84

Moore

"You’re just determined to make Georgia hate you, aren’t you?" I said, glancing at Ethan as we walked side by side through the hospital hallway. His hands were full, carrying all the cleaning supplies like it was nothing.

"Well, I don’t give two fucks about her," he replied without hesitation, his tone cool and indifferent.

I sighed, shaking my head. "You really don’t seem to understand that she likes you."

Ethan shot me a sideways glance, his expression unreadable. "Are you interceding for her? That’s a shame." His voice was serious, but I caught the slight amusement beneath it.

I frowned. "What? No. I just think you’re usually good at reading a room. This whole act of yours is only making her hate me more, though." I shrugged, resting my hands behind my back as we continued walking.

Ethan ducked his head slightly, his piercing gaze settling on me. "Do you want her to like you?"

I blinked, momentarily thrown off by his directness. It was unexpected. Ethan wasn’t exactly the type to engage in long conversations, which made it a little jarring that he was actually talking to me like this. Our first encounter had been cold yet oddly comforting.

"You don’t give two fucks, well, I don’t give a fuck either," I said flatly, my words sharper than I intended.

"Wow. Easy, mate." He raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching as if suppressing a smirk.

I exhaled and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, sorry. I guess… I just got tired of trying to make people like me. It’s led me into enough bad decisions already."

He didn’t respond right away, just gave a slow, knowing nod, like he understood exactly what I meant.

We walked in silence for a few moments, the soft squeak of our shoes against the tile floor the only sound between us. Then, curiosity got the better of me.

"You must think I ghosted you after that night," I said, my gaze flickering to him.

Ethan’s face cracked slightly, just enough for me to catch a glimpse of something unguarded beneath his usual cool exterior. He had this innocent yet dangerously mischievous good looks, a quiet confidence that made him intriguing.

I could bet he wasn’t shy—just reserved. The kind of guy who only opened up when he felt like it.

If Athena saw us again, she’d definitely run straight to Lucien with the gossip. I could already picture her smug face, whispering exaggerated versions of events to him.

And as for Lucien…

It had been two days since I returned, and he still hadn’t come back.

We stopped at one of the doors. I reached for the mop in his hands, but before I could take it, he pulled it back, shaking his head slightly. Without a word, he stepped into the bathroom first.

I sighed. Cleaning duty was supposed to be my punishment, but Ethan had decided to tag along, which made Georgia’s plan to make me suffer kind of pointless.

"Na… you don’t seem like the type to just ghost someone," Ethan finally said as he pushed the door open for me. "Besides, why does that bother you?"

I stepped inside, letting out a small, amused huff. "Because I was worried Lucien might try something with you."

Ethan gave me a questioning look as he set the bucket down. "Your husband? Over a hoodie?"

I nodded. "He didn’t take that whole hoodie thing lightly. And knowing him…" I trailed off, shaking my head. "I was afraid he’d do something."

Ethan considered this, tilting his head slightly. "Your relationship with him is no secret. Everyone knows he despises you. So I wonder if he was jealous"

Despise. Jealous.

The word sat heavy in my chest, but I didn’t correct him. It was easier to let people believe that, because those are the Truth, except for the jealous part. Lucien was never one to be jealous of me, he only had this sick obsession of causing me pain. Just him doing the punishment and no one interfering.

My mind drifted back to Lucien.

He hadn’t returned with me to Italy. Lillard had informed me that I wasn’t going back to work immediately—I was to receive treatment first.

At least Athena wasn’t my nurse, or I’d probably be dead by now.

But what shocked me the most was the clothes. The fact that my clothes had been changed. And it was Lucien who had ordered it.

A faint, unbidden smile tugged at my lips.

"You missed him?" Ethan’s voice broke into my thoughts, his brow lifting as he caught my smile.

I blinked. "What?"

He chuckled. "Relax, I was just joking." Then he tilted his head slightly. "But, you should smile more. It suits you."

I let out a small, dry laugh, shaking my head. He didn’t let me do much of the cleaning, insisting on handling most of it himself.

When we were nearly finished, he leaned against the doorframe. "By the way, your husband didn’t do anything to me."

I rolled my eyes at the phrase ‘your husband’ but I said nothing.

I let out a slow breath of relief. "That’s… good."

Ethan studied me for a moment before asking, "Why were you so worried he would?"

I hesitated, searching for an answer I didn’t quite have. "Because he would," I admitted. "It’s just strange… that he didn't actually do something to you. You must be lucky."

Just like I had been lucky too. Lucien had let me be. He had let me take a little revenge on Grey. Had he invited Grey for that purpose?

I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that the man who had sworn he wanted nothing to do with my revenge was suddenly… invested.

It didn’t make sense.

I forced another smile and cleared my throat.

Ethan eyed me. "You good?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Oh, and I still have your jacket. I’ll get it back to you after work."

"Keep it," he said casually, wiping his hands on a rag. "Looks better on you."

I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue.

A few minutes later, we were walking down the hall again when I spotted Mirabel heading toward me.

Still no sign of Athena. Maybe, just maybe, I could get through today without any unnecessary drama.

"Hey, Moore," Mirabel greeted with a smile before glancing at Ethan and giving him a polite wave.

He responded with a brief nod, staying silent as usual.

Mirabel turned back to me, her expression shifting slightly.

"Someone’s outside asking for you," she said.

My breath hitched slightly. "Who?"

Mirabel shrugged. "They didn’t say. Just asked for you specifically."

A strange unease settled in my stomach.

"Moore?" Ethan’s voice pulled me back.

I swallowed, forcing my expression to stay neutral. "I’ll go check."

And with that, I turned on my heels, heading toward the entrance.