Chapter 0062
Irene glanced at me as she recovered from Ethan’s embrace, her cheeks flushed, and that smile never leaving her lips. She ran her fingers through her hair and gave me a sheepish look as she stepped into the parlor.
Matt lifted his gaze from his homework, his eyes briefly meeting his sister’s.
“How’s it going in here?” she asked, taking a seat on the loveseat across the room. Ethan sat beside her, his fingers entwined with hers. They were all lovey-dovey and cozy with each other. I wondered if she knew that Ethan had been over at my house the previous night while she was desperately trying to call him.
“Great, just finishing up some Algebra,” I replied, turning back to Matt. I did my best to ignore Irene and Ethan as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear, making her giggle.
A slow annoyance crept up my spine. I could feel Ethan’s eyes landing on me every so often, but I straightened my posture and focused on my work, trying to block them out.
“I brought some pastries,” Maria, one of the maids, said as she entered the room. She placed a tray on the coffee table for us to share.
“Thank you, Maria,” Irene said politely, flashing a smile.
The maid nodded and left. Ethan stood and walked over to the coffee table, lowering himself to inspect the pastries. Scones and sugar cookies. The smell was tempting. He grabbed a couple of cookies and brought them back to the loveseat, draping a protective arm around Irene.
I watched, trying not to react, as Ethan held up a cookie to Irene’s lips. She smiled as she opened her mouth to bite into it.
“Gag,” Matt muttered, rolling his eyes. “Can’t you do that somewhere else?”
Irene frowned at him, but Ethan simply wiped a crumb off the side of her lips, bringing his finger to his mouth and licking the crumb off. His eyes lingered on mine, a subtle challenge in his gaze.
I pressed my lips together, a thin line of restraint. He was doing this on purpose, trying to provoke me. And I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of reacting.
“You don’t have to watch us,” Irene snapped, as though I were the one causing trouble.
She snuggled into Ethan, who kissed the top of her head. The sight made my stomach churn.
Not for the first time, I wondered if Ethan had something to do with how the dean found out about my dyslexia. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had gone as far as sabotaging my college life just to push me out. The thought made me feel sick.
I turned away from them, focusing entirely on Matt’s work. We kept at it for the next hour, while Irene and Ethan continued their endless flirting on the loveseat. It was like they had nothing better to do with their time than to torment me.
When we finally finished Matt’s assignments, I was physically and mentally drained.
“Do you want to stay for dinner again?” Matt asked, putting away his worksheets.
“I need to get home,” I told him, standing up from the couch. “But I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Matt pouted but didn’t argue.
“I’m going to see what’s for dinner and offer my assistance in the kitchen,” Irene said, standing and pulling Ethan along with her. “Come with me?” She fluttered her long lashes at him.
For a moment, I thought Ethan might agree to join her, but instead, he only smiled sweetly and kissed her gently on the lips. “I’ll meet you in there, I have to make a phone call first.”
Irene frowned but didn’t protest. She leaned in and kissed him again, a quick peck on the lips. She turned to me with a breathy laugh.
“My man is a hard worker,” she said, clearly proud. “Always so busy. It was nice to see you, Judy.”
With that, she started toward the kitchen, and Matt followed after her.
“I’ll come with you,” Matt offered, as if to ensure I wasn’t left alone in the room with the couple.
I nodded in acknowledgment, watching as they disappeared into the kitchen. My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag, fully aware that Ethan’s eyes were tracking every move I made. I forced myself to ignore him, pretending he didn’t matter, but his presence weighed heavily on me.
I grabbed my bag from the coffee table, intent on leaving. As I moved toward the door, his hand shot out, grabbing my arm with a firm grip, halting me in my tracks.
I whipped around to face him, fury rising in my chest. His grip tightened, and I felt the heat of his gaze on me as he stared me down.
