My Husband Betrayed The War Zone Surgeon Who Saved Him Chapter 04
Go to Her
Ethan doesn’t come home for fifteen days.
Before Lily, that would’ve meant nothing.
He travels constantly.
Sometimes he sleeps at the office.
Sometimes negotiations run until sunrise.
He always sends a message.
I spend the two weeks finishing interviews, medical screening, and deployment paperwork.
My application moves faster than expected because I’ve worked in conflict regions before.
The night I finally book my last in-person clearance appointment, headlights sweep across the bedroom wall.
A car pulls into the driveway.
Minutes later, my door opens.
Ethan stands there.
His tie is gone.
His collar is open.
And even from across the room, I can smell whiskey.
“You’re back.”
He raises one brow.
“That’s all?”
I look at my laptop.
“What were you expecting?”
His mouth tightens.
He walks toward me.
“Nothing.”
Then:
“You’ve been very calm.”
“I’ve been busy.”
“Apparently.”
His eyes flick toward my laptop.
I close it before he can read the screen.
He notices.
Something in his expression shifts.
“What’s that?”
“Work.”
“You resigned.”
My hand stills.
“You quit one of the best surgical positions in the city and didn’t think to tell your husband?”
“You didn’t tell me about Lily.”
“We’re back to this.”
“No.”
I stand.
“I’m trying very hard not to be.”
I move past him.
His arm circles my waist.
Suddenly, I’m pulled backward.
“Ethan.”
He presses his face into my neck.
“You smell the same.”
He’s drunker than I realized.
His lips brush my skin.
For three years, physical intimacy between us was easy.
Maybe because we never talked much afterward.
Maybe because neither of us asked what it meant.
Tonight, my body goes rigid.
His mouth finds mine.
I turn away.
“Stop.”
He doesn’t.
His hand tightens at my waist.
“We’re married.”
I push at his chest.
He barely moves.
So I press two fingers hard into the soft point below his throat.
He jerks back with a curse.
The alcohol haze clears from his eyes.
“What the hell?”
“I said stop.”
He stares at me.
For a long second, neither of us moves.
Then his voice drops.
“We’re husband and wife.”
I almost laugh.
“An arranged marriage.”
His expression changes.
“Your words, not mine.”
“Evelyn.”
“If you want someone who accepts whatever you decide to give her…”
I step away.
“Go to Lily.”
His face goes cold.
I open the bedroom door.
“Get out.”
He doesn’t move at first.
Then he laughs under his breath.
“You’re really going to drag this out?”
I look at him.
“No.”
“That’s the point.”
Something in my answer unsettles him.
For the first time, Ethan doesn’t look angry.
He looks uncertain.
He leaves without another word.
The next morning, the housekeeper finds me eating breakfast alone.
She hesitates before sitting across from me.
“Mrs. Sinclair…”
I already know what’s coming.
“I know it’s not my place.”
“Then don’t say it.”
She sighs.
“I’m saying it because I care about you.”
I set down my coffee.
She lowers her voice.
“Men like Mr. Sinclair have women throwing themselves at them constantly.”
“That doesn’t mean he has to catch one.”
Her expression tightens.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do.”
“His mother put up with worse.”
“And look at her now.”
I look at her.
“What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”
“I don’t want a position,” I say.
The housekeeper looks surprised.
“I want a life.”
She doesn’t understand.
That’s fine.
I finally do.