Chapter 273

Ethan finally saw her for who she truly was, his gaze heavy with disillusionment.

Vanessa smirked, unashamed. "Dirty? We're married, Ethan. Isn't this exactly what you want? Or are you telling me you don’t enjoy it?"

Without hesitation, she rose onto her toes.

Her lips crashed against his, pouring every ounce of desperation into the kiss, as if she could ignite a fire within him through sheer willpower.

Though the candle had long been extinguished, its scent still clung to the air, sweet and suffocating.

Her fingers tangled in his shirt, tugging at the buttons with reckless urgency.

With a sharp shove, she forced him onto the bed, her body pressing flush against his.

Yet no matter how fiercely she tried to provoke him, Ethan remained unmoved.

Vanessa froze.

She bit down on her lip, frustration burning in her chest as she searched his face. "Tell me, Ethan—do I really mean nothing to you?"

Grace had to physically drag Ethan away from the bar. By the time he stumbled back home, he'd drowned himself in three more bottles of whiskey, his vision blurred and steps unsteady.

Now, Ethan lay motionless across the king-sized bed, his sculpted torso bare under the dim bedroom lights. Every defined muscle of his abdomen flexed as he shifted, exuding an intoxicating aura of primal masculinity.

Vanessa bit her lip, her gaze tracing the sweat-slicked contours of his body. Yet despite her deliberate attempts to arouse him—fingers skimming his collarbone, nails grazing his hip—Ethan remained cold as marble beneath her touch.

Frustration bubbled up her throat like bile.

"You're right, Vanessa. There's nothing between us anymore." Ethan's voice was razor-sharp as he sat up abruptly, shrugging into his discarded dress shirt with practiced ease. "We're done."

From his jacket pocket, he produced crisp legal documents still warm from the printer. The divorce agreement landed on the silk sheets with a damning finality.

"I've signed. Now it's your turn." His tone held the clinical detachment of a CEO finalizing a business deal. "Take whatever you want—the penthouse, the stocks, the offshore accounts. Consider it severance pay."

Vanessa's hands shook as she flipped through the pages. The numbers blurred—generous to the point of absurdity. Enough to fund a dozen lifetimes of luxury.

But not a single line about reconciliation.

Ethan was already buttoning his cuffs, his reflection in the floor-to-ceiling windows showing a man utterly devoid of hesitation. The gold-plated pen he offered glinted like an executioner's blade.

Vanessa would never have to worry about her future again.

But with such an extraordinary man standing before her, how could Vanessa simply walk away?

"I refuse to separate! Ethan, I won't sign those papers!" Vanessa screamed, her voice trembling with desperation.

Ethan's lips curled into a mocking smile. "There's nothing to sign. We were never legally married—just a ceremony, and ceremonies don't hold up in court."

His words hit her like a physical blow.

Vanessa went rigid, ice flooding her veins.

Ethan's cold, detached gaze swept over her, devoid of any warmth. "If I truly wanted to be cruel, you'd leave with nothing. Vanessa, accept the truth—when a man stops loving you, that's when he becomes merciless."

She stared at him, shock rendering her speechless. Her mind reeled. "Why? Ethan, are you seriously ending things? Do you feel nothing for me? Not even a little love? How can you say you don't love me?"

His decision had been made. For weeks, he had deliberately distanced himself, needing clarity.

Now, he was certain.

His voice was quiet but final. "Our relationship was built on your lies. Now that the truth is out, so are my feelings for you."

Vanessa's nails dug into her palms as her entire body began to shake, her thoughts scattering like leaves in a storm. "This isn't true!" Her voice cracked, raw with desperation. "Ethan, I refuse to believe you don't love me!"

She stepped forward, her eyes burning with unshed tears. "Have you erased it from your memory? That night—when those monsters took me, and you charged in without hesitation. You bled for me!" Her breath hitched. "If that wasn't love, then tell me—what in hell's name was it?"

The silence between them grew heavier, suffocating.