"I'm on my period... Not a good time," she said, trying to brush him off.

She really was. Found out while she was showering.

But Liam didn't buy it. He stared at her with narrowed eyes, clearly thinking it was just an excuse.

"Seriously?" His lips curled up slightly, impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Dead serious." Her face was all sincerity.

Liam went quiet for a beat, then suddenly chuckled, an amused glint in his eyes. "Celeste, it's been three years and you're still so naïve... Do you think I'm that easy to get rid of?"

Celeste was speechless. So now he assumed she was lying?

"You're smarter now," he said, tracing her collarbone with a finger, slowly moving down. His touch made her tense up instantly.

Was this guy... serious?

Psycho!

Staring up at Liam from this close, Celeste caught the movement of his hand heading somewhere way out of line. His low, velvety voice brushed against her ear. "One quick check and I'll know for sure..."

Her whole body went rigid.

Just then, the sound of wheelchair wheels scraping the floor cut through the air-sharp and clear.

Celeste instantly realized what was happening. Liam reacted faster, springing off the bed and hurriedly straightening his clothes.

Right on cue, his eyes met those of a man sitting in a wheelchair.

As Ethan took in the scene-the tossed-up room, Liam clumsily buttoning up, Celeste sitting up from the bed-his expression darkened, like a thundercloud ready to burst.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ethan's voice was like ice, layered and cold, enough to send chills down anyone's spine.

Spending every day in isolation, shut in with a broken body-you'd be cold too. Ice cave vibes? Nailed it.

"B-Bro... What are you doing here?" Liam stammered.

He thought Ethan was locked in his study all day. That's the only reason he dared sneak into the master bedroom to mess with Celeste at all.

"This is my room." Ethan rolled his wheelchair forward, every inch he moved bringing with it a biting frost.

But as intimidating as that was, someone else clearly had it worse.

Liam had always been scared of his older brother. Back in the day, Ethan moved with sharp precision, known for his ruthlessness and record-breaking achievements. They even called him the "Cold-Blooded Devil."

If not for that tragic accident during a training exercise, Ethan would still be one of the big names in Yannburgh.

Even now-paralyzed, stuck in a chair-he still radiated that same intense presence.

"I'll ask again. What exactly were you two doing in here?" His voice, still icy, now held a clear note of impatience.

"It's not what it looks like, I swear!" Liam's weak protest only made things worse. In front of Ethan, he turned into a total coward.

Celeste couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Here he was acting all dominant with her, but in front of Ethan, he shriveled up like a scared little pup?

Then Ethan's eyes, guided by the light in the room, fell on her. Her delicate, flawless face. The few years of prison had left her slimmer, more fragile-collarbones prominent.

"If he won't talk, then you explain," Ethan said, voice cutting like frost, completely devoid of warmth.

Celeste froze.

He wanted her to speak?

But what was there for her to say?

"Nothing happened between us," she said honestly.

Liam visibly let out a breath of relief. Seeing Ethan still looking pissed, his expression dark and unreadable, he quickly added, "Yeah, bro, she just got out-I was just here to welcome her back, that's all."

Welcome her back? What, by dragging her into bed?

Seriously, could he be more obvious?

"But, if you'd shown up just a little later, maybe something really would've happened," she added calmly, like it was no big deal.

The room suddenly felt suffocating. Ethan's hand gripped the wheelchair handle so tightly his knuckles turned white, eyes locked on Celeste's indifferent face. He couldn't believe she just came clean like that. So straightforward? Really?

Liam's face turned ghostly pale. He practically jumped up. "What the hell are you saying?!"

"Wasn't that what you just said? That nothing beats dumplings when it comes to food, and nothing beats a sister-in-law when it comes to fun? You said since your brother's crippled, you'd 'perform the husbandly duties' for him. You even promised to treat me well if I gave in-what's the matter now? Getting cold feet already?"

Celeste looked a little wounded as she said it, deliberately dragging out the word "cripple" while glancing at Ethan.

Liam freaked out, stammered, "You... You... You..." Too scared to even glance at Ethan, like he was scared he'd be torn apart right then and there.

What shocked him more than Celeste's blunt confession... was how the once gentle and quiet woman could lay it all out like this-right in front of Ethan!

The post-prison version of her? Totally unhinged.

"I-I mean, I admit I had thoughts, okay? But she wasn't feeling well! We didn't actually-"

Celeste wasn't even mad. She stared him down like she'd just figured him out. So this guy only acts brave when someone's weak, huh?

All bark, no bite.

