Marry me 99 more times

Then she heard Ethan's voice-low and tired. "Watch her," he said to James.

A moment later, he left with Chloe.

Pretending to be asleep was excruciating. When Ethan had covered her with his jacket and leaned into the sofa, she had felt. comforted. But now, an hour had passed since he left with Chloe.

Everyone else eventually said their goodbyes, leaving only James to keep watch.

Sophia opened her eyes. "They all left?"

James looked startled. "Sophia! I mean. Mrs. Griffin. Ethan just stepped out. He'll be back soon."

"Oh," she said softly. "You can go. I'll wait."

"Are you sure?"

"I have a friend nearby. I'll call her. Ethan's always busy. I'm used to it." She called Lily.

James said, "Then I'll wait with you until your friend gets here. Otherwise, I won't feel right leaving you alone."

Sophia didn't refuse. During the wait, she ended up having two more drinks. Lily had been woken from sleep by the call. She didn't ask many questions-she knew Sophia hated troubling others, even her closest friends. For her to call this late, something must have happened.

And Lily quickly guessed-it had to be about Ethan.

By the time Lily arrived, Sophia had clearly had too much to drink. She kicked open the door with one sharp motion, startling James into jumping to his feet.

Lily shot him a sharp look. "You're Ethan's friend, right?"

"Yes," James replied, nodding.

"Where's Ethan?" she demanded.

"Uh." James stammered, clearly unsure how to respond.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Lily's glare was so fierce it made James instinctively take a step back.

Sophia tugged on her arm weakly. "Lily. take me home. I don't feel well."

"Yeah, yeah." Lily gave James one last pointed look, then wrapped an arm around Sophia and helped her down the stairs. "If you can't hold your liquor, stop drinking so much. Who ends up suffering? You! Honestly, Sophia, could you be any more clueless?"

As they were leaving, Ethan's car pulled up outside the club.

"Ethan, your wife's gone," James reported.

Ethan simply nodded. He knew Lily had taken her.

"You dropped Chloe off?" James asked as they retrieved his jacket.

"Yeah."

This time, his gentle and understanding wife might not be so easy to comfort.

He tried to call Sophia. She didn't answer. He called Lily.

"Mr. Griffin," Lily said coldly, "I'll take good care of Sophia tonight. No need to worry. When she sobers up-and calms down-you can talk."

Then she hung up.

Ethan didn't call again. Instead, he drove home alone to a house that now felt colder than ever.

"If I were you, I wouldn't pretend to be asleep," Lily grumbled. "You should've shown that woman who's boss!"

"What's the point of winning someone that way?" Sophia said quietly.

-

The next morning, Sophia kept checking her phone, willing it to ring. When it finally did, she hesitated.

But she picked up.

"I'm coming to get you," Ethan said gently.

She wanted to say no, say she needed space. But what came out was a simple, "Okay."

When she opened the door for him , she was so distracted that accidentally bumped her arm against the frame, letting out a dull thud. The pain made her brows knit together instantly.

Ethan didn't look great either. There were faint dark circles under his eyes. For a split second, Sophia felt a twinge of concern-but then she remembered: maybe he was just "tired" from taking care of Chloe last night. That flicker of sympathy was immediately swallowed by a deeper bitterness, and her expression grew cold.

Ethan noticed her awkward demeanor but merely gave a small, gentle smile. He reached out, trying to touch her cheek, but she turned away from his hand. His fingers froze midair for a second before he smoothly withdrew them. His voice held a trace of helpless teasing.

"Couldn't sleep alone."

Sophia finally looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Alone? Was that his way of explaining himself-telling her that he hadn't spent the night with Chloe?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ethan asked with a quiet laugh, amused by her intense stare. This time, he didn't ask for permission-he reached out and pulled her head gently against his chest, holding her tightly for a few moments before releasing her and taking her hand.

"Come on-let's go home."

Home did feel more comforting. The moment she stepped inside, the warm, familiar scent of food filled the air, wrapping around her like a soft blanket.

A subtle warmth stirred in her chest. She turned to glance at Ethan, who was changing his shoes at the entryway.

"I called my mom first thing this morning," Ethan said with a refined smile. "She said something light is best after a night of drinking."

After dinner, Ethan went to wash the dishes while Sophia lay on the couch watching TV. For a while, she allowed herself to forget the unpleasantness-but the fracture in her heart hadn't truly healed.

By late afternoon, she noticed a dull ache in her arm. She looked down and saw a large bruise forming. It must've been from when she bumped it that morning. She grabbed some ice from the freezer, wrapped it in a cloth, and started upstairs to apply a cold compress.

As she approached Ethan's study, she heard his voice through the door. He was on the phone.

"Hospital? I'm on my way."

He ended the call.

Sophia instinctively backed up, but it was too late-Ethan opened the door, and the two of them nearly collided.

She forced a small smile. "Who's in the hospital?"

Ethan paused for a couple of seconds before answering, "Just going to check on someone."

He took two steps, then turned back and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "I'll be back soon."

She suddenly called after him. "Do you have to go?"

"Be good," he said with a soft smile, then turned and walked out the door without hesitation.

He didn't return until well past midnight.

Sophia hadn't been able to fall asleep. She felt the weight of the mattress shift as he got into bed. A few seconds later, his arm slipped around her, cool from the night air, pulling her slowly against him.

And she. simply lay there silently, pretending to be fast asleep, as if she hadn't felt a thing.