Chapter 53

This charity banquet, which had encountered some setbacks, finally ended after more than two hours. On the way back, Stella scrutinized the man's expression, wanting to speak several times but refraining due to the presence of the driver. They arrived back at the villa. Ethan pressed his fingerprint to unlock the door. Before he could open it, she hugged his waist, softly soothing, "Ethan, don't be angry." Just now, the way Ethan acted in front of Aaron, only Stella knew that he had tightened his grip on her hand. Despite her generally good temper, even she couldn't help but curse Aaron a few times in her heart. Seeing Ethan just calmly looking at her without saying a word, Stella tentatively kissed his cheek and then smiled, saying, "No need to be jealous. You are the only one for me." He raised an eyebrow and said, "And?" "What do you mean?" Stella looked at him with a slight bewilderment. Ethan extended his hand, pointing to his cheek, confidently saying, "Aaron came to show off in front of me, and you're here, trying to pacify me. Is that enough?" His words made Stella suddenly feel a bit guilty. Pausing for a moment, she tiptoed again, imprinting her soft lips on his slightly cool ones. Just as she was about to pull away, he restrained the back of her head and, in the same posture as before, initiated a deep kiss. Gradually, her mind grew hazy. By the end of the kiss, Stella found herself entirely supported by him against the shoe cabinet, half her height off the ground. Once she finally regained her composure, she glimpsed the satisfied look on the man's face and sensed something amiss. She asked, "Were you doing that on purpose?" The man pretended to be angry to make her feel guilty and coax him. Ethan chuckled and lightly tapped her forehead, "You're accusing me falsely." With that said, he noticed her bare feet as her slippers had fallen to the floor and proceeded to lift her up onto the couch. The man fetched her slippers and helped her put them on. After a brief silence, Stella remembered another thing and said, "Oh, by the way, Gina just came to see me. She said you pressured the platform to cancel her hosting gig and it affected her acting opportunities." Ethan glanced down at her, his tone casual, "What, are you going to plead for her?" Stella immediately shook her head. She didn't see the need to plead for anyone. "Alright," Ethan's eyebrows raised slightly and said, "for those who try to disrupt our marital relationship, you should also maintain a zero-tolerance attitude." Finishing his statement, he noticed a hint of fatigue in her expression and added softly, "Okay, it's late, let's go to bed." Stella nodded, turned off the living room lights, and walked upstairs with him. As they passed the master bedroom, Ethan pressed the door lock and opened the door. He didn't enter but suddenly glanced at her, pointing to the bed in the bedroom and lightly remarked, "Isn't the bed quite large?" "Yeah," Stella nodded, looking puzzled at him, "So?" The man cleared his throat and said lightly, "So if you always have nightmares, actually two people can still sleep in it." Half an hour later, Stella finished washing up in the guest bedroom and changed into pajamas before heading to the master bedroom next door. Just as Ethan had described, the bed in the master bedroom was large and soft, with more than enough room for two people. The room had the heater on, and as soon as Stella lifted the thin blanket and lay down, the man casually pulled her into his arms. Since their return from the trip, they had often kissed and hugged, but they hadn't lain on the same bed together like today. No one spoke, and then the man tilted his head slightly, reached over her, and turned off the last warm, soft bedside lamp. The room plunged into darkness. Stella closed her eyes, but the image of the plain, silent gaze between her and Ethan lingered even in the quiet darkness. In the silent darkness, her senses became acute. After turning off the light, the man pulled her closer. His warm body pressed against hers, his warm breath sprinkled on her forehead, lightly brushing past, bringing a faint itchiness, as if feather-light feathers were scratching her mind one by one. Both of them had drunk a bit at the banquet, and between their calm breaths, the faint scent of alcohol lingered around their noses, making it impossible to tell whose it was. As the alcohol took effect, the temperature of their skin gradually rose, and the palm resting on her lower back became hot. Stella felt a bit uncomfortable and tried to shift, wanting to change her position. But after a few movements, she stopped. The man's voice came low and muffled, "Don't move." "You're holding me too tight, and I'm feeling a bit hot," she whispered. Ethan loosened his grip a bit. But within seconds, he pulled her back into his arms, this time with a bit more distance. After moving into the villa, he had also lain on the bed imagining the days to come, but now— Being held tightly was uncomfortable, but letting go was even more uncomfortable. Sensing his stiffness, Stella raised her gaze in the dim light. "Are you uncomfortable?" Ethan clenched his jaw and replied with a question, "What do you think?" "So you..." She hesitated, carefully choosing her words. "You're okay?" "Okay?" His brows furrowed. "Stella, what kind of misunderstanding makes you have such a perception of your own husband?" Detecting the warning implicit in his words, Stella pursed her lips, ultimately not mentioning it was because of Jessica's ambiguous speculation. "Well, if you're uncomfortable, you don't have to..." she murmured, pausing for a moment before lowering her voice even further, "keep enduring it." "Are you sure you know what you're saying?" Ethan said, locking eyes firmly on hers. "Yes," Stella whispered as her body trembled slightly. Although their marriage began with a romantic relationship, by now, to say she wasn't prepared would seem too dramatic. She met Ethan's intense gaze. After a silent pause, came his long sigh. As if a valve had been suddenly opened, the man's kisses rained down gently, transitioning from tender pecks to passionate entanglement between lips and teeth. In a daze, the surge of unfamiliarity gradually overwhelmed their senses. But at the final moment, delicate fingers pressed against the hand on the clothing. "Ethan," Stella called. "Yeah?" Ethan's blue eyes were filled with lust, his voice husky, yet he stopped, as if exerting all his strength to restrain himself. "Not now, I guess," Stella hesitantly spoke those words, and their eyes met in a moment of awkwardness and restraint.