Chapter 2

~~ETHEL~~

ETHEL: Coming over after work. Will get your favorite pad thai takeout.

I checked the message I’d sent Max an hour ago. He hadn’t replied yet. He probably hadn’t seen it yet.

I’d been a terrible girlfriend lately. It had been three months of late meetings and writing weekend reports for Martell Corporation’s latest investment.

And through it all, Max had been the most understanding, patient, and supportive partner, just like he’d always been throughout the past one and a half years of our relationship.

Tonight, I wanted to make it up to him.

When I got to his apartment, I pressed the doorbell, balancing my handbag and the takeout bag. No answer for several seconds. I pressed it again. Still nothing.

My face fell. I should’ve told him much earlier I was coming.

Dialling his number, it went straight to voicemail. I sighed, pulling out the spare key card he’d given me eight months ago. I’d only used it a few times to surprise him with dinner. I would just wait inside for him to return.

The door unlocked with a faint beep. I stepped inside and paused. The lights were on. Maybe he’d forgotten to turn them off before going out.

Walking to the living room, I set the takeout and my handbag on the coffee table. Just as I was about to sit on the couch, a sound made me stiffen.

It was a moan.

For several seconds, there was nothing, until I began to wonder whether I’d imagined it. And then—

“Fuck, just like that. Ride that dick.”

My stomach dropped.

No. It couldn’t be.

“You like that, don’t you?” It was a woman’s voice. One that sounded too familiar.

I should’ve grabbed my bag and gotten the hell out of there. But I needed to see. Maybe it wasn’t what I was thinking. Maybe Max was just watching p**n.

So I slowly walked down the hallway and pushed the bedroom door open. The scene in front of me made me feel sick to my stomach.

Max was lying on his bed completely naked, moaning as a woman rode him. But it wasn’t just any woman.

It was my stepsister, Tanya.

I stared at them in disbelief as they went on, lost in each other, completely oblivious to my presence, until I couldn’t take it anymore.

“What the fuck is this?” I hissed.

Their movements stilled, and they both jerked to look at me in shock. In the next moment, Max shoved Tanya off him so abruptly that she nearly fell off the bed.

“Ethel… babe…” he stuttered as he scrambled off the bed, reaching for his boxers and shoving his legs into them. “Ethel… it’s… it’s not—”

“Don’t you dare,” I snarled. “Don’t you fucking dare tell me it’s not what it looks like because it sure looked like you had your dick inside my stepsister!”

My voice cracked on the last words. I moved my gaze to the woman in question. There was not a hint of remorse on her face, but that didn’t shock me.

My stepsister had never cared about me. She’d stolen my high school boyfriend with crocodile tears and a sob story. She’d turned my mother against me so many times I’d lost count. Of course she’d take Max too.

Yet it still felt like she’d twisted the knife all over again. And it fucking hurt.

“Ethel… babe, please listen to me,” Max pleaded.

“Oh, come on, Max.” Tanya rolled her eyes. “It was about time she found out anyway that we’re together.”

“You and I are not together, Tanya. Shut the fuck up!” Max barked, causing Tanya to flinch before he turned back to me, coming closer. “Babe, please hear me out. This… this is…”

His hands moved to touch my face. The same hands that had been on my stepsister’s hips and God knew where else.

Before they could get anywhere near me, I slapped him. Hard. Twice. Max clutched his cheeks, his eyes filled with shock.

“One and a half years, Max. Almost two years, and you just threw it away like it was nothing.” I blinked back the burn in my eyes. “You’re a fucking bastard. I never want to see you again.”

I turned to Tanya, taking in her smug expression. “Congratulations, Tanya. You did it again.”

I turned and strode out of the room, ignoring Max’s pleas. Then I grabbed my handbag and got out of his apartment as fast as I could.

I held it together through the hallway, through the elevator, and through the lobby. But once the night air hit my face outside, the burn in my eyes intensified.

I kept walking anyway, bringing one hand up to flag down a taxi. One by one, three taxis passed me without stopping.

I kept moving. I didn’t care if I had to walk all the way home. I just wanted to get away from that building.

Before I realized it, tears were streaming down my cheeks, blurring my vision. I wiped them away furiously.

“Ethel. Babe, stop.”

Max’s breathless voice came from behind me, and my blood instantly ran hot.

I walked faster, increasing my pace the closer he got. Max caught up to me easily, stepping around to block my path. He was now wearing a white shirt and pants that were wrinkled all over.

“Please just let us talk, babe.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I moved to go around him, gritting my teeth.

Max moved with me. “Baby, please. I made a mistake, I know that. But you can’t really blame me for it.” He reached for my hand. I jerked it away. “You became so distant these past few months. You were always busy and going to meetings even late at night. I felt so ignored, and Tanya took advantage of that to seduce me.”

I stopped walking and looked at him, my hands clenching. “Oh, so now it’s my fault that you cheated on me?”

An incredulous laugh left my throat. “You’re pathetic, Max. If this was truly how you felt, you should’ve communicated it to me like any decent man would. Not shoved your dick into my sister.”

I turned to continue walking, not willing to entertain this liar any longer. But before I could even take a step, Max lunged forward, wrapping his arms around me.

“It was just a moment of weakness, baby.”

“What the fuck? Let me go!” I demanded.

“Ethel—”

“I said let go of me,” I hissed, attempting to push him off, but he only tightened his grip. The scent of his cologne suddenly repulsed me.

“Give me a second chance. I promise it won’t—”

A car screeched to a stop beside us, cutting him off. I recognized the sleek Maybach before the door swung open and Keanu Martell stepped out.

His eyes moved from my face to Max. Even in the low street lighting, I caught the furious ticking of his cheek.

“Let go of her.”

Max’s grip loosened slightly, but he didn’t release me. “Keanu Martell? What the hell are you doing here?”

Keanu didn’t answer. He just held his gaze and said it again, his voice tight.

“Let go of her.”

Max finally released me, a puzzled look on his face. I took the opportunity to step several feet away from him, moving toward Keanu.

Keanu moved forward, stopping right behind me. “Are you fond of forcing yourself on women?”

“Forcing my—” Max sputtered, looking offended. “I’m not forcing myself on her. She’s my girlfriend.”

“Ex-girlfriend,” I spat. “I’ve already told you I want nothing to do with you anymore.”

Max shook his head. “You’re only saying that because you’re hurt. But I know you can’t leave me because you love me.”

God, this man was full of himself. How did I not see it before?

Something snapped inside me. His betrayal. His arrogance standing there acting like he still had any right to me after betraying me in the worst way possible.

I wanted to hurt him back.

“Are you sure about that?” I crossed my arms over my chest, letting my lips stretch into a smirk. “What if I told you you weren’t the only one having some fun on the side?”

Max frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

I knew I was going to regret what I was about to do, but before I could stop myself, I turned to Keanu, wrapped my arms around his neck, and crashed my lips to his.