Chapter 3 A Knock at the Door

POV: Lila

I spent the remainder of the night awake.

Something in my chest remained rigid and terrified despite Ethan's tight grip and the promises his lips whispered on my skin.

I kept hearing that message in my thoughts.

** "Check his office's lockable drawer." **

His side of the bed was frigid in the morning. He had left.

The sheets curled around my legs as I slowly sat up. My mind was heavy, but my body was still tingling from what we did.

I made a lip-touch. They were still swollen. utilized.

Loved?

I had forgotten what it was.

There was silence in the room. I padded to the kitchen after getting up and putting on one of his shirts that was dangling from a chair. At 7:03 AM, the clock read. Outside, the city was already bustling.

However, it felt like a trap here.

While I stared at the corridor, I poured a cup of coffee. At the end was his office. Every time, the door shut. locked at all times.

What did he conceal?

Before I could continue, there was a harsh knock.

I sloshed coffee on the counter when I jumped.

At 7 a.m., who in heck was knocking?

My bare feet were silent on the floor as I cleaned my hands and made my way to the front door.

One more knock. More volume.

My heart leaped when I opened the door.

Wearing a black suit, Ethan stood there with his jaw clenched and his hair flawless.

In one hand, he held a little folder. and in the other a solitary crimson rose.

"Good morning," he murmured.

I gazed at him and then at the flower. "This early?"

Letting the door close behind him, he entered. His gaze trailed over me-his shirt hanging loose on my torso, my legs naked.

Heat curled in my belly.

"I enjoy this view," he said.

I couldn't help but smile even though I rolled my eyes.

"Why is the rose there?" I inquired.

He said, "For having courage." "And lovely."

He put it in the back of my ear. His fingertips lightly touched my cheek before slowly moving across my jaw. My knees became softer.

He then raised the folder.

"But this... this is serious."

I tightened. "What is it?"

He gave the couch a nod. "Let's have a seat."

We sat side by side, not touching. On my lap, he laid the folder.

I slowly opened it.

There were printed materials inside. My name. The name of Richard. figures. Dates. stamps.

"What is this?" I inquired.

Evidence of the debt. And another thing.

I turned the page. The name *Black stream Holdings* appeared.

Ethan remarked, "That is a shell firm." Richard came up with it three years prior. He borrowed money with it. in your name.

My breath caught as I gazed down at the papers.

He continued to speak. "I have been excavating. Silently. It's only a piece. I'm still working to unlock the accounts of the others.

My fingers were shaking. "What prevented you from showing me this earlier?"

"I wanted to keep you safe. I was unaware of its depth.

I glanced up at him. He had gentle eyes. It's true.

I still didn't have complete faith in it, though.

"You had the option to inform me," I muttered.

He made a move for my hand. kept it.

"I ought to have. "I was afraid," he said. I'm afraid you'd be upset with me for retaining it. I'm afraid you'll think I allowed him to do it.

I examined our hands.

Warm. Real. Tight.

Then he kissed my temple, leaning in.

"Lila, I'm not here to harm you. I'd like to make this right. If you don't mind,

I remained silent.

I didn't have to.

I leaned in close to him. I put my face against his chest. I felt his arms encircle me.

And I believed him for a second.

He touched my forehead with his lips. Slowly, his hands went down my back.

I raised my head-and we kissed once again.

This time, more slowly. Sweeter.

Warm and cautious, his lips seemed to be requesting permission with each kiss.

His hair entangled my fingers. Breathless, I straddled him as he dragged me into his lap.

The folder fell to the ground.

My body throbbed with longing as I felt him harden beneath me.

He whispered into my neck, "I missed you last night."

I answered softly, "I didn't know you went."

"I needed to meet with someone regarding the bills. However, I kept thinking about you.

His hands moved beneath his shirt, caressing exposed flesh. I arched my back. He teased me with his tongue and lips as he licked down my chest.

"I desire you," he declared.

I muttered, "You already have me."

I gave him everything, too.

On the couch, right there.

As we moved quickly and ravenously, bodies entangled, hands all over the place, the rose dropped to the ground.

After it was over, my head rested on his chest as we lay breathless, entangled in one another.

His phone buzzed on the table, though.

At first, he remained still. However, the screen became bright.

*Unknown Number*

He grabbed it.

All of a sudden, I sat up.

"Hold on," I said.

"What?" he questioned, phone in hand.

"That number..." I gestured toward the screen. "I've been receiving texts from the same person."

He stopped.

His eyes showed it to me.

Recognition.

Fear.

And guilt, which is terrible.

I took his phone. I opened the message.

** "I'll tell her if you won't." **

I looked over at him. "What did you not tell me?"

He didn't respond.

My heart pounded.

"Ethan?" I exerted force.

At last he spoke, softly, almost shattered lying.

"I should have said something from the start."

Then there was a knock on the door again.

Hard.

Out loud.

Immediate.

Both of us leaped.

With my heart racing, I wrapped the blanket about me. Ethan quickly got to his feet and put on his trousers.

