The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 300

Ramona slowly traced her fingers along Ethan’s neck, her touch ghosting over the fine hairs at his nape and the curve of his ear.

“In my heart, I always believed you were the kind of person who would never leave me in a crisis. But I never imagined… that in your eyes, I’m someone who can only share the good times, not the bad, someone you should push away at the first sign of a storm.”

“That’s not it,” Ethan denied almost instantly, his eyes lifting to meet hers. The pain in them was so thick it was suffocating. “It’s precisely because I know you’re not that person that I couldn’t… I couldn’t be selfish enough to tie you to me.”

“Selfish?” Ramona let out a humorless laugh. “Do you think pushing me away now is some grand, noble gesture? You’re hiding behind the excuse of ‘doing what’s best for me,’ but all you’re really doing is trying to soothe your own guilt and anxiety. You’re the one who can’t bear the pressure of potentially hurting me.”

“You were afraid I’d reject you, so you ran first. That’s what’s truly selfish.”

Ethan lowered his head, utterly unable to refute her words. She was right about every single thing.

“I’m so angry!”

Ramona rose on her toes and bumped her chest against his. Her lips brushed his collarbone, and after she spoke, she bit down.

Ethan winced. She’d put some force into it, and a sharp sting made him suck in a breath, but he gritted his teeth and refused to push her away.

“I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry.”

“Is ‘sorry’ going to fix anything? You don’t even know what I’m angry about.”

“I do.”

“Then tell me.”

Ethan paused, then found himself genuinely reflecting on her words. “You’re angry that I lied to you. You’re angry that I didn’t give you a choice before saying things that would hurt our relationship…”

He knew he had completely botched it. He treasured her more than anything, yet he had still managed to hurt her.

“Only half right!” Ramona squeezed his shoulder hard. “More than you hiding things from me, I’m angry that you have so little faith in me. You didn’t even consider solving this together—your first instinct was to push me away!”

“That’s because…” Ethan couldn’t think about anything else now. He dipped his head, and the sight of tears welling in Ramona’s eyes sent him into a complete panic.

“It’s because I don’t want you to fear me! I don’t want you to hate me!”

The truth was finally out. All his talk about selfishness and logic was just an excuse. What he cared about most was what Ramona thought of him.

If she was destined to despise him one day, he would rather she remember him at his best, preserving the memory of the happiness they had shared, perfectly intact.

“Why would I hate you? Because you’ve been hurt before? Or because Nadia disappointed you in the past?”

“Nadia is Nadia, and Ramona is Ramona. I can be scared, of course. Watching someone I love lose control, potentially even hurt themselves, shouldn’t I be afraid?”

“But if that fear was enough to make me wary of you, to make me push you away, then I wouldn’t have let go of the blade when the knife came at me!”

The sudden, serious question caught Ethan off guard.

“Love is… support and protection.”

“Wrong.”

Ramona smiled with a hint of resignation. “Love is heartache, fear, and insecurity.”

A tremor ran through Ethan’s eyes as her words sent ripples across his heart. He understood. She was talking about him. His love was a complete mess, and yet she…

Suddenly, a soft, tickling sensation spread across his shoulder.

Ramona was gently kissing the spot where she had bitten him. Her tongue was soft, licking the red mark again and again until it blossomed into a warm flush.

A jolt like an electric current shot through him, tingling down to his fingertips and toes. It was a mix of pleasure and unbearable sensitivity.

“Ramona.” His voice was a raw whisper. “I really don’t want you to have any regrets…”

“Then trust me. And trust yourself, just this once. Even if the path ahead leads to hell, as long as we have each other, it can be a happy hell.”

Ramona’s hands slid up from his jawline to gently cup his stubbled, haggard cheeks. She rose onto her toes and initiated a kiss, her lips meeting his cