The night before our wedding, Liam Sterling wrapped his arm around his childhood sweetheart and asked me for a one-night "hall pass." He claimed that after tonight, he would be faithful to our marriage until death. I stared at him for a long time, then nodded in agreement. As he walked past me, he said generously: "You can go out and find a man tonight too. I promise I won't mind." "No need to go out," I said quietly, walking over to his absolute best friend. I looked deeply into those beautiful eyes: "Sleep together tonight?" If he has a childhood sweetheart, don't I have a first love? 1 The private VIP room was packed. His closest friends were there, along with my bridesmaids. After a few rounds of drinks, everyone was a little tipsy. Suddenly, Liam Sterling put his arm around Bella, the girl he grew up with. "See, Bella? Childhood friends really can't beat the girl who falls from the sky." "Didn't I get snatched up by Maya here?" "I'm marrying someone else tomorrow. Do you... have any regrets?" Bella's face instantly clouded with sorrow, looking like she might burst into tears at any second. "What's the use of regrets?" "Who told you to fall in love with her later?" Liam stared at Bella's tear-filled eyes, his expression full of tenderness. "How about we make up for those regrets tonight?" Bella looked up. "How?" Liam slowly turned his gaze toward me. "Wifey!" he shouted. "Tomorrow we'll be husband and wife. I promise, I will be loyal to our marriage until death. I will never betray you." "But tonight, the last night before the wedding... why don't we do something wild? Let's give each other one night of freedom. How about it?" Cheers and whistles erupted in the room. Then, seeing my freezing expression, dead silence fell. Liam's intentions were blatant. He wanted to spend a wild night with the girl he had a flirtatious "situationship" with throughout his youth. To make up for the regret of loving but never sleeping together. He was certain I wouldn't refuse him outright, and that as long as he coaxed me afterward, I wouldn't hold it against him. His confidence was simple. Although he pursued me passionately, in terms of family background, I was marrying way up. He thought I was not only charmed by him but also attached to his wealthy family. After all, for a common girl like me with working-class parents, marrying into a wealthy family was incredibly difficult. Meeting him was supposedly my great fortune. He was right. I had experienced a wealthy heir falling for a common girl and his family making things difficult. But not with him. My bridesmaids tugged at my sleeve. "Maya, don't be stupid. You can't agree to this." I looked at Liam for a long time, seeing the stubbornness and certainty in his eyes. Finally, I nodded, my voice calm. "Okay, I agree." "Oooooh!" Laughter and applause erupted. The silent tension in the room vanished instantly. "Maya's so generous! No wonder she can marry into the Sterling family!" "That explains why my brother Liam knelt in his dad's study for three days and nights just to marry you!" "A woman entering a family like ours needs that kind of grace!" The slight tension at the corner of Liam's mouth relaxed into a loose smile, and he pulled the obedient Bella tighter into his arms. He stood up, holding her. "Alright, it's getting late. I have a wedding tomorrow, can't party all night. Bella and I are heading out." "Order whatever drinks you want, play however you like. Tonight's tab is on me!" "Woohoo!~" "Our little Bella is going to suffer tonight~" More whistles and jeers filled the room. Walking past me, to show fairness, he looked down and said generously: "Wifey, if you want, you can go out and find a man tonight too. I promise I absolutely won't mind." He must be counting on my proud and conservative nature, knowing I wouldn't actually do anything wild. I looked back at him. "Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "Of course. A gentleman's word is his bond. You know I always keep my word." "Just like I said I'd marry you, and I did." His tone was proud, as if marrying me was a massive favor he bestowed upon me. So I should be sensible and generous about him and Bella tonight. I withdrew my gaze and looked toward the deep corner of the room, at the man who had been sitting with a frosty expression, silent all night. "No need to go out." "What?" Ignoring Liam's expression, I stood up and walked silently to the man's feet. I squatted down, lowering my posture, emotions pouring from my eyes as I looked up to meet his gaze. I invited him carefully: "Sleep together tonight?" 