It's a beautiful springtime morning in England, squinting, Moriah looked at the sunlight that was already peering at the half opened curtain.

Every single cell in her body was charged with excitement, she jumped out of the bed, darted to the French window and flung it open.

The chirping of the birds and fluttering sounds of their wings waltzed into her ears like a symphony.

Countryside fresh air filled her lungs as she took a deep breath.

A smile painted on her face, she couldn't contain the joy in her heart and it's overflowing.

The entirety of her body was filled with energy like that of a four year old child that could jump and run around for hours without feeling tired.

What made her feel that way? Today is the day she had been waiting for. The day of her wedding.

Finally, the love of her life, the man of her dreams will be forever hers. She would spend every waking moment of her life with him.

Shaun Stanton, one of the heartthrobs in London, her boyfriend since high school.

Many women envied her for having caught Shaun's attention.

Waltzing into the room, Anastacia Chen's eyes watered. Her daughter dressed in her wedding dress made her heart swell with pride.

"You're so beautiful, dear." Anastacia said to Moriah, surveying her. Her eyes conveyed how much she adored her daughter.

"Thank you, mama. I got yours and baba's (dad) genes, " said Moriah shakily while she's stifling her tears. Expecting her father to make his entrance but didn't, Moriah opened her mouth, "Where's baba (dad)?"

Moriah's eyes were on the door waiting for her father to show up. She wanted to see her father who'd always give her courage whenever she's feeling jittery.

Suddenly she felt her heart banging inside her ribcage like it was going to jump out of her chest. Perhaps it is the feeling of all brides she thought.

"Oh, that is, he went ahead at the chapel to see if everything was fine. You know your baba (dad), he always wanted the best for his princess," Anastacia answered, but at the back of her mind she knew that something was amiss.

However, she couldn't tell what it was as Jianyu left at once when the groom's best friend Ethan Miller whispered something to him.

Anastacia was about to say something to her, but she got cut off by Moriah's best friend, Cindy.

Standing at the threshold, she exclaimed while holding her own face. "Wow! You're the most gorgeous bride I've ever seen"

Moriah gave in to an unladylike reaction, snorted and rolled her eyes, saying, "Sweet talk!"

"I know you won't believe me. Let's wait and see until Shaun sees you. His eyes will pop out of his head," Cindy was chuckling as she talked.

Peals of laughter permeated the room that gave a festive vibe to the rather quiet room.

"Let's go," said Anastacia once they stopped laughing, then went on, "The limousine is already waiting outside. You wouldn't want your groom waiting, are you? " Anastacia chuckled.

She walked down the villa towards the waiting limousine, Anastacia and Cindy in tow, carrying the train of her wedding gown.

When assured that everything was well for the bride, Anastacia and Cindy board their own car.

The chapel wasn't that far from the villa, after a couple of minutes the car halted in front of the chapel at Miller Estate.

Unsuspectingly, the bride waited impatiently in the limousine.

She's eager to walk down the aisle and exchange vows with the man she dreamed to spend the rest of her life with.

Finally, her dad fetched her, after half an hour, which seemed like decades of waiting for a bride who was too eager to see her dashing groom.

Every fiber of her being was immersed in euphoria which made her oblivious to the presence of the guests.

Her joy spilling over that it radiated on her face, making it glow. Moriah looks through her wedding veil, to glance at the man her heart belongs to.

But, bewilderment replaced the joy she had, seeing that Shaun wasn't there and that the man standing down the aisle is not her groom but her enemy.

She stopped in the middle of the aisle and looked at her father quizzically.

"Shaun, jilted you at the altar" said Jianyu shakily, he's holding back to break down at the myriads of emotions flooding his heart.

The full force of what her father told hit her like a thunderbolt, she stood there dumbfounded, unable to say anything. Slowly, pain etched on her beautiful face.

Looking at his daughter's shock and anguish, he squeezed her hand to console her and continued to speak, "Ethan Miller had proposed that he is going to marry you."

An almost uncontainable fright swept over Moriah, twisting her stomach into sick knots and draining the color from her face.

Moriah swallowed the lump forming her throat and voiced her protest, "No, I can't marry him, baba (dad)."

She can't marry her foe, her marriage would be a living hell. She would rather be humiliated than to marry him.

"Moriah, dear child, think about our relatives. They will have the reason to taunt our family again.

