After the Divorce, the CEO Begged to Remarry Me

Carol was about to have a headache just trying to keep her smile in place. Her tone stayed earnest though. "Grace, don't worry. It was totally my fault this time. I'll take better care of Ethan from now on, I promise."

Grace's face softened a little at those words, clearly appeased.

When she heard from Jack that Ethan had been eating all the meals Carol cooked lately, surprise flickered across her face, quickly followed by satisfaction. "Good girl. Knew I picked the right one.

"You'll cook tonight too, okay? I mean, even when I personally make something, Ethan barely touches it sometimes. Seems like he's got a soft spot for you..."

Carol couldn't really say no at that point, so she agreed.

She thought maybe that was the end of it, but after dinner, Grace pulled her aside into a side room, and things only got more awkward when the topic shifted to having kids.

"Ethan doesn't have much time left, you know. You two should... make the most of your nights," Grace hinted rather bluntly.

Carol's face heated up as she floundered for a response. "Grace, we just got married. We're still figuring each other out..."

Grace gently patted her hand and said in a slow, meaningful tone, "I'm not saying you shouldn't build feelings. Love can be made too, while you're at it."

Carol was so caught off guard her face instantly turned red. And then came the final line from Grace: "You two aren't going home tonight. Stay here."

Carol had been counting on Ethan to object-he didn't.

After dinner, he just went upstairs like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Carol followed behind, confused. "We're really not going back?"

Ethan was loosening his tie as he said flatly, "A priest is coming by tomorrow morning to say a blessing."

That's when she remembered Grace had mentioned it over dinner-something about bringing someone in to bless the place for Ethan's sake.

She couldn't help wondering-someone like Ethan, highly educated and rational, actually believed in this stuff?

Almost like he'd read her mind, Ethan said after a pause, voice laced with subtle exhaustion, "I don't buy into any of it."

This was for his mother-her last bit of hope.

He'd long stopped caring about living, but he didn't want to take that hope away from someone who cared.

He turned to her then, his gaze dark and steady. "I'll ask once more-still thinking about that divorce?"

Carol didn't say anything. Instead, she walked straight over to the bed, pulled back the covers, and climbed into the only bed in the room.

Nope.

Ethan frowned. "Who said you could sleep there?"

Carol stared at him like he'd grown another head. "There's only one bed. What do you expect me to do, sleep on the floor? I'm still a respectable woman, you know."

Ethan didn't answer, but his expression said it all-he wasn't stopping her.

Carol looked like she was about to explode from frustration. "What if your mom pops in again for a surprise inspection? You think she made us stay over here for fun?

"You don't want her stressing over you again, do you?"

That finally shut Ethan up-he fell silent, clearly giving in.

Seeing that she got her way, Carol smugly crawled back into bed. But right after saying that, she couldn't help but feel something was off.

Damn, she sounded just like one of those shady bosses in those sketchy videos: "You wouldn't want your husband to find out, would you..."

A shiver ran down her spine. Mortified, she yanked the covers over her head and curled up like a burrito.

"Wait, hang on..." She suddenly remembered something and peeked her head out, just about to say something to Ethan.

At the same time, Ethan was leaning toward her side, probably trying to grab the water on her nightstand.

They ended up way too close-like, nose-to-nose, literally breathing each other's air, on the verge of kissing.

And of course, right then, the door creaked open. Grace poked her head in and caught them mid-almost-kiss. Her face instantly lit up and she yanked the door shut, her voice cheerful from the hallway.

"Don't mind me! Pretend I wasn't even here!"

Both Ethan and Carol: "..."

They scrambled to move apart, the tension thick.

Only one dim bedside lamp was on, throwing soft shadows. Somehow, Carol noticed his ears had turned faintly red. Maybe it was just the lighting, but...

Ethan was the first to speak, his voice a bit lower now, raspier. "You were saying something just now?"

Carol's mind was still blank. She blinked and answered automatically, "...totally forgot."

Eventually, they settled onto the same bed, though a whole body could've fit in the space between them-like they were on opposite ends of a galaxy or something.

In the dark, their silhouettes stayed stiff and still. Their breathing overlapped-hers calm on purpose, his a little uneven.

Moonlight slipped through the curtains and spilled onto the floor, casting pale patches over a night the two of them spent worlds apart in one bed.

The next morning, Carol woke up and found herself wrapped around Ethan like some overzealous octopus-one leg thrown over his waist, arms around his chest, face tucked into his neck.

She flushed in an instant and quickly pulled back, only to realize Ethan was already awake. He was frowning at her like he'd had enough, clearly stuck in that position for a while.

Mortified, Carol mumbled, "Uh... I sleep kind of wild. Why didn't you push me off or something?"

Ethan's voice, still rough from sleep, replied, "Tried. You wouldn't wake up."

Carol let out a sheepish laugh. "Heh... my bad..."

Then she bolted out of bed.