Until Ethan drove away with Jane Sullivan, Justin remained rooted to the spot, pondering Ethan's words, "When did I ever say I didn't like her?" Was it love or not?
At the villa, Ethan tried to clean the blood from Jane Sullivan's forehead with a cotton swab, but she kept twisting and turning, making it impossible to continue. Ethan's forehead veins throbbed as he watched her in pain, yet he never touched her.
"It hurts so much—" Jane's moans only intensified Ethan's feeling of revulsion. Knowing she was drugged, the thought of her speaking like this to any man fueled his anger. He picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, dropping her unceremoniously into the bathtub and turning on the cold shower directly over her head.
"Cold—stop, it's so cold—" Jane protested, shaking her head. The alternating hot and cold sensations made her feel worse, but her consciousness began to return. Ethan continued to douse her with water, aiming the showerhead at her face.
When Jane finally recognized Ethan, she instinctively turned away. "You're awake," Ethan said, dropping the showerhead and approaching her.
"Uncle Ethan..." Jane, seeing Ethan coming closer, immediately covered her chest in shame. "Don't—"
Her call of "Uncle Ethan" made Ethan's blood boil. He grabbed her nape and pressed his lips to hers.
"Uncle Ethan, you—" Jane, still under the influence of the drug, responded to his familiar scent with a kiss.
Ethan lifted Jane onto the marble washbasin, panting slightly as he gripped her chin, his eyes intense. "Who am I?" he demanded.
Jane shook her head, refusing to answer.
Unmoved, Ethan pressed on, "Who am I, Jane!"
Jane, overwhelmed, began to cry, punching Ethan's chest. "You're the bad Ethan! The Ethan who only bullies me!"
Ethan let her hit him, silent throughout her outburst. When Jane finally exhausted herself, resting her head on his chest, she hoarsely asked, "Why did you take me away from Justin? Letting Justin have me would have rid you of this nuisance!"
"I don't know why you hate me, but if you really don't want to see me, then don't even kiss me. It makes me think you might actually like me. Please don't do things that make you contradict yourself and lead others on."
After saying this, Jane pushed Ethan away and walked to the bathtub, turning on the cold shower again. The icy water quenched not only her physical desires but also the faint hope in her heart.
Ethan stood in front of the ground-floor window, smoking cigarette after cigarette, until the ashtray overflowed with butts. When he heard no more sounds from upstairs, he climbed the stairs and pushed open the bedroom door.
Seeing Jane lying in bed, shivering and turned away from the door, Ethan went to the first-aid box, took out some cold medicine, and brought it with a glass of water to the bedside. "Remember to take the medicine," he said, then left the room.
When Jane heard the dog Sauerkraut barking, she got up and peeked through a slit in the curtains, seeing Ethan loading his suitcase into the trunk. He then put Sauerkraut in the back seat and drove away.
Holding back tears, Jane went to the next bedroom and opened the wardrobe. Seeing it empty, she realized he would never come back. He even took Sauerkraut with him, leaving nothing behind to make him return.
In two months, once the divorce was finalized, he probably wouldn't even look at her. From this moment, they were truly strangers.
The next day, Jane called Archie to take sick leave for three days. When Doreen visited her at the villa, she found Jane sitting on the sofa, sneezing and surrounded by tissues.
"How did you catch such a bad cold?" Doreen asked.
"I took a cold shower all night," Jane replied listlessly.
"Didn't Uncle Ethan help you at all last night?"
Jane's lips curled up in a bitter smile. "Even if I were dying, he wouldn't touch me."
Standing up, she wiped her nose with a tissue. "Come on, let's go to the bar from last night. I want to see who dared to drug me."
Ethan flicked ash from his cigarette, his gaze cold as he glanced at Sophia. "You know, the one thing I can't stand is someone else touching what's mine."
Sophia, surprised, thought Ethan always wanted to divorce Jane. Why was he suddenly defending her?
"Uncle Ethan, even if I did something to Jane Sullivan, it was for you. If Grandpa knew about her messing with other men, he'd surely kick her out of
the Grayson family. A girl with such an unseemly character doesn't deserve you," Sophia said.
Before she could finish, Ethan crushed his cigarette underfoot, his glare stopping her mid-sentence. "Whether Jane Sullivan is suitable for me or not is not for you to decide."
Sophia, taken aback by Ethan's defense of Jane, backed down, realizing she couldn't argue with him. "I understand, Uncle Ethan. I won't do it again."
"If there is a next time, you'll be the one taking those pills," Ethan warned, his tone icy.
Sophia shuddered at the threat. It was clear that Jane Sullivan was not to be underestimated.
At the bar, Jane Sullivan and Doreen were disappointed to find it closed, sealed off by the police. "We won't be able to find the bartender from last night now. Maybe we should go to the police," Jane suggested.
But going to the police would reveal her marriage to Ethan. "If they make our marriage public, Ethan will blame me," Jane worried.
As they talked, a familiar black Porsche Cayenne pulled up. The man stepping out was none other than Justin.
"Justin?" Jane said in surprise.
Doreen, recognizing him as the man from the previous night, was outraged. "He's the one who carried you away from the bar! I'm going to call the police!"
Jane quickly stopped her, explaining that Justin had saved her. "If it weren't for him, those men would have..."
"Three men?" Doreen gasped, appalled at the thought.
Justin approached them, his gaze checking Jane's neck for new marks. "The police have started investigating. They'll find the person who drugged you soon."
"Thank you, Justin. If it weren't for you last night, I might have—"
Justin cut her off. "You should thank Ethan. If he hadn't taken you away, I might have been the one to take advantage of you."
Doreen was shocked by his blunt words, but Jane was left awkwardly speechless.
Doreen, sensing the attraction between Justin and Jane, grabbed Jane's car keys. "I have to go shopping with my mom this afternoon. I'll leave you two alone."
As she left, she winked at Justin. "There's a great Japanese restaurant nearby. Jane loves sushi."
Jane blushed deeply. Doreen was playing matchmaker.
"What are you looking at?" Justin asked.
Jane quickly stashed her phone away. "Nothing."
"Then let's go have lunch. Think of it as thanking me for rushing to your rescue."
With no reason left to refuse, Jane followed Justin to his car. As he buckled her in, she couldn't help but notice his handsome features.
Across the street, Ethan watched from his Range Rover, a cold look in his eyes as he saw Jane's infatuated expression. Archie, seeing his boss's grim face, worried for Jane.
Ethan's expression darkened as he watched Jane and Justin drive away. He decided to head to the airport for his flight to England, abandoning his plan to check the bar's surveillance footage.
As their cars paused at a red light, Jane continued to chat with Justin, unaware that Ethan was nearby. But when she felt someone watching her and turned to look, the light turned green, and Ethan's Range Rover drove away first. Jane caught a glimpse of his familiar silhouette through the sunlit window.