Chapter 31: Rotten Cucumber
But Easton was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had never been there. If not for the bruises he left on her body, Ellis would have thought she had dreamt the whole thing. That bastard Easton—where the hell did he go?
Furious, Ellis got out of bed, only to nearly collapse the moment her feet hit the floor. The soreness was unbearable. She had to hold onto the bed for support, taking a long moment before she could stand upright. Cursing Easton with every foul word she had ever learned still wasn’t enough to vent her anger. She wanted to tear him apart.
Where did he get the nerve to use her like this? He had his precious first love—why not go to her instead? Wait. First love.
For the first time, an unsettling thought crossed Ellis’s mind. Victoria had been Easton’s fiancée for years. By the time they called off the engagement, they were already well past adulthood—young, full of curiosity, and eager to explore. Did they ever…?
A normal couple, both physically and emotionally functional, dating for years without ever sleeping together? That wasn’t exactly common in the 21st century. Which meant Easton had almost certainly been with Victoria before. Before she got involved with him, it wasn’t her business what he and Victoria did. But who wouldn’t want to be their lover’s first everything?
It was already frustrating enough. Now, with Victoria back from abroad and Easton constantly in contact with her, who knew if they had rekindled things behind her back? Was he just bouncing between the two of them? If so, then didn’t that mean she was using something Victoria had already used?
At that thought, Ellis felt an intense wave of nausea. Disgusted, she forced herself to freshen up in the bathroom.
Just then, Easton returned to the room. He scanned the space, expecting her to still be in bed. The faint sound of running water came from the bathroom—Ellis was inside. Her way of ending their divorce dispute had been disgraceful, but considering how well she had “served” him during the day, as long as she didn’t cause any more trouble, he was willing to let it slide. What he didn’t know was that, at that very moment, Ellis was glaring at her reflection in the mirror, muttering a string of vicious curses directed at his entire lineage.
The moment she stepped out of the bathroom, she nearly crashed into him. Easton stood tall and imposing, looking full of energy—nothing like her sore and exhausted self. He gazed at her with a complicated expression, but she could still make out the satisfaction in his eyes.
Her fists itched. She wanted to cuss him out. She wanted to hit him. Before she could act, he made the first move.
His looming figure blocked the light in front of her. Ellis shot him a glare and snapped, “And you have the audacity to call other people shameless—” Before she could finish, he suddenly grabbed her wrists and yanked her forward. Her body lost balance, and within seconds, she fell straight into his arms.
Men and women were built differently. Men had broad shoulders and a naturally tapered waist, making their embrace feel larger and warmer. But earlier today, she had seen Victoria in this same embrace, and instead of warmth, all she felt was a churning nausea. The sickness she had forced down earlier surged up again, making her throat tighten.
Yet, the man holding her lowered his head, burying his face in her hair, as if trying to catch the scent of her shampoo. His steady breaths brushed against her ear while his fingers crept toward the hem of her clothes, poised to act. Then he spoke—without a hint of request, only demand.
“Let’s do it again.”
Rage shot straight through Ellis. She yanked herself back, putting as much distance between them as possible. Gritting her teeth, she spat, “Do you have no shame? Keep that filthy cucumber of yours away from me!”
The thought that she had shared the same man as Victoria made her stomach churn all over again. Easton didn’t see her as an equal—he treated her like something cheap and replaceable. Whatever lingering feelings she had for him evaporated, leaving only disgust and fury. She had resisted him at first, but later, she had matched his pace, making him lose himself in the moment. And now that he woke up, she was back to resisting? And calling him—a rotten cucumber?
Easton’s face darkened. “Can you be any more unpredictable? And do you even know how to talk properly?”
Ellis met his gaze head-on, ignoring the warning in his expression. “Oh! Rotten cucumber? Rotten cucumber! That’s exactly what you are—a rotten cucumber no one wants!”
Easton’s patience thinned. “I was already willing to let this slide, but since you don’t appreciate the chance I gave you, don’t expect me to be so lenient next time.”
“Who asked for your damn ‘mercy’? Who cares?” Ellis sneered at his condescending tone, grabbed a throw pillow from the couch, and hurled it at his face. “I should be charging you for marital rape, and you should be thanking your lucky stars I haven’t!”