2 The cold-faced man leaned back against the leather sofa, looking down at me. As if he might kick me away in disgust the next second. A laugh came from behind me. It was Liam. "Wifey, of all people, why him?" "He was hurt badly by his first love years ago and hates women! He hasn't been near a woman in years." Hates women... I tasted those words in my heart. Is that so? Emotions surged inside me. I stared unblinkingly at him. At this face that had haunted my dreams countless sleepless nights. Since meeting again, if not for the alcohol tonight, this was the first time I dared to meet his gaze directly. My fingernails dug into my palms. Actually, I wasn't sure what attitude the current him would have toward me. Until the tip of a cold leather shoe lifted my chin. The man raised his chin even higher, his expression chilling a few degrees more. Making one tremble with fear, his voice, tinged with anger, asked me: "Are you sure?" I didn't want to back down. Bravely, I pushed my chin further against his shoe. "I'm sure." He suddenly stood up from the sofa. Everyone probably thought I had thoroughly pissed him off. That he would heartlessly throw me aside the next second. After all, rumor had it that a B-list celebrity tried to flirt with him at a gala recently. He thought she was in the way and shoved her directly into the pool. When she cried for help, he didn't even give her a second glance and walked away. Even Liam was scared now, rushing in front of me to block him with open arms. "Bro, bro! She's my wife, don't hit her!" "She doesn't know your temper. Please forgive her for offending you!" "Maya, get up now!" "Didn't I tell you before? You absolutely cannot mess with this guy; he's not interested in women." "I know you're not interested in men other than me, so stop trying to act tough in front of me. Go back and rest with your bridesmaids!" I don't know which sentence Liam said wrong, but the man shoved him several steps away with one arm. His eyes hid daggers. "Who said I'm not interested in women?" At the same time, my vision blurred, and I was thrown over his shoulder. His deep voice, mixed with the resentment of settling old scores, reached my ear: "Maya, you came to me yourself." Seeing us about to leave in front of everyone's shock. Watching his best friend carry me away, Liam chased after us. "Ethan! What do you mean?" Yes, his name. Ethan. Cole. The man paused, turned his head slightly, his tone merciless. "Literal meaning." Liam's voice was clearly anxious now. "Are you serious? That's my wife!" Calling me "Wifey" all night, are those two words grating on your ears now? Ethan looked back deeply at Liam, as if disdainful of wasting another word on him. He turned and carried me toward the door. Liam seemed truly panicked now, catching up and grabbing Ethan's arm. "Ethan, we grew up wearing the same pants." He looked at me on Ethan's shoulder. "You don't touch a friend's wife, you know that, right?" Ethan had zero intention of putting me down. He shook off Liam's hand and shoved him hard on the shoulder. Pushing him right onto Bella, who had also chased to the door. A perfect wall slam, they almost kissed. The man's tone was chilly. "As long as you know." "A rare night of pleasure. Worry about yourself!" 3 I was already dizzy from the alcohol. Now hanging upside down on Ethan's back, I felt even dizzier. I wanted him to put me down, so I called out softly. "Ethan..." But I only got his cold words in return: "Don't call me that. Are we close?" I swallowed the second half of my sentence. Just dizziness. I can endure it. Who told me to owe him? Not far away, Liam was still relentless, looking like he wanted to chase: "Ethan Cole! You dare! I won't let this go!" But he was held back by other friends: "Liam, Liam! You know Ethan has been full of hostility since returning to the country. Don't take him seriously!" "You quoted so low on that project near the South Sea. He didn't say anything because of your friendship." "He must hold a grudge. Tonight he's probably just teasing you to annoy you. Maybe he'll dump Maya as soon as he gets downstairs." "He hasn't had a woman in years, don't you know? We joke about him privately, calling him what?" "The Black Monk! Scowls at everyone, avoids women like the plague! You started that nickname yourself." "Relax! He only has that wild kitten of a first love who dumped him in his heart. He won't touch Maya." Liam didn't chase, and Ethan and I walked far away. Just before entering the elevator, I heard my two beautiful bridesmaids mocking Liam. Sounding sarcastic: "Wow! Can't handle the game?" "Give each other one night of freedom~" "A gentleman's word is his bond~" "You can go find a man too~" "I absolutely won't mind~" "Our Maya is single and free tonight~" In the VIP parking spot on the first floor, I was indeed dumped by Ethan. Dumped into the passenger seat of his private car. The black Pagani roared away into the dark night! In a villa with extraordinary style. I didn't recognize it, never been here. As soon as we entered, he stripped off my coat, gripping the back of my neck hard. A kiss full of resentment and ferocity landed on my lips... It hurt. I pushed him. "Ethan..." But my waist was clamped tight, pressed against the wall, unable to move an inch. His tone was nasty: "Didn't you want to sleep with me? What are you hiding from?" I couldn't refute, so I could only beg: "Be gentle..." In an instant, I was thrown onto the bed. He didn't want to be polite with me: "Can't be gentle." Clothes flew onto the floor one by one. He was fierce, without mercy. Until he discovered