Chapter 2
The house was too quiet.
Even though it was massive, with high ceilings and rooms larger than entire apartments, there was a suffocating stillness that made Tia hyper-aware of every sound—her own breathing, the soft patter of her bare feet against the cool floor, the distant hum of the central air.
She had woken up in the middle of the night, the unfamiliarity of her new surroundings making sleep impossible. The bed was too soft, the room too big. She felt small in it.
With a sigh, she slipped out from beneath the covers, her nightgown brushing against her thighs as she padded toward the en-suite bathroom. The moonlight streamed in through the windows, casting silver shadows across the floor.
She pushed the bathroom door open, flicking on the light. The space was just as extravagant as the rest of the house—white marble countertops, gold accents, and a mirror so large it nearly covered the entire wall. It didn’t feel like hers. None of this did.
As she turned on the sink, the sound of running water filled the room, grounding her for a moment. She leaned forward, splashing cool water on her face, trying to shake the strange feeling twisting in her stomach.
And then—
A movement behind her.
Her breath caught as she saw him in the mirror’s reflection. Ethan.
He was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame like he had all the time in the world, arms crossed over his chest. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, like he had just woken up, but his eyes—those piercing blue eyes—were sharp and focused. On her.
Tia spun around, gripping the edge of the counter. “I—I didn’t hear you,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of the water.
His lips curved into a smirk. “You weren’t supposed to.”
She swallowed hard, her fingers tightening on the cool marble. “I was just—”
“I know what you were doing.” He stepped inside, and suddenly the bathroom felt smaller. More enclosed.
Tia instinctively took a step back, but there was nowhere to go. The counter was behind her, trapping her in place.
Ethan reached out and, without breaking eye contact, turned off the faucet. The silence that followed was deafening.
“You should be more careful,” he murmured, his voice impossibly low.
Tia’s heartbeat was erratic, but she didn’t move. Didn’t speak.
Ethan tilted his head slightly, like he was studying her reaction, testing her. Then, just as suddenly as he appeared, he stepped back, giving her space.
“Go back to bed, Tia.”
It wasn’t a suggestion.
She nodded quickly, slipping past him and hurrying back into her room. Only when she was under the covers did she finally let out the breath she’d been holding.
She wasn’t sure what had just happened.
But she knew one thing for certain—
Ethan wasn’t going to make this easy for her.
