Chapter 97

Third Person POV

Irene hadn’t meant to spill that secret like that, especially with Ethan being right there. But she didn’t know that Ethan was about to walk in. She was planning on meeting him later, so it would have been a nice surprise for him to show up at the Villa announced. However, at this moment, Irene was mortified. She stared back at Ethan who was staring at her like he was a deer caught in the headlights.

His eyes were impossibly big, and he had no idea what to say at this moment. He hadn’t expected Irene to know about him and Judy, even though nothing was going on between them right now, she was still never supposed to find out that they were in fact fated mates.

Had Judy told Irene this information? How would she have found out??

“I didn’t mean to cause a scene,” Irene said, standing to her feet and wiping at her eyes. “But Judy lied to me from the beginning. She told me that nothing was going on between her and Ethan, but it was nothing but a lie.”

Gavin’s eyes found Judy’s and they darkened. He was furious and that much was obvious to everyone involved. Irene wasn’t’ exactly sure which part he was mad at though. Was he mad that Judy had lied and betrayed Irene, or was he mad at the fact that she’s been sleeping with Ethan? Maybe now her father will see that she is not the woman he thought she was, and he can leave her behind.

Skyla is the much better choice anyway.

“Irene, Baby…” Ethan finally said, breaking the silence between them as he stepped closer to her and around Judy. He didn’t even spare Judy a look and it made Irene’s heart swell a little. He looked so distraught and frightened that it tugged at her heartstrings. “I would never do anything to hurt you. I just didn’t want to worry you but Judy and I are indeed mates… but we broke up… there’s nothing more to it than that.”

Irene wasn’t sure if she should believe him or not. She stared at him with a hurt expression; tears filling her eyes. She bit her trembling lower lip, trying to understand what was going on.

“I don’t know what to trust anymore…” Irene admitted, staring down at her hands.

“I know…” Ethan said softly, reaching his hand out to her like was trying to tame a wild animal. “And it’s my fault. I’m so sorry. But I love you, Irene, and I would never do anything to purposely hurt you. You have to believe me, baby. I’m so sorry you had to find out this way…”

More tears slipped down Irene’s cheeks.

“Maybe you should speak about this in private,” her father said, his eyes still fixed on Judy who remained on the ground.

His Alpha power did a number on her.

Irene finally nodded and took Ethan’s hand.

“Okay,” she said softly.

She didn’t bother to share Judy another look; she walked with Ethan up the stairs and into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Ethan let out a breath of air once they were alone, but Irene was feeling anything but relieved. She wrapped her arms around her body and glared at him across the room.

“How could you lie to me, Ethan?” She asked him after a beat of silence.

Ethan turned to look at her and she saw the remorse on his face.

“I shouldn’t have,” he admitted. “I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me…”

“How can I forgive you so quickly?” She asked, sniffling as she wiped at her moist cheeks. “Are you still sleeping with her?”

‘No,” Ethan said without hesitation.

“Do you want to sleep with her?” She suddenly asked.

There as a slight hesitation that made Irene’s heart crack even more.

“It’s complicated,’ he admitted. “My wolf still wants her because she’s our mate. So, I guess until we mate and mark you, then the answer is yes. I still want to sleep with her in some shape or form. But that’ll end soon enough, and I wouldn’t act on those feelings. You are the one I want to be with. You are the one I love. I can’t love Judy the same way I used to.”

“Why not?” Irene asked, meeting his eyes.

“Because she cheated on me with someone else,” he blurted, shrugging his shoulders. “She’s manipulative. She’s been here this entire time, using your father, because she wants to get to me. She told me so herself!”

Irene gawked at him; she suspected as much, but hearing Ethan confirm it was mind-boggling.

“What?” She asked in a breathy whisper. “She’s using my father to get to you?”

“Yes, of course she is,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Why else would she be hanging around him like this? It’s pathetic if you ask me. She’s flirted with me so much since she started working here and I keep telling her that I’m not interested. She’s not the person you thought she was, Irene. You should be careful around her.”

Irene knew this, but hearing it was different. Anger coursed through her; she started to hate Judy just a little more and now her poor Ethan was a victim to her.

Ethan closed the gap between them, seeing this as his opportunity to comfort her. He wrapped her in his arms and kept her close to his body. His wolf wasn’t exactly happy about this… but he needed to comfort Irene if he wanted his plans to work out.

“I love you,” Ethan murmured, kissing the top of her head. “I’m so sorry that you got hurt. But I promise, I’m not hiding anything more from you.”

Irene nodded against his chest and let out a breath of relief. She felt better after this talk; she now knew who her friends were and who were her enemies and Judy was no friend.

…….

Judy’s POV

Gavin pressed the warm cloth to my nose, wiping away the excess blood on my face. We hadn’t spoken since Irene and Ethan went upstairs. I was hoping that she would have told Ethan to get lost and not take him back. But that didn’t seem to be the case; the moment she took his hand, I knew she was going to forgive him. I was honestly surprised Gavin was even allowing that to happen; he knew what scum Ethan was. Yet, he’s still letting his daughter marry him.

“Were you the one who told her?” Gavin asked, breaking the silence between us.

I looked up at him, surprised by the question.

“No, of course not,” I told him. “I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t want to hurt her like that.”

“Then, how did she find out?” Gavin asked, his tone accusatory.

I frowned at him.

“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “I have no idea how she found out, but it wasn’t from me.”

He studied my face for a moment before nodding and returning his attention to the blood on my face.

“You shouldn’t have fought with her.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, shocked by his words.

“She threw the first punch,” I told him. “I barely fought back. You know I could have—”

“You should have walked away before it got to that point.”

His words were like a slap in the face, and I wasn’t sure what to say in response. We both remained silent for a while and once he finished wiping the blood on my face, he leaned back and studied me even more.

“I think until the filming is finished, you shouldn’t come to the villa,” he told me. “I’ll send Matt to you at the mansion.”

I raised my brows.

“You aren’t worried about Matt finding out that I’m living here?” I asked him.

He shook his head.

“Matt’s only been there a few times himself,” Gavin admitted. “If he asks any questions, we can just tell him that you needed a place to stay, and I offered the mansion. There’s nothing more to it than that, right?”

I bit my lip, feeling hurt, but I nodded.

“Right,” I murmured.

“And I think it’s best if you stayed away from Irene. At least until things cool down,” he murmured.

He didn’t have to tell me twice; Irene made it perfectly clear where I stood with her. As much as it hurt to lose a friend, it was probably better if I didn’t hang out with my ex’s fiancé anyway. I nodded again, hating how red my face was getting.

“You should go,” he concluded as he stood to his feet. “I won’t be there tonight, but I’ll try to swing by tomorrow.”

“It’s okay,” I said softly. “I get it.”

He didn’t reply, but I could feel his eyes on me.

“C…can you tell Irene that I’m sorry?” I asked him, peeking up at him through his lashes.

His jaw clenched and unclenched, and he nodded.

“Sure,” he said.

I gave him a faint smile, but I turned and left, unable to spare him another look.