Ethan Miller is rescuing you from this disgrace and please don't allow our relatives to trample on us yet again." Jianyu said, his voice imploring yet authoritative.

For Ethan Miller to marry Moriah will be her redemption from the humiliation of being dumped on her wedding day.

Ethan Miller is a 31 year old billionaire. At the age of 17 he was already an astute businessman and became the youngest billionaire in the UK at the age of 25.

All thanks to his father who had taught him brilliant business principles and skills.

Apart from being a young billionaire, he was also endowed with a perfectly handsome and gorgeous face and added to that is his lean chiseled physique.

He is the epitome of male beauty and most single women had a fancy for him.

Nonetheless, Moriah wasn't part of those who fancied him. She actually loathes him that much.

She looked at her grandpa, uncles, aunties and cousins who came from China just to grace her wedding.

Her family migrated from China to England after the incident where she was almost killed.

Her dad belongs to a wealthy and powerful noble family from Shanghai.

He fell in love with her mom when he was about to marry. It was an arranged marriage and he didn't love his fiancée.

Naturally, he called the wedding off and married her mom.

This enraged his grandfather and disinherited her father.

And to make things worse, her mother isn't Chinese, but an English woman.

They hated her and her mom so they tried to eradicate her and mom by kidnapping them.

She didn't understand their sudden appearance and why they came to grace her wedding, when it was clear as day that they still can't accept a mixed -blood child in their family.

How could they possibly welcome her into the family when she inherited nothing of her dad's look except his flawless fair skin while inheriting her mom's stunningly beautiful face and body.

She depicts nothing of Asian physical attributes. They must be thinking that she's not her father's daughter.

"Smile, my darling their eyes are on you," Jianyu's voice broke her trance.

Moriah looked at her relatives who were already sneering, Moriah closed her eyes and composed herself.

She could put up with her relatives' unkind behavior towards her, however, she can't tolerate it when they attack her father and mother.

Taking a deep, long breath, her nerves calmed a little and muttered, "You can do it."

She wore her sweetest smile, she wouldn't allow her relatives to have the last laugh.

On Ethan Miller's side, he waited patiently at his reluctant bride.

The most respected business mogul he is, people never make him wait. Only his bride made him wait, nonetheless he overlooked it, given that he has been just a replacement groom.

It's just a natural thing for an excited bride to be shocked when her groom left her at the altar and another man volunteered to marry her.

Cindy's heart goes to her best friend and whispers a prayer, "God help her."

Her eyes stung because of the unshed tears in her eyes.

"I hope she'll be fine," Cindy muttered and forced a smile as she didn't want Moriah's family who came from China to know of her being jilted at the altar.

She just pitied her friend's predicament of being abandoned at the altar and now marrying a man she hadn't dreamed of.

Particularly, to a man that hates her, and in her friend's case, the feeling is mutual, they both hate each other.

On the other hand, Anastacia smiled sweetly, unwilling to give a pitiful look at her daughter.

It's not the time to show sympathy to her daughter because she doesn't want the guests to feel pity for the bride.

Ethan stood there with an unreadable facial expression. No one could decipher what was going on in his mind. His face was neither sad nor happy.

At last, the bride was in front of him. Ethan took her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm. They walked towards the altar and the priest started.

When the time came for the exchanging of vows, Ethan imprisoned Moriah's green eyes with his blue eyes before he said his vow.

"Moriah, my love," he said,

Moriah's eyes widened as she heard him say 'my love' smoothly as if he truly loves her and does not hate her.

She would believe him if he said, 'my enemy'.

She was impressed with his impeccable acting. He's qualified to be an actor.

"Your presence makes everything else fade to the background. You are the sunshine in my stormy days." Ethan paused, watching Moriah's reaction.

Moriah looked at him with incredulity; she couldn't believe her ears. Her enemy called her his sunshine.

"I promise to love you as I love myself. I love you forever, my wife," Ethan continued and kept himself from chuckling at his bride's reaction to his vow.

It was apparent that she couldn't believe her ears.

Moriah was stupefied; his tender voice and gaze were telling her that what he said was true.

But, this is Ethan Miller. This couldn't be true; it's just a ploy, she thought.

Cyndy's jaw dropped hearing Ethan's vow; she tried to find a hint of disdain and mockery in his voice, but all she could hear was the tenderness of his voice.

