hair .
He wasnt using hair gel anymore , and it was soft .
I leaned in , close to his ear .
How about I call you Ethan ? Or … maybe … babe ? He shoved me away .
He was suddenly furious .
I had no idea why , just like I had no idea why hed wanted to < marry me in the first place .
He sat behind his desk , his back to me .
Leave .
But I wanted to have lunch with you .
No.
He refused flatly .
I have a meeting .
What was his deal ? I studied him .
Fine .
Just dont skip lunch .
I waited outside .
The assistant looked nervous .
Then I heard crashing sounds , and Ethans anguished roar .
Id left the door slightly ajar .
His cries , mixed with the shattering of glass , echoed out .
I tapped the assistants desk .
Are you going to tell me whats going on , or not ? He hesitated , but I pushed past him , back into Ethans office .
Ethan was a mess .
Huddled in a corner , amidst shards of glass .
His hands were bleeding .
I stepped over the glass .
My heels clicked on the sharp fragments .
Ethan flinched , keeping his head down .
I touched his shoulder .
What happened ? He was too big く for me to pull up .
I knelt beside him , carefully removing glass slivers from his palms with tweezers .
He looked up at me , his voice hoarse .
Ugly , right ? What ? Your hands ? I stared at his long , elegant fingers .
Theyre beautiful .
I kissed his fingertips .
Truly beautiful .
He still didnt look happy .
Did you … tell your other girlfriends that too ? What ? All this … being nice to me , calling me … babe .
Did they all get the same treatment ? I went silent .
So thats what this was about .
Id thought maybe he had a sister or something , a trigger from his past .
But no , it was pure , unadulterated insecurity .
This powerful man , reduced to this .
I touched his hair , sighing .
Silly .
Id dated .
A lot .
I was pretty , from a good family .
There had been a few serious relationships .
In our world , dating and く marriage are different .
My dad always said I could date whoever I wanted , but when it was time , I had to come home and make a suitable match .
I helped him up and sat him on the sofa , calling for someone to clean up the mess .
I poured him a glass of water.
He stopped me .
You dont need to do that .
Its fine .
I sat down , thinking .
Hed probably investigated every ex Id ever had .
I hadnt always been sensible .
Id made mistakes .
If he minded , there wasnt much I could do … Dont contact them again .
Ethan blurted out .
I looked at him , his face serious .
I touched his wrist .
Are you ordering me ? He tensed , his breathing shallow , then he looked away .
Just … tell me beforehand , if you have to .
Otherwise … I understand .
I cut him off .
I wont contact them again .
I paused .
Is that why you were so upset ? Because of my exes ? He didnt answer .
I sighed again .
く Please talk to me , Ethan .
This is exhausting .
You get angry , you break things , and I dont even know why … how am I supposed to … help ? So they were all better than me ? At … ..
this ? He interrupted , his eyes bloodshot , his voice like a childs .
How had we gotten here ? I stood up .
If thats what you think , then theres nothing I can do .
I dont think its a crime to have dated .
The past is the past .
Why dwell on it ? Ethan , does knowing these details actually make you happy ? Fine , Ill tell you .
I dated .
I loved them , at the time .
Does that thrill you ? Tears welled up in his eyes .
He reached for my sleeve as I stood , but I pulled away .

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I thought … I thought if I just went along with this , we could make it work .
My voice softened as I saw his tears .
But … you dont seem happy either .
Youre hurting yourself … Ethan , maybe we should call this off .
< No.
Ethan looked at me , his red rimmed eyes pleading .
He grabbed my arm .
No.