"What do you want me to sign, Ethan?" Aria asked, her voice low and full of confusion. Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the paper in her hand. She looked up at Ethan, searching his face for answers, but his expression was hard to read.
Ethan gave a small smile, the kind that did not reach his eyes. It was as if he already knew what she was thinking. "What did we discuss on the chat before?" he said, his voice calm but firm.
Aria stared at him, trying to remember, but her mind felt cloudy. The events of the past few minutes had been too much. She could not even recall what they had talked about in those hurried messages. All she remembered was agreeing to help him somehow, but not like this.
Ethan saw the confusion in her eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to keep his voice steady. "I gave you a condition, Aria. That you would help me with…"
His words began to stir her memory. Aria blinked, trying to clear the fog in her mind. Slowly, the pieces started falling into place. She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I thought we would do that together," she said, her voice soft but with a touch of hurt.
Ethan's eyes widened slightly, as if what she said surprised him. His brow furrowed and for a moment, he seemed at a loss for words. Then he gave a short laugh, shaking his head. "You and who will do that together?" he whispered in his mind, with a mix of disbelief and amusement.
He drew closer to her, his gaze intense. "No, Aria. You do not need to go through that hassle. We will still stay together, yes. But not with you helping me around with things I can handle myself. That is why you need to sign. You have already done your part."
Aria felt his eyes on her, deep and piercing. His gaze had a way of pulling her in, leaving her breathless and unsure of herself. She felt trapped in those ocean-blue eyes, unable to look away.
Ethan drew so close now that she could feel the heat of his body. His scent, a mix of fresh soap and expensive cologne, filled her senses.
Her hands shook as she took the pen he offered her. Without fully understanding why, without thinking of the consequences, she signed the paper. Her heart raced as she handed it back to him.
Ethan took it from her gently, as if handling something precious. He placed it on the table and turned to face her. For a moment, he simply looked at her, taking in every detail of her face, her hair, her trembling lips.
Then he stepped closer, so close she could feel his breath on her skin. He took a deep breath, as if trying to control himself. And before she could think, before she could stop him, he kissed her.
It was not a gentle kiss. It was deep, hungry, filled with all the emotions he had kept hidden. His mouth claimed hers, his tongue seeking hers, drawing her into him.
Aria gasped at first, shocked by the suddenness of it. But then, as if caught in a dream, she melted into him. Her hands moved on their own, digging into his back, pulling him closer. She arched her back, needing him closer still.
Ethan's hands moved with urgency, pulling off her coat, then her gown. His breath hitched when he saw her bare skin, her nipples hard and pointed towards him.
"This is beautiful," he whispered, his voice raw with need.
His mouth found her breast, and he sucked hard, as if he could not get enough of her. He moaned against her skin, lost in the moment.
Aria's hands fumbled with his clothes, pulling off his suit jacket, his shirt, her fingers shaking as she tried to undo his belt.
But Ethan was faster. He slipped off her panties, then pushed down his pants in one swift move.
And then he was inside her, filling her, moving slowly at first, as if savoring the feel of her.
Aria held him tight, her nails digging into his back, her legs wrapping around him. She could not believe the gentleness, the way he moved as if afraid to hurt her.
Their bodies moved together, faster and faster, lost in each other. The room was filled with their moans, their cries, the sound of skin on skin. The world outside ceased to exist. There was only this moment, only them, only the beating of their hearts as one.
When it was over, Aria lay in his arms, breathless, her body trembling with the force of what had just happened. She had never felt like this before, never known such pleasure, such connection.
But as the first light of morning touched the curtains, Aria woke to find herself alone in the bed. She reached out, but Ethan was not there.
She sat up quickly, the blanket falling around her waist. There he was, fully dressed, sitting on the couch across the room. The white papers were in his hand, the ones she had signed without thinking.
His eyes were dark, his face serious. There was no trace of the man who had held her so gently the night before.
"Listen, Aria," Ethan said, his voice deep and cold, making her shiver. "You have done your part. And I have done mine. Do not…"
But Aria could not let him finish. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. "Which part are you talking about, Ethan?" she asked, her voice breaking.
He stood up, his eyes hard as stone. "I do not want to repeat myself. You have helped me, truly. And I have done what I said I would."
His eyes moved over her, over her naked body, making her feel small, ashamed. She grabbed the blanket, pulling it tightly around herself.
"Good," Ethan said, his voice cold as ice. "Now I do not want to see you anywhere near me or my business. If I do, you will forget you ever had a half-flawless face, because I will see to it that your whole face is cut to pieces."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Aria sat frozen, the blanket clutched to her chest. The tears began to fall, silent at first, then faster, harder.
"What just happened?" she whispered to herself. "Did I just get fooled?"
The weight of what had happened crashed over her. She had given herself to him, hoping for love even if for a while, not just a one night stand thing.
The tears would not stop. She stood up, her legs shaking beneath her. She walked to the mirror across the room, the blanket still wrapped around her.
Her eyes met her own reflection. Her scarred face stared back at her, the mark that had haunted her for so long. Slowly, she reached up and traced the scar with trembling fingers.
Her mind drifted back to the words of the doctor she had met once. His kind eyes, his gentle voice.
"Give it a trial, Aria. My team and I will make sure the surgery is successful."
Aria kept stroking the scar, anger rising in her chest. Her tears were now dried as a new fire filled her.
"I will give it a trial, doctor," she whispered, her voice filled with determination.