money and power, he tossed Annie aside.”
Ethan kept his eyes on me. “Then what are you to him now?”
I froze. Admitting I was Charles’s mistress and all the humiliation that came with it? That would be all the provocation Diana needed to storm his office and make him pay.
I had come here to be honest, but the truth was too ugly to foist on them. So I kept my silence.
Ethan spoke up again, his tone careful, “I went to see your parents today.”
“You did?” I was taken aback.
He nodded. “They still don’t know about the divorce. They mentioned Charles paid off all your family’s debts. So Annie, even though he’s cast you aside, you’re still clinging to him? Is this about repayment?”
“1-“I started. If I was being honest, aside from that so–called “mistress contract,” that was pretty much what it boiled down
- to.
Diana jumped in, furious. “If that’s the case, he’s definitely holding it over you. He’s getting revenge.”
I forced a soft laugh. “No, he’s not that bad.”
“How can you say that?” Diana fumed. “If he were a decent person, would he have taken advantage of you back then?”
What I meant was, at the class reunion, Charles didn’t actually do anything to humiliate me. But I held back. It didn’t feel worth explaining now.
Diana wasn’t done. “We didn’t even invite him. Who knows why he showed up? If it weren’t for him, you and Ethan would be happy together right now. He ruined everything. Ugh, annoying.”
I smiled faintly and patted her arm. “Hey, don’t get so worked up. He’s really not as terrible as you think.”
“I don’t buy it. You’re amazing, Anna. You deserve the best. Sure, he got lucky and made something of himself, but that doesn’t give him the right to toss you aside. Such a jerk, she snapped.
Her temper was flaring as always. I’d seen her argue with lan like this more than once.
I kept trying to soothe her.
She just said, “Girl, you have to stop liking him. He’s no good, and he doesn’t care about you. If you keep this up, you’re only going to get hurt.”
“I know,” I said, trying to sound reassuring.
But in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help thinking about Charles‘ first love. And that stubborn, quiet jealousy flared again. I really didn’t know what I was gonna face.
Ethan suddenly fixed me with an intense look. “Annie, how much do you owe him? I’ll pay him back.”
Before I could respond, a cold laugh cut through the air from beside us. “You? Who do you think you are to do that?”
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