Rebirth After Being Betrayed by My Husband by Isabella Reed

Chapter 27

Finished

The girl sitting in front of him didn’t even glance up as she snorted, “Can’t you see? Are you blind?”

Ethan blinked in surprise. Her blunt words would have angered anyone else, but not him. He wasn’t upset No one had ever dared to talk to him this way–yet, somehow, it felt refreshing coming from her.

“I can see just fine,” he said calmly. “But why are you getting drunk? Are you facing some kind of problem?”

“I don’t talk to strangers,” she replied flatly, still not looking at him.

“Then let’s change that,” he said with a small smile. “We could get to know each other, and then we wouldn’t be strangers anymore.”

“No,” she said sharply. “I don’t want to know you.

For the first time, Ethan felt at a loss. What could he do to make her talk to him? Helplessly, he muttered. “But I want to know you…. His tone took on a boyish charm, one he didn’t even realize he had.

She looked up briefly, her tone tinged with frustration. “Aren’t you ashamed to make such a request to a complete stranger? Who do you think you are, anyway? Some bigshot? Are you the owner of this place? Or maybe a king?”

Ethan blinked, stunned. This was the first time anyone had ever snapped at him like that. He pursed his lips slightly, feeling strangely amused. “Okay, okay. Don’t be mad,” he said gently, trying to placate her.

“Then stop bothering me!” she snapped again, grabbing another shot and downing it swiftly.

“I can stop,” he offered with a nod. “But only if you tell me your name.”

She paused for a moment, finally lifting her head to look at him. Her face was mere inches away from his. and Ethan froze. She was breathtaking. Her skin was flawless, her cheeks flushed a soft pink from the alcohol. Her lips, naturally rosy and slightly moist, were mesmerizing.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“You really want to know my name?” she asked, her words slightly slurred but carrying an unintentional allure that sent his heart racing.

“Yes,” he said, nodding eagerly.

“Lily,” she said, her voice soft and hazy but so captivating it felt like music to his ears.

Lily.

mind. It was perfect. “That’s a beautiful name,” he

say you’d leave after getting my name?

he said firmly. “I’ve decided I want to get drunk

“Why do

“First, you tell me why, and then

Wed, 5

Chapter 27

“That…

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makes sense,” she conceded, nodding slightly. He smiled, feeling

most adorable way. “Even if I told

and assuring.

help. This is my responsibility. They’re my family. I love them too much to let them

he tried to decipher her words. Though her speech was cryptic, he understood enough to sense that her struggles were tied to her family. Judging by her modest clothes, she didn’t seem to come from wealth.

he blurted out, his tone confident. “I can help you.”

at him sharply, her lips

he nodded, eager. “I can help with anything. Money, whatever you need.”

of something he couldn’t quite place. “With money?” she repeated, her tone laced with something akin to sarcasm–or was it anger?

of it, and it’s yours

his mind, this was the first step in winning her over, his noble gesture sure to make her

as he lost himself in his fantasy, he failed to notice the calculating glint in her eyes. She was clearly

sweet but layered with something unreadable. “I’ll accept your help… but only if you can

your help… but only if you fulfill one request,” she said, her voice soft and sweet, so disarming Ethan felt his heart skip a beat. The way she spoke, so

just say

just one

agreed with a firm nod, eager to grant

her laughter carrying a playful edge. “Close your eyes and count to twenty,” she said, her tone teasing yet sincere.

asked, genuinely puzzled. Out of all the things she could ask for, this seemed… odd. But who was he to question her? This was the first time she had asked anything of him, and there was no way he would