The kiss lingered on my lips, like a secret I couldn't take back.
Ethan stepped back, his eyes dark, searching mine, waiting for something—an answer, an excuse, a reason. But what could I say? The words caught in my throat. I didn't know what I was doing, didn't know what I wanted anymore.
"I can't..." I whispered, stepping away from him, but I didn't move far enough. I was still too close, and I could still feel the heat of his body against mine, still smell the faint trace of his cologne that seemed to have taken over the room.
"You can," Ethan said quietly, his voice like velvet, soothing yet commanding. "You just don't want to admit it."
I clenched my fists at my sides, fighting the urge to give in, to let him take me again. But I wasn't sure who I was anymore. Was I the woman who loved Jason? Or had I become someone else—someone who craved the intensity that only Ethan seemed to offer?
"I don't know what I'm doing," I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "I'm so lost."
Ethan's eyes softened for a moment, his expression unreadable. "You're not lost. You just haven't made your choice yet."
My heart was racing. I wanted to tell him it was Jason. I wanted to cling to the life I thought I'd built, the safe, predictable future. But the truth was, I was drowning in this new world—a world that Ethan had opened up for me. A world that felt more alive, more real, even if it was dangerous.
"I can't leave him," I said, my voice trembling. "I can't just throw everything away."
Ethan didn't respond right away. He just watched me, like he was waiting for me to realize something. And then, finally, he stepped closer again. His fingers brushed the side of my cheek, the touch gentle, but there was a possessiveness to it that made my breath hitch.
"You don't have to leave him," he said, his voice low and steady. "But you need to stop pretending with me. You need to stop pretending that you don't want this."
I closed my eyes, trying to block out the feelings swirling inside me. But I couldn't. I was torn between two worlds, two men, two versions of myself.
When I opened my eyes again, Ethan was still standing in front of me, waiting. Silent. Powerful. And I realized, for the first time, that I wasn't sure if I wanted to resist anymore.
"I don't know if I can do this," I whispered.
He smiled, a small, knowing smile. "You're already doing it."