Chapter 3

I rubbed my aching face.

Ethan had bought matching sets, including both bras and panties.

Perhaps I took too long trying them on.

Ethan grew impatient waiting outside.

A knock came at the door. "Victoria, are you done? Does everything fit?"

I hurriedly dressed and opened the door.

Glancing at the lingerie Ethan bought, I thought for a moment.

I put on a white blouse over it.

"They fit perfectly. Thank you, Ethan."

Ethan's expression darkened when he saw me.

He handed me a glass of juice. "Pomegranate juice. Freshly squeezed. Drink it now, then get some rest. Those dark circles under your eyes show you didn't sleep well last night."

I nodded and drank the juice in one gulp.

Maybe the recent stress had gotten to me.

Or perhaps the gloomy weather made it perfect for sleeping.

As I relaxed, overwhelming drowsiness set in.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

They say we dream of what occupies our thoughts all day.

In my hazy dream, Ethan wasn't my stepbrother.

From the moment we met, he pursued me relentlessly.

I pretended to be aloof, playing hard to get.

But under Ethan's intense courtship, I quickly surrendered.

My mother gently took my hand and placed it in Ethan's.

Our wedding night was precious and fleeting.

Ethan took my hand and never let go.

When I woke up, it took me a while to regain full awareness.

Strangely, my body felt tingly and sensitive.

It was as if that wild dream had been real.

Feeling a urgent need to pee, I tried to get up.

My legs gave way, and I collapsed back onto the bed.

"Oh!" I gasped, finally processing what I had dreamed.

My face flushed with embarrassment.

How could I have such a dream about my own stepbrother?

I rushed to the bathroom in a panic.

I needed to clean away the evidence of my shameful dream.

I wanted to erase any trace of my improper thoughts.

Then I noticed the lingerie I changed out of yesterday was missing again.

I pursed my lips. Ethan must have taken it.

Remembering what I saw yesterday, I gritted my teeth.

I slipped quietly into Ethan's room.

After looking around, I confirmed he wasn't there.

He was probably out jogging.

This was strange. Ethan definitely took the lingerie.

But where would he keep it?

I searched every corner of his room.

Under his pillow, I only found the piece he took yesterday.

I had lost eight pieces in total, including this one.

But only one was here.

Where could he have hidden the others?

Just as I prepared to search again, frustrated, footsteps suddenly approached.