After they exchanged vows, they exchanged wedding rings.

Moriah's hands were cold as ice when the officiant told the groom to kiss the bride.

Ethan lifted her veil, snaked his arm around her waist, and tilted his head. His lips descended on hers. He kissed her ever so gently.

Moriah was mortified, and her body could be likened to that of a wooden block.

After he kissed her, he brushed his thumb on her chin, and then he faced the crowd.

On the other hand, Moriah was still in a daze, staring at her husband. In his peripheral vision, he could see that she hadn't recovered from her shock yet.

He leaned sideways and whispered, "Your relatives are looking at us."

His words brought her back from her trance, and she faced the people right away.

He took her hand and tucked it in his arm, and together they walked back down the aisle, toward the future and a fate that seemed anything but magnanimous.

As they neared the limousine, Moriah removed her hands that were wrapped on Ethan's arm. She entered the car while Ethan helped her with the train of her gown.

"Is there a way you can remove this?" Ethan asked, pertaining to the train of her gown.

Moriah snorted and answered curtly, "None."

Ethan sat beside her, but Moriah moved further to avoid him.

A surge of frustration swept over his chest. She avoids him as if he were ill with a contagious disease.

From time to time, the chauffeur glances at the newly wedded couple, who utterly ignore each other's presence.

He couldn't understand what's going on with wealthy people's marriages. Do they really marry even without love? How could they endure a loveless marriage?

"We're here, sir," the chauffeur said, announcing their arrival at the wedding reception, and quickly alighted from the car and opened the door for his master.

Ethan came out first and held out his hand; Moriah held his hand. Her blood is boiling while holding his hand.

She hates to hold his hand; however, she has no choice but to put up with the show so as not to embarrass herself and her parents. Her relatives' sharp eyes are on them and are carefully observing them.

Ethan leaned sideways and whispered to her, "Your relatives from China are watching us." Ethan smiled at her; she smiled back at him sweetly.

Only she knows that deep within, she was giving him a scowl and scolding him.

During the banquet, Ethan and Moriah did many sweet things, which made Moriah seethe quietly.

The supposedly blissful and enjoyable wedding banquet became a torment for her.

Cindy watched her best friend helplessly; the program was arranged by Cindy, and she couldn't pull it back.

She knew that when she changed it, her relatives from China would begin to doubt Moriah's marriage.

"This will be the last game for the newlywed couple," the emcee said with a mischievous grin.

"You answer the question I ask." He gave each one a small board and a pen and went on, "And there will be a corresponding penalty for answers that do not match."

"The first question is, when did you first see each other?" the emcee asked.

Ethan and Moriah scribbled their answers on their respective boards.

"Alright, the couple wrote without hardship on recalling their first meeting, a sign that they are really in love," the emcee chuckled.

Moriah flinched at what the emcee said. In love? What a joke. They hated each other's guts.

Moriah noticed the twitch on Ethan's lips. He must be sneering at the ridiculous remark made by the emcee.

"Let's see the answer," the emcee said, and both Ethan and Moriah lifted their boards.

"Year 10 is Mrs. Miller's answer, while Year 12 is the answer of Mr. Miller."

Moriah balled her fist when she heard the emcee say Mrs. Miller. She felt a pang in her heart; she had imagined many times that she would be called Mrs. Stanton.

She bowed her head, blinked back her tears, and took a deep breath before lifting her head.

Her reaction towards the two words 'Mrs. Miller' didn't escape Ethan's sharp eyes. Many women dreamed of having that title and being called 'Mrs. 'Miller'-the wife of business tycoon Ethan Miller.

However, for Moriah, being called Mrs. Miller wasn't appealing, and it disgusted her. Ethan felt suffocated and loosened his tie a bit.

"We're both right; I was in year 10 and he was in year 12 back then," Moriah defended their answer, afraid of the punishment. She knew that her best friend had mischievous punishment.

"Yes, that's true," Ethan said in agreement with what Moraih said.

"Alright, next question. When was your first kiss?"

Moriah blushed profusely at the question and opened her mouth to protest, "It's a private matter, and I don't want to divulge any information like this."

Ethan nodded his head; he agreed with Moriah. He didn't like talking about private matters in a casual way. Most of all, in public.

"I agree with my wife; we aren't comfortable about this question," he said in a rather serious tone, which made the emcee rub the back of his head.

