Chapter 186: Who’s That in My Bed?

Once impulsiveness took hold, Easton couldn’t suppress it any longer; it transformed into action. He went straight to Ellis’s place, a path he knew well, and punched in a door code he had learned long ago. To his surprise, after entering the code three times, a prompt told him it was incorrect. Had the code been changed?

He didn’t dwell on it much and, recalling some lock-picking tricks he had seen, he took a card out and effortlessly opened the door. The house was pitch black, and the bedroom door was firmly shut, making it clear that Ellis was asleep. The dilemma of whether to turn on the light was real; considering that switching it on would definitely wake her, he tiptoed into the bedroom. His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he could vaguely yet distinctly see Ellis lying in the middle of the bed. A ripple of emotion stirred in his heart, like a breath of fresh air.

It was a mix of relief and pleasure, grateful that he wouldn’t have to suffer through another sleepless night. Easton took off his jacket and shoes with the lightest of movements and lay down on the bed. Ellis was within arm’s reach. All he had to do was raise his hand slightly to touch her, but at this moment, he just wanted to avoid another sleepless night. He resisted the body’s habitual urge to draw closer and maintained a relative distance. After a day filled with activity, Ellis needed deep sleep to recharge, making her oblivious to the world around her, including the fact that there was now a man in her bed.

The next morning, as darkness faded and the sun rose high, golden sunlight streamed through the curtains. The alarm clock went off, and Ellis woke up reluctantly, her eyes still closed. It was an alarm set on her phone, which she habitually placed under her pillow. Fumbling around blindly with her right hand, she reached to turn off the alarm and get up soon after. Unexpectedly, her fingertips touched something unexpectedly solid, feeling very much like a human body!

Am I still half asleep? I live alone; who else could be in my house? It must be her imagination, she thought, and continued searching. However, this time she encountered a definite warmth, startling her into opening her eyes instantly. Her first thought was whether she was experiencing sleep paralysis or if something unclean had latched onto her. But no, it was a familiar, handsome face that suddenly invaded her sight.

It was Easton! He was lying on her bed, now awake and looking right at her. In an instant, Ellis was furious, yelling, “You psycho! What the heck are you doing in my house, in my bed? Are you out of your mind to show up here in the middle of the night?”

Judging by the slightly wrinkled clothes on Easton and the stubble on his chin, he clearly hadn’t just arrived; he most likely had come the previous night. Showing up to sleep at my place? Is he insane? We’re divorced!

Ellis glared with fury, wishing she could skin herself alive with anger, which left Easton speechless, slowly getting out of bed and trying to make himself less noticeable. Without Ellis’s permission, he had shared her bed while she slept, indeed a guilty act. But he didn’t regret it; he had slept deeply and woke up refreshed, a comfort he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

As he got up without a word, Ellis got even angrier, seeing him occasionally glancing at her as if he were justified in his actions. Driven by rage, she grabbed a pillow and threw it hard at Easton. “You freakin’ creep! Get the hell out of here!” No matter if the deadbeat was insane or having a psychotic break, he was seriously getting in her way.

Easton caught the pillow and calmly placed it back on the bed, looking down as he faced Ellis’s furious expression, and said, “I couldn’t sleep.”

Ellis, hearing this, almost laughed out of sheer anger. She was curious to hear what pathetic excuse this deadbeat would make for shamelessly climbing into his ex-wife’s bed and waking up without a trace of guilt, instead calmly offering an explanation. Right when she was ‘all ears’, that was the reason Easton gave, making Ellis see red. That was just the kind of thing to infuriate her! She held back from exploding, to avoid harming herself.

After a while, she got up from the bed and walked over to where the deadbeat stood, suddenly approaching, her eyes clearly blazing with anger. Easton pondered what else he could say. The next moment, a slap landed heavily on his chest. “Easton, just because I’m not blowing up doesn’t mean I’m a pushover.” Had she not retained a bit of sanity, Ellis truly would have slapped his face instead.

Ellis, seemingly using all her strength, struck right where it hurt, though not severely painful. Easton still took a sharp breath. “You can’t sleep, so what? That’s no excuse to scare me like this!” Ellis was now not just furious but also thinking about moving out. To a place where this deadbeat couldn’t just waltz in, or else her home would turn into a haven for lunatics, with the deadbeat coming and going as he pleased, and she’d eventually be driven mad by him.

“I didn’t mean to scare you; I just came over last night after you were already asleep,” Easton said, not having intended to frighten anyone, but his thoughts at the time didn’t allow for more reflection.