Chapter 2
Everything was still quiet.
Ethan looked at me blankly, and the swelling on his face grew more obvious. The haze in his eyes seemed to split open from my slap, letting a faint glimmer shine through.
He didn't get angry or protest. He just kept his eyes fixed on me, unblinking.
Sophia looked at me like I was nuts. "Rachel, are you crazy? What are you even talking about?"
I didn't even bother with her.
All I wanted to know was if this time, the loop could be broken.
Time ticked by, second after second.
Ethan's lips moved, and a voice so hoarse that it was barely recognizable came out.
He didn't ask how I knew all this, and also didn't ask who I was.
He looked at me, his eyes bloodshot, his voice cautious and gentle, as if afraid to break the silence. "Is my wife... you?"
I was completely thrown off.
That wasn't how it was supposed to go.
By all logic, he should've either thought I was crazy, or pressed me for more details about the future.
But what did he ask?
He asked if I was his wife.
My brain went blank.
Ethan's eyes suddenly shone so bright that they were almost shocking, filled with a stubbornness I couldn't quite decipher, and maybe some hope as well.
Instinctively, I took a step back, putting some distance between us.
"Are you crazy? I just can't stand how you always look like you're half-dead, so I made it all up," I retorted, denying it without hesitation.
Come on, I just wanted to take it easy, not end up as some billionaire's wife.
Especially not the wife of this sullen male lead.
"You're not just making it up," Ethan said, sounding absolutely certain. He moved away from the edge of the rooftop, closing the distance between us with steps that felt almost threatening.
His whole aura shifted.
Just a moment ago, he was nothing but a pile of dying ashes. Now, he was like a beast awakened from its slumber. His eyes were razor-sharp, radiating a pressure that made the air feel heavy.
"I remember every word you said," Ethan said, his eyes locked on me, his voice quiet but cutting like ice. "Eight-pack abs, Adonis belt, private jet, and multinational corporation."
With every word, he took another step closer.
I kept retreating until my back pressed against the cold wall.
"And..." He stopped right in front of me, his tall figure looming over me, blocking out everything else. He looked down with eyes so intense that it felt like they could burn right through me.
He went on, "A wife who's drop-dead gorgeous, loaded, seriously influential, and absolutely crazy about me."
My heart seized up. I was so nervous that I could barely breathe.
"What... What do you want?" I stammered.
"Tell me her name," Ethan pressed, his voice brooking no denial.
"How would I know?" I was freaking out. "I told you, I made it all up!"
"No." Ethan shook his head, stubborn as hell. "You're her."
"I'm not!" I snapped.
"You are," he insisted.
"I..." I was totally speechless.
How was I supposed to explain? Tell him I somehow ended up in a novel and knew how the story was supposed to go? He'd just think I was even more insane.
Sophia finally snapped out of it and rushed over. She yanked me away from Ethan and put herself between us.
She said, "Ethan, don't listen to her crap. She's just messing with you on purpose!"
Sophia shot me a glare, her face full of blame. "Rachel, seriously? He's already got enough on his plate. How could you mess around with something like this?"
I curled my lips into a cold, mocking smile.
I said, "Ms. Quinn, how's your 'savior' going? Other than making Ethan want to die even more, what good has it done?"
"You!" Sophia's face turned bright red in an instant.
I didn't bother with her anymore, just slipped around and tried to make my escape.
Today was freaky as hell.
"Rachel," Ethan's voice came from behind me.
I stopped in my tracks, but didn't turn around.
"So that's your name, Rachel," he murmured, as if savoring the syllables. "I'll remember it."
A chill ran down my spine, and I nearly ran for my life.
When I walked back into the classroom, everyone looked at me like I was an alien.
I slid into my seat, pretending nothing was wrong, but my heart was still racing like crazy.
Damn it. I went too far.
I just wanted to break the loop, not get myself tangled up in the mess.
Soon enough, Ethan and Sophia made their way back.
Sophia shot me a vicious glare and slammed herself into her seat.
But Ethan didn't return to his own seat.
Instead, he took the empty spot right next to me.
I stiffened up, every muscle tensing.
In a flash, every eye in the classroom locked onto us.
I could feel those stares digging into my back like a hundred needles.
"What are you doing?" I hissed, barely getting the words out through clenched teeth.
"You said my future wife is gorgeous, loaded, and powerful," Ethan turned to me, sounding dead serious. "At our school, only two people check all those boxes."
My heart did a little flip.
"Sophia, and you, Rachel," he said.
He paused, and his deep eyes locked onto mine. "Sophia thinks you were just making stuff up. She doesn't buy it. But you're different. When you slapped me, you were pissed.
"You weren't joking around. You were... frustrated, like you expected more from me."
I didn't know what to say.
Seriously, what kind of insane logic was that?
"So, it has to be you," he concluded.