"I'm sorry for asking such a silly question," he said, smiling at them apologetically.

"When did you officially date?"

Moriah stared at her board for a few seconds before writing her answer. She sighed and wished that the banquet would end.

"Oh, you have a different answer," the emcee said upon seeing what they wrote on their board.

"Very well, the bride will pick from this bowl their punishment," the emcee said.

Moriah picked a piece of paper from the bowl and gave it to the emcee.

"The newlywed will kiss!" the emcee exclaimed while chuckling.

Moriah was stupefied but instantly recovered her composure. Ethan smirked and leaned forward to kiss her.

Quickly, Moriah took the board from Ethan and covered both sides with the board and scowled at him.

"Don't ever dare kiss me!" she said while glaring at him.

Ethan didn't dare to kiss her. The guests were chuckling as the emcee remarked, "Mrs. Miller is too shy to kiss in public."

Moriah couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes and muttered, "Mrs. Miller."

Ethan narrowed his eyes, hearing the way she muttered 'Mrs. Miller' with a tinge of disgust. His face darkened.

Moriah didn't see her husband's reaction as she was wallowing in her pain and misfortune.

After the banquet, the newlywed couple went to the villa, followed by the bride's family and relatives.

"What are you doing?" Ethan roared when he saw Moriah holding a small paring knife.

"The sheet must be stained with blood," Moriah answered and was about to cut her palm; however, Ethan held her wrist and took the knife from her.

"Hey, give me that!" Moriah almost yelled at him as she jumped to get the knife from him.

She can't get the knife from him, for he is way taller than her, and he lifted his hand so she can't take the knife from him.

"Are you deceiving your parents now?" Ethan's blue eyes darkened as he stared at Moriah.

Tonight is their wedding night, and they are going to consummate their marriage.

Moriah's mother is an English woman, and her father is of Asian descent-Chinese.

His family values a woman's purity. A daughter must preserve her virginity and give it to her husband as a present on their wedding night.

They have a family tradition that on the wedding night they will spread a white silk sheet over the bed. After they consummate their marriage, the white silk sheet will be presented to the elders.

She looked at the white sheet spread over the bed, and it needed to be stained with blood to show that she was a virgin.

She is still a virgin; nevertheless, she can give herself to her husband. She doesn't love the man she married and will only yield herself to a man that she loves.

"You're doing this because you aren't a virgin," Ethan sneered at Moriah.

Moriah fisted her hands into a ball; she wanted to shove her fist in his face.

"I'm not a promiscuous woman!" she said between her gritted teeth.

She wanted to scream; however, afraid that her parents, grandpa, uncles, and aunties were all waiting in the sitting room to hear her, she contained her anger.

"What's the need of this if you're still a virgin?" Ethan showed the knife.

She bowed her head. "I-I don't want to do it with you," she stammered, turning her back to him.

"Very well, if you don't want to do it. I will talk to your father about it," Ethan said and walked toward the door.

Hearing Ethan's words made her panic, and she quickly held his arm. "No, don't talk to my dad."

Ethan turned towards her and told her with a straight face, "If you don't like to do it, I will not force you. But I can't deceive your parents, so I'd better talk to them."

"No, no, please. Okay, I will-" She could not finish her sentence because of the discomfort and dread about the thought of consummating their marriage.

She didn't want to do it with the man she doesn't love. However, it came to her mind what her parents told her after the wedding banquet.

She should give her husband his marital privilege. She is his wife and ought to fulfill her husband's needs.

"Are you sure?" Ethan asked, frowning at his wife.

Moriah found it hard to answer his question as there was a lump forming in her throat. She held her silk robe tightly and nodded.

"It's getting late, and they're waiting for us to give the sheet," Ethan said, waiting for her to look at him. He sighed when she didn't look at him.

"Can we switch off the lights?" Moriah asked timidly, her head still bowed.

Ethan pinched her chin and lifted it for her to look at him. "Why do you want to do it in the dark?"

"Please," Moriah almost choked, suppressing her sobs. She didn't want to cry in front of him. She didn't want to look pathetic.

"We'll make it dim, but I don't want to do it in utter darkness." Ethan took the remote control and made the lights in the room dim.

Moriah took a long breath to calm her tense body. She walked towards the bed, and Ethan followed her.

