CHAPTER 112: CHAPTER 112: TEMPORARILY FORGETTING

Ethan Sterling handed the cigarette to Seraphina Redgrave and smirked.

This cigarette had been touched by his lips.

Seraphina glanced at Ethan, then looked at the smoke curling up from the cigarette, immediately taking it from Ethan’s hand and putting it in her mouth.

But before she could take a drag, Ethan deftly slapped the cigarette out of her hand, pinched her chin, and kissed her fiercely, transferring the smoke from his mouth into hers.

Seraphina hadn’t expected it, and the smoke choked her lungs.

Ethan bit gently on her tender lips, raising an eyebrow: "Stop thinking about those things you shouldn’t do."

Smoking isn’t a good habit.

Ethan merely wanted to see her make a fool of herself.

Seraphina just shot a faint glance at Ethan. Today, she didn’t have the energy to argue with him and merely gazed out the window.

Seeing her revert to her lifeless state, Ethan leaned closer again, looking into her unperturbed eyes: "If you can’t get past this, I can help you forget it temporarily."

"How?"

Seraphina had little hope, but she followed Ethan’s lead anyway.

"By making love to me."

Ethan fixated on Seraphina, speaking word by word with a wicked glint in his eyes.

She should have known not to play along.

Seraphina was silent for a moment, then looked back at him: "Forget temporarily, but what about afterward?"

Ethan gazed at her, his eyes deep and unreadable: "We’ll deal with things as they come."

We’ll deal with things as they come.

He was right.

Seraphina wasn’t sure if it was the gentle night breeze or the compelling man before her, but she was willing to dive into the fire, knowing it wasn’t the best choice.

"Would doing this repay some of the debt?" Seraphina asked.

She had already owed Ethan too much.

She should start paying it back, bit by bit.

"Little Rose, you are already mine, there’s no escape. But how you think doesn’t concern me, I only need to keep an eye on you," Ethan said indifferently.

"Alright."

Without a second thought, Seraphina agreed.

Her attitude made Ethan raise an eyebrow, looking at her but not making a move: "Are you sure?"

Did he hear her wrong?

Seraphina faced Ethan expressionlessly, enunciating every word: "I said, okay."

Ethan looked into her clear eyes and smiled.

In the next second, Seraphina found herself in Ethan’s arms.

Regardless of her reasons for agreeing, as long as she did, there was no turning back.

Seraphina remained motionless, letting Ethan carry her to the bedroom.

When she was placed on the bed, she simply looked at him, obedient and still. Ethan loomed over her, casting a shadow.

The depth in Ethan’s eyes seemed ready to swallow her at any moment.

Neither of them moved.

The room was so quiet that even the ticking of the clock could be heard.

Ethan continued to stare at Seraphina, unmoving, though secretly swallowing when she couldn’t see.

Seraphina couldn’t decipher Ethan’s gaze, only feeling a growing warmth as if his eyes carried heat.

After a long pause, Ethan lightly wound a strand of Seraphina’s hair around his finger, looking at her with interest: "There’s still time to find an excuse."

Like before, he would let this little thing off the hook if she claimed to feel unwell.

Frowning, Seraphina hadn’t expected him to dither after she agreed.

Staring directly at Ethan, she slowly spoke: "Are you really capable? Would I still have the mind to think of sad things?"

Could these painful, suffocating memories really be temporarily erased?

Seeing her doubtful expression, Ethan’s eyes darkened: "Doubting whether I’m up to it?"

Did she actually dare doubt this?

"No, I just want to know if it’s true."

Seraphina replied.

Ethan couldn’t help but grit his teeth, then leaned down, biting off the button on Seraphina’s nightgown, spitting it to the floor, and chuckling coldly: "If I let you mind wander for even a moment tonight, I’ll take your surname."

Ethan’s expression didn’t seem like he was joking at all.

As if on purpose, he gently grazed her lips, leaving Seraphina entirely at his mercy, breathing more swiftly than usual.

Those suffocating painful memories seemed to peel away from her body slowly.

She lay on the bed, her skin pale and soft, looking lost.

The man’s strong hands clasped Seraphina’s, resisting her weak attempts to push him away, their fingers intertwining.

Even the black cat on her wrist clung tightly to her.

Ethan looked at Seraphina as though he wanted to merge her into his very being.

Staring into those profound eyes, she knew resistance was futile and chose to sink alongside him.

The wind rose outside, and the roses swayed, the scent wafting into the room through the window.

He was a powerful ruler, and she was forced to submit.

In that moment of intense pain, Seraphina bit into Ethan’s shoulder, her eyes turning blank.

It felt as if she were placed upon a raging fire, flames licking at her, threatening to consume her entirely.

The fiercest flame sought to engulf her wholly, leaving nothing untouched.

Amidst this overwhelming heat, she finally cleared her mind of all sorrow.

Ethan was right, however sorrowful, however painful.

There was simply no space left in her mind for those thoughts now.

...

Ethan was utterly terrifying.

When Seraphina emerged from the bathroom, she could barely stand, trembling, her entire body aching, hardly a spot left unbruised.

But none of that mattered.

Once clear-headed, soaking in the bathtub, the image of Nanny Lynch lying in a pool of blood still haunted her thoughts.

The pain remained.

Approaching the bed, she was suddenly tackled by Ethan, who had been lying in wait. Ethan pinned her down, face full of satisfaction, eyes gleaming like a sated beast, yet his words dripped with disdain: "Boring, not a sound. Have you gone mute?"

What did he want to hear?

Did he expect her to spout nonsense like those casual women to please him?

No way.

Until the sun rose.

Seraphina eyed the heavy curtains that kept out the daylight, wanting to rise, but was pressed back down by Ethan, who sounded displeased: "What? Still got energy?"

"It’s daylight. I don’t want to sleep anymore."

She still had to avenge Nanny Lynch.

Ethan caught the underlying meaning of her words, growing displeased: "You’re still thinking about Nanny Lynch while beside me?"

Was he actually jealous of a dead person?

Ethan looked at Seraphina’s indifferent eyes, suppressing the urge to break her legs and keep her captive.

"Where’s Lena Lynch?"

Seraphina completely ignored Ethan’s mood, asking directly.

Ethan bit Seraphina gently on the cheek, then grabbed his phone, checking the information sent by Nathan Ayers: "At the Lynch Family."

As expected.

Seraphina lay on the bed, slowly clenching her fists.