What a waste of that dangerously pretty face.

But hey, maybe this little drama would actually make her life a bit more fun.

"Get out!!" Ethan barked, voice low and shaking with rage as he rolled his chair forward.

It was terrifying-like his voice had crawled out of hell itself. Even Celeste's back went cold. No wonder she used to be scared of him-he really did give off major bomb-waiting-to-explode vibes. The deadly kind.

Liam shot her a vicious glare, cursing her silently-next time, he'd make her pay-but in front of Ethan? He didn't dare let out so much as a breath. On his way out, he even tripped, scrambling out like his butt was on fire.

Now it was just the two of them-the air thick and quiet.

"I... um..." she started, unexpectedly flustered. For some reason, her heart was pounding like crazy. Really? Getting nervous over a man in a wheelchair?

'Get it together, Celeste.'

"Hey, long time no see..." she finally blurted out. As soon as the words came out, she felt like shoving her foot straight into her mouth.

Ethan stared at her coldly, saying nothing.

That look... it chilled her all over.

Still silent?

"Well, since it's sunny out, maybe I could push you outside for a bit?" From what she remembered, he used to really want that.

But the second her hand touched the wheelchair, he suddenly grabbed her wrist hard-and then, without warning, his rough palm clamped around her neck.

The pain hit her first, then the lack of air.

Her face quickly turned red and purple.

"Cough..." She tried to pry his fingers away, but Ethan's grip was way too strong. "Let... let go..."

Ethan's words squeezed through his teeth, each one sharp and heavy. "Who told you you had the guts?"

What the hell?

"What are you even talking about? I seriously... I don't get it..."

"Heh... tried and failed to seduce me, and now you're switching to Liam because you're scared of losing the title of Mrs. Shaw?"

Her brain froze for a second, then her heart sank like a rock.

'No way. Celeste, what kind of wild stuff did you do before? You tried to seduce Ethan?!'

Even if you were lonely, you wouldn't seriously go after a man in a wheelchair, would you? Or... were you actually into the guy?

"Let me go - I can't breathe..." Her voice shook, and her eyes welled up. She smacked his arm over and over, genuinely panicking.

It wasn't until she looked like she might actually pass out that Ethan let go.

Celeste collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut, gasping and touching the marks he left on her neck.

"Cough..." Seriously? Was he trying to choke the life out of her?

Are all men this damn aggressive?

"Get lost!" Ethan barked, shoving his wheelchair back a little. Fury simmered in his voice and eyes as he glared at her.

So he's not gonna press charges?

But when she reached up and felt how close she'd come to having her neck snapped, Celeste zipped her mouth. She gave a quick "okay," climbed to her feet, and slipped out of the bedroom, carefully closing the door behind her.

The second that door clicked shut, it hit her.

With Ethan's cold and aloof nature, no way he'd let the world know if his wife had cheated on him with his own brother. That'd ruin his pride, plain and simple.

But then another reality smacked her - he kicked her out of the bedroom, so... where the hell was she supposed to sleep?

This was getting ridiculous.

She looked around and noticed a small guest room right next to Ethan's.

Celeste pushed open the door. It was modest - a small bed, a wardrobe, and a bathroom.

Whatever. Better here than risk getting strangled by a pissed-off rich guy in a wheelchair.

Night fell. The breeze was cool, and she lay under a thin blanket, but sleep didn't come easy. Her mind kept flashing with scenes that had been buried deep.

A black Rolls-Royce crushed by a massive truck at an intersection, flames roaring as if the whole world was burning. Two charred bodies were pulled from the wreckage by medics.

That was her mom and dad.

The headline on a black-and-white newspaper read: [Major Crash in Yannburgh Outskirts at 5 AM-Business Tycoon Jonathan Goodwin and Wife Killed]. [Heiress Isabella Goodwin Missing... Fiancé Oliver Larson Currently in Custody and Offering a $5 Million Reward for Her Whereabouts.]

Ha... Oliver. Larson.

His name still hit sharp, like a dagger straight to the heart.

She used to be Isabella. And Oliver? The man she once loved with everything she had.

But in the end, all she got in return was betrayal. He actually wished death on her entire family.

She remembered that day clearly. She'd been running for her life, chased by a group of thugs, and only when she jumped into the sea did she finally realize - it had all been Oliver's scheme from the beginning.

He wanted her dead more than anyone.

So, Oliver, are you happy now?

You got the Goodwin fortune. You're living it up with the woman you really love.

But don't get too comfortable - I'm coming for what you owe me.