The knocking went on.

A man in a dark coat was standing outside with a flash drive in his hand when I carefully opened the door.

He glanced across at Ethan.

"Mr. Cole," he referred to. "We must speak. Right now. She has a right to know the truth.

Without waiting, the man in the coat entered. He was so focused on Ethan that he didn't even look at me.

Holding up the flash disk, he declared, "This cannot wait." "You've already withheld it from her."

My fists tightened around the blanket as I stood there, bewildered.

"Who are you?" I inquired.

At last, the man turned to face me. He had short brown hair, a square jaw, and a scar that extended from the middle of his cheek to his ear. He had icy eyes.

"My name is Marcus. Richard and I collaborated. He returned his focus to Ethan. "And you."

Ethan tightened his jaw. "I promised to take care of this."

Marcus laughed. You've had months to tell the truth. Rather, you placed her in your bed and continued to tell her falsehoods.

"Stop!" Ethan yelled. "Avoid doing this here."

With my chest tense, I took a step forward. "What do you do?"

After giving me a quick glance, Marcus gave me the flash drive. "Everything is here. Records, messages, and emails. Before he distorts the facts, you deserve to see it.

Ethan combed his hair with his hand. "Lila, don't-"

"Don't what?" With a trembling voice, I snapped. Discover what my spouse was concealing? What were *you* concealing?

The room's air grew chilly.

Marcus walked over to the door. "Observe it. By themselves. After that, you'll know who to believe.

Without saying another thing, he departed.

The door closed with a click.

I gazed down at my palm's little flash drive as if it were a live bomb.

Ethan took a step forward. "Please, Lilia."

I retreated.

"You said you wanted to assist me. that I was loved by you.

"Yes, I do."

"So why do you fear what's on this?" I raised it. "What's in here that you couldn't tell me right away?"

His mouth opened, but he remained silent.

So I looked away. walked over to the coffee table and the laptop. I plugged it in.

"Whatever's in there-it's not the whole story," Ethan muttered behind me.

"Then take a seat," I said. "And while I see it, tell me the truth."

I opened the folder.

Dozens of files were present. I was drawn to one. Titled: **"Project Sandglass – Phase Two – Confidential"**

I clicked.

A video started.

Richard's visage filled the screen.

I gasped.

He looked exhausted. Older. Greyer than I remembered.

**"If you're viewing this, then I'm gone,"** his voice murmured, low and fast. **"And you probably realize something's wrong. Lila, if this reaches you, I'm sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt." **

My chest constricted.

**"I accepted the offer. This is not how I expected it to finish. Ethan warned me and tried to stop me, but I ignored him. I needed the cash. For you. For us. However, I made an error. **

My hands were shaking.

**"Debt wasn't the only issue at Black stream. It's a cover. For a worse thing. If Ethan shows you this, it implies he finally gave up defending me." **

The video ended.

As simple as that.

"What on earth was that?" I muttered.

Ethan didn't answer.

I turned to look at him. "What is Project Sandglass?"

His head was in his hands as he slumped onto the couch.

"Ethan!"

He looked up, his face pallid. It was a deal with the military. He sold off information, your husband. private information. Blackmail was being used against him. He made an attempt to repay it, but it was too late.

I blinked. "Richard betrayed his country?"

"No," he uttered rapidly. "Not in that manner. He was in a grave situation. Decoys were the intended use for the files. However, someone actually managed to get hold of them. Then they turned it against me as well as against him.

With shaky legs, I sat down.

"You were aware of this... and remained silent?"

"I wanted to keep you safe."

"By permitting me to develop feelings for you?"

He raised his head, his face etched with misery. "I didn't intend for that to occur. But it did. Lila, you are loved. I always have.

Tears pierced my eyes.

I didn't know what to trust.

I stared at the halted screen, Richard's frozen face like a ghost.

Suddenly-my phone buzzed.

A fresh message. Unknown figure.

**"Lila, you're next. Get the safe open. **

I went cold.

"What's safe?" I muttered.

Ethan got up slowly. "Oh no."

"Ethan, what's safe?" I raised my voice.

He turned to face the corridor. "The one in Richard's office that is behind the artwork."

I almost stumbled over the blanket as I ran up. hurried along the corridor. opened the door to the office.

First, I smelled something sharp, leather, and dust.

There was a painting of a mountain on the wall. I pulled it down.

Behind it-a little steel door. A keypad.

"I am clueless about the coding," I stated in frustration.

Suddenly, I had Ethan behind me.

"Yes, I do."

He extended his hand and typed:

**0-9-1-3-2-6**

The safe opened with a click.

There was a gun inside.

A little black handgun.

And below it... an envelope smeared with blood.

With trembling hands, I grabbed it and extracted it.

Richard wrote my name in his penmanship.

I took it open.

There was only one sentence inside:

**"Ethan was aware. From the beginning. Never put your trust in him. **

With the letter still in my hand, I cautiously turned to face Ethan.

He remained silent.

However, the expression in his eyes was not that of a man who loved me.