He was about to remove her silk robe, but Moriah tightened her grip on her robe.

"No, I will do it," she said with a shaky voice. With a shaky hand, she loosened her grip on her robe and reluctantly removed it.

Ethan's blue eyes darkened, seeing her body in a negligee that accentuated her perfectly shaped body-all the curves are in the right place.

His hands itched to touch her flawless glass skin, but he controlled himself so as not to scare her.

Moriah closed her eyes and convinced herself to do it now, not wanting to prolong the torture.

A shiver ran through her body, and she felt vulnerable after removing her negligee.

Sensing that she had already resigned herself to her fate, Ethan gently lifted her in his arms and laid her on the bed.

All through the consummation, Ethan keeps reminding her to open her eyes and look at him.

She would obey him but shut her eyes when seeing his face and body over her.

While Ethan had enjoyed the whole thing, on the other hand, Moriah only endured it. She waited to do it with the love of her life but ended up doing the thing with her enemy.

Moriah quickly got out of bed and wore her silk robe when Ethan rolled over and lay beside her. She ran with a limp to the bathroom.

Not long after she ran to the bathroom, Ethan heard a muffled whimpering. He stood up, came near the door, and held the knob to open the door but stopped when he heard her heart-wrenching sobs.

Ethan's body went taut upon hearing Moriah's heart-wrenching sobs. He walked away and left the room and took a shower in the guest room adjacent to the master bedroom.

After taking a shower, he entered their room and went into the walk-in closet and got dressed.

Emerging from the walk-in closet, his gaze landed on the white silk sheet stained with blood. He walked towards the bed and folded the sheet.

Before he left the room, he gazed at the bathroom door.

"How's my daughter?" Anastacia asked gently while Ethan handed the white silk sheet to Jianyu.

"She's fine; she's having a bath," Ethan answered while observing Moriah's grandfather, aunts, and uncles.

"Spread out the sheet and let's see," Moriah's grandfather's voice rang.

Though he's already old, his voice still possesses that aristocratic and authoritative quality.

Moriah's parents spread the sheet, and there was revealed the blood stain.

Again old master Chen spoke, this time in Mandarin. Jianyu's face darkened as the old master Chen spoke.

All of Moriah's aunts came near the sheet. One by one, they inspected the sheet. They touched and sniffed the bloodstain. Each one spoke in Mandarin, declaring their verdict.

The old master Chen turned towards Jianyu and said, "Since you were able to raise her upholding our values for virgin daughters, I will give her a dowry."

The master clapped his hands, and three servants came holding jewelry boxes.

The old master opened each box and presented the jewelry. The dowry cost 5 million dollars.

"Jianyu, I have disinherited you; however, your inheritance will be passed on to your daughter. But she will only receive her inheritance when she comes back to China and stays there for five years."

Jianyu's face darkened at his father's condition, and he responded to him, "I won't let my daughter go back to China; she won't be safe there. You have tried to kill my wife and our daughter."

"It wasn't me who tried to harm your family; it was your ex-fiancée who hired the kidnapper," Old Master Chen replied, and with an aggrieved tone and look, he continued, "I have explained to you about this. Why do you keep on insisting that I did it?"

"Alright, Father, let's not discuss it. Ethan needs to go back to Moriah." Jianyu didn't want to discuss going back to China.

He was content with their life in England, away from the disputes and power struggles amongst siblings.

That is the problem with wealthy and noble families; they have the wealth and power, but there's no harmony inside the family.

Everyone is busy scheming against each other.

He wanted Moriah to live a peaceful and contented life. And that life can't be found in China, where his family wanted to devour each other.

He didn't want his daughter to learn their hypocritical way.

"Please, excuse me," Ethan said and turned around.

"Ethan, take this to your wife," the old master Chen spoke, handing the jewelry boxes to Ethan.

Ethan took the box with disinterest and walked away. After Ethan disappeared from their sight.

Old Master Chen uttered his discontent towards Ethan.

"Why did you allow him to marry my granddaughter? I told you I have arranged for her to be married to Wang's only heir? He inherited his family's fortune; he's one of the wealthiest men in the world."

"Ethan is a billionaire himself, and his fortune was earned by him and not something handed down by his family. He is also the sole heir of a business conglomerate here in the UK. And stop meddling, Father. " Jianyu replied; he tried to suppress his anger, but he failed.

