Chapter 47
A few days later, Ellie was enjoying her off day. After shopping for some fruits and veggies, she arrived back at her apartment to find Alex standing at her door, wearing a dark expression. The moment she saw him, her mind immediately flashed to the kiss they had shared in the hospital, and her cheeks flushed with warmth.
The air between them had become strange—no matter how many times they argued, Alex seemed to act as if nothing had happened, while Ellie couldn’t shake off the awkwardness.
Alex’s gaze flickered with emotion as he pointed at her door. “You changed the password, didn’t you?”
Ellie hesitated before nodding. “Um, yes.”
In a swift motion, Alex snatched the bag of groceries from her hand and gripped the back of her neck, his gaze locked on the keypad. “Open the door.”
Ellie took a step back, her heart racing. She didn’t want to unlock the door—Aaron had set the password for her, and no matter how clever Alex was, she knew he wouldn’t be able to crack it.
“Turn around,” she said, not wanting to reveal the password to him.
With a grim expression, Alex warned, “Ellie, I’ll count to three. If you don’t open this door, I’ll call someone to tear it down.”
Ellie believed him. Alex was unpredictable, and there was no telling what he might do. Just the other day, his mother had started looking for a therapist for him—Nancy probably suspected that Alex had serious issues.
With no choice left, Ellie sighed and reluctantly opened the door. As she stepped aside, Alex entered, immediately pacing around her apartment like a police dog searching for clues. Ellie retreated to the kitchen, trying to stay out of his way.
After scanning the room with a critical eye, Alex turned back to her. “Ellie, who told you to contact a therapist for me?”
Ellie shrugged, forcing a smile. “This isn’t my fault. You should really ask Nancy about that.”
Alex shot back, his voice rising in frustration, “How is this not your problem? If you hadn’t agreed, could she have forced me to go see a shrink?!”
Ellie didn’t want to get into an argument. She kept organizing her groceries, trying to keep her calm.
Standing next to her, Alex’s gaze unconsciously drifted to her lips, and he felt a familiar stir inside him. The kiss they shared in the hospital—something that had been on his mind since it happened—made his throat tighten. That restless spark, which he had tried to dismiss as just a dream, began to flare again.
Annoyed, he tugged at his loose collar and headed toward the fridge to grab a glass of water. “Get me some ice,” he said.
Ellie retrieved some ice from the fridge, warning him, “Drinking too much of this isn’t good for you.”
Alex dumped the entire block of ice into his glass and drained it in one go. “I just need something to cool me down,” he muttered.
Ellie watched him as he drank, her gaze fixed on him. She couldn’t help but feel like he was trying to provoke her—he really needed to calm down.
Once he finished the water, Alex placed the empty glass down and turned to Ellie. “Once you’re done, let’s go somewhere,” he said, his tone still carrying a hint of command.
Ellie closed the fridge door, then turned to take the glass back to the kitchen. “I’m not going,” she said firmly.
In response, Alex pulled out his phone and clicked on a video, holding it up in front of her.
Ellie’s eyes widened as she realized the video showed their kiss—the one they had shared in the hallway of the hospital. Her mind blanked for a moment. He had actually saved the clip, the one someone had taken of them.
Before she could react, Alex snatched the phone back. “If you don’t come with me, I’m sending this video to Aaron. I’ll share it with everyone!”
Ellie felt a surge of panic, and her chest tightened. “Go ahead and share it!” she shot back, trying to sound unbothered. “That was just an accident, and there were tons of people there who could back me up!”
Alex’s malicious grin only widened. He leaned closer to her, his voice dropping to a low whisper. “Since you don’t care, I’ll just send this video to my parents and tell them you were trying to seduce me, wanting to be my wife. Who do you think they’ll believe?”
Ellie’s face turned pale, and her hands clenched into fists, trembling uncontrollably. The air in the room felt thick, suffocating.
With a voice barely above a whisper, Ellie finally managed to say, “How can you be so vile?”
Alex’s expression twisted into a smug smirk, but there was a warning glint in his eyes. “So, what do you say? Ready to go out with someone as vile as me?”
