Chapter 0063
“Let go of me,” I gritted through my teeth.
“When are you going to stop pretending you don’t have feelings for me, Judy?” Ethan asked, his voice low and sultry, his eyes dark with a dangerous gleam that sent a cold chill running up my spine. “I know you still want me.”
“In your dreams, Ethan,” I muttered, yanking my arm out of his grip.
“You were watching us with those jealous eyes of yours,” he taunted, gripping my chin between his fingers, forcing me to look up at him. “You can’t deny it.”
“I was watching you flaunt your relationship,” I snapped. “It was unsettling and not called for. Especially in front of her little brother.”
He chuckled mockingly. “Don’t pretend you care about the little brat,” he sneered. “We both know you’re just using him to get into Gavin’s pants.”
I recoiled, disgust flooding me as I pushed his hand away from my face. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” I spat, my fists clenched at my sides.
“Don’t pretend you aren’t deceitful, Judy,” he muttered, his voice dripping with disdain.
I narrowed my eyes at him, pressing my lips into a thin line.
“You want to talk about being deceitful, Ethan? Then how about you tell me how my dean found out about my dyslexia?” I shot back, my voice unwavering.
A flicker of recognition crossed his face, and in that instant, I knew. He knew exactly what I was talking about, and he was the one responsible. My assumption was right—Ethan had been the one to tell the dean. The realization made my blood boil.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, straightening up, putting on a look of feigned innocence. “You’re just making stuff up.”
I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “I don’t think I’m the one making stuff up. You told the dean about my dyslexia, and then he told all my professors. You’re the reason they treated me like crap today.”
“Stop making shit up, Judy. I didn’t do any of that,” he growled, stepping closer, his presence imposing. His eyes glinted with a mix of anger and something else—something darker.
I stepped back, pushing him away as much as I could. “You had no right to get involved in my education. You had no right to tell the dean something so personal about me.” My heart pounded in my chest with a mix of rage and disbelief.
“You don’t even need to be at this school,” he said coldly. “What are you even learning there that you couldn’t learn in the real world? It’s a waste of money, a waste of time. The professors are useless. Come with me, Judy. I bought a house for you. We don’t need this place.”
Without warning, he grabbed my arm again, his fingers digging into my skin in a way that made me wince with pain. He was so bold, so reckless, and the fact that we were in Gavin’s parlor—his own damn house—didn’t seem to faze him at all. He acted like Irene didn’t even exist. She could walk in at any moment, and yet here he was, manhandling me like I was nothing.
“Let go of me, Ethan,” I gritted, struggling to free myself, but he tightened his hold.
“Just give in, Judy,” he purred, his voice sickeningly smooth. “I know you want to.”
Before I could react, his other hand came around my waist, and he shoved me roughly against the wall. My body was pinned, helpless between him and the cold, hard surface. Panic rose in my chest like bile, and my entire body trembled as he pressed himself closer, his breath hot against my neck. I could feel his presence suffocating me, and it made my skin crawl.
“I know you still want me,” he whispered, his voice thick with desire. Once upon a time, his voice would have been a source of warmth, of longing, but now? Now it made my stomach churn with disgust.
I struggled against him, my body shaking with the effort to get away, to create space. “Let me go, Ethan,” I demanded, my voice sharp with fury.
“You don’t really want me to let you go, do you?” he murmured, his lips trailing up the nape of my neck, his breath sending shivers down my spine.
Everything inside me screamed to get away from him, to break free. Fury boiled through me, and just as I was about to push him off with every ounce of strength I had, the door to the parlor swung open. A new presence filled the room—dominant, forceful—and my heart leapt in my chest.
“What the hell is going on here?”