The truth is he didn't care that Ethan was a billionaire; all he cared about was his daughter being happy. He knew that Ethan would make Moriah happy.

Putting down the jewelry boxes on the dressing table, Ethan gazed at the bathroom. He checked the time, and it's been thirty minutes since Moriah entered the bathroom.

An hour later, Moriah was still in the bathroom. Ethan barged into the bathroom, only to find Moriah lying on the floor under the shower, unconscious.

Ethan quickly turned off the shower faucet. He took her in his arms and wrapped her with a towel.

Chills run down his spine seeing his wife's pale complexion. While wiping her body and dressing her, Ethan was plagued with conflicting emotions.

The hardening of his facial expression was concealed by the dim light. After drying her hair, he looked at his wife for a few seconds and left the room.

In the morning, Moriah was awakened by a soft whisper. She heard someone whispering her name.

"Madam Moriah," a servant called out her name.

Squinting her eyes, she looked at the person calling her name.

"Madam, Mr. Miller is already waiting for you; it's time for breakfast," the servant reluctantly said.

"Alright, I'll have a shower first. " Moriah got up and went straight to the bathroom to have a quick shower.

After her morning skincare routine, she dressed up and went downstairs.

She strode towards the dining room. Ethan's phone rang as she was about to sit in the chair beside him. Her eyes gaze at his phone.

The caller was "Honey." Ethan hastily grabbed the phone and walked outside, answering the call.

Moriah didn't wait for him and started eating. She knew that he wouldn't come back, and it was confirmed when a servant came to talk to her.

"Madam, Mr. Miller already went back to London. He told me that you can stay here for a week if you want before going back to London; he'll ask a chauffeur to drive you to his mansion after a week."

"Alright," Moriah said, wiping her mouth clean. She stood up to leave the dining room.

Time flew quickly, and her one-week stay in the country villa was over. The servants lined up at the entrance; after saying goodbye to them, she boarded the car.

During her one-week stay in the villa, she was able to establish a good rapport with the servants.

The three-hour trip back to London was like a blink of an eye. She had the urge to tell the chauffeur to drive slowly so that the trip would be prolonged.

Her apprehension stepped up a notch when they entered the gate of her husband's London estate.

Learning from the servants in the mansion that Ethan went on a business trip to Canada, Moriah was secretly pleased. At least she will not be seeing her husband.

A day went by, then it turned to weeks and months. For nearly four months, Moriah enjoyed her life without her husband.

After coming back to London, she reported at the hospital where she worked as a surgeon. Most of the day after work she spent it with her best friend Cindy, who is a general physician.

Moriah had just finished talking to her last patient before clocking out when her phone went off. She excused herself and answered the call.

"Hello, Fang Wei," Moriah's voice was gentle.

"Hello, Moriah, good to hear your voice," comes Fang Wei's voice at the other end of the line.

"Me, too," Moriah chuckled, then she continued, "Why did you call? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I'm in London now," Fang Wei informed.

"Really?" Moriah got elated.

"Can we meet for lunch?" Fang Wei asked quite reluctantly, knowing she's a doctor; he might be asking her at the wrong time.

"Sure! Send me the place, and I'll be there." Moriah picked up her bag and went out of the room.

She received a message from Fang Wei when she was seated in her car. She drove to the cafe that is just a quarter of an hour's drive away from the hospital.

Entering the cafe, she saw Fang Wei was waving his hand. She came near the table and sat at the chair Fang Wei drew for her.

"Wow! You're beautiful as always," Fang Wei couldn't hold himself back from praising her.

Moriah chuckled at his remark, "But not as beautiful as your wife."

Moriah quickly spotted the change of his demeanor at the mention of his wife.

It was then her attention was caught by the baby carrier seat on the couch.

"Fa-Fang Wei, did I say something wrong?" she stuttered; she didn't want to offend her childhood friend.

It's been a year since the last time they saw each other, and they didn't want to ruin their reunion.

"Mia and I got divorced," Fang Wei said, smiling, but his eyes were glum.

"Oh, I'm really sorry to hear that!" Moriah placed her hand over his hand to console him.

Fang Wei smiled at her; this time his eyes were dancing with mirth, and the smile he gave her was dashing.

Moriah felt an intense gaze boring at her back; she turned to where she felt the gaze came from. Her eyes met Ethan's piercing gaze.