I was still pure. He suddenly froze. Only then did that handsome face, cold and ruthless all night, filled with resentment and anger, soften a little. "You..." "You haven't slept with Liam?" Separated for years, how could I explain my current situation to him? I bit my teeth again and again, giving a perfunctory answer: "Didn't have time yet..." A couple getting married tomorrow, yet haven't slept together. In modern society, who would believe that? Who could do that? For me, of course, there was a reason. The reason is, strictly speaking, Liam and I never really dated. We skipped that stage and went straight to the end: marriage. Of course, this didn't hinder his sincere desire to marry me, nor my sincere desire to get along with him and spend the rest of our lives together. But after tonight, everything was probably going to change. Ethan's thick brows furrowed. He stared at me for a long time, surely finding it incredible. Liam and I hadn't had a substantial relationship. But the facts were before him, and he had to believe that I really hadn't been with another man. The ice in those beautiful eyes gradually melted, then bit by bit, dyed with a touch of red. Like the grievances and deep love suppressed for years were finally willing to show a tiny corner for me to see. Finally, helpless and defenseless, he held me in his arms. On the corner of my lip that he had ruthlessly bitten. He placed a kiss. He held me, turning over, pressing my head into his shoulder and neck. Intimate whispers. I heard his hot breath say: "Maya, I still love you." After that sentence, his kisses were lingering, tender. Gentle. 4 Tears in the corners of my eyes, the chandelier on the ceiling swaying and blurring before me. Past midnight, my phone suddenly vibrated and rang incessantly. The melodic ringtone seemed annoying at this moment, disturbing the man's focus. It was my phone... It was Liam... Who has time for him right now? I wanted to swipe it away, but accidentally, my unsteady finger hit the answer button. Liam's voice, clearly unstable, came from the other side: "Wifey, why aren't you home? Where did Ethan dump you?" "Let's not play this stupid pre-wedding freedom game. I thought about it, it's boring. And Bella is basically damaged goods, can't compare to a single strand of your hair." "Where are you? I'll pick you up. I regret it so much, making that stupid suggestion in the VIP room..." Before I could speak, Ethan took the phone directly. His tone arrogant: "Regret? Too late!" "She can't be picked up by you because she's in my bed right now." "What? Ethan Cole! Beep—" The phone was hung up and turned off by Ethan, thrown far away. Liam provoked the man, but I was the one suffering. He held me, moving from the head of the bed to the foot. He bit my ear: "Again." Time passed minute by minute, second by second. I waited and waited, but couldn't wait for a moment of pause. The night finally passed completely, and daylight brightened. Even the drawn curtains couldn't block that bright brilliance. Today was the day of my wedding with Liam. At this time, I should be cleaning myself up and rushing home. Putting on my wedding dress, sitting in front of the vanity, letting the makeup artist paint a beautiful bridal look on me. Quietly and expectantly waiting for Liam to come pick me up with a long wedding convoy. Ethan, of course, knew this too. This man, who had plowed all night without fatigue, as the daylight gradually brightened, the hostility that had receded from him was returning bit by bit. He wouldn't let me go. He wouldn't stop. Begging didn't work, pleading didn't work, sweet talk didn't work. He just used those beautiful reddened eyes to question me over and over: "Don't marry him. Promise me. Promise me..." "Maya, don't marry him. Promise me!..." I really wanted to promise, just begging him to stop for a moment, let me catch my breath. I couldn't say a complete word right now... Receiving no answer for a long time, the man seemed desperate, suddenly collapsing heavily on me. Holding me tight, tight in his arms, his tone revealing traces of pleading: "Maya, don't marry him, please..." So difficult. Finally given a gap to respond to him. "Okay." My voice was completely hoarse. He immediately propped himself up, looking at me burningly: "You promised?" I nodded vigorously. If I didn't promise, would you let me go hold a wedding with your best friend? Besides, seeing through a trash man like Liam, am I stupid? Still running to marry him? His Adam's apple rolled and rolled, lips moving slightly, as if after much deliberation, he blurted out: "If I tell you now that I want you to be with me again..." "Are you willing?" My whole body was sore and numb; I really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I could only use my weak little fists to pound his chest: "Ethan, you slept with me all night, without even a minute of rest." "And now you're asking if I'm willing..." His brows suddenly relaxed: "So you are willing?" I could only nod vigorously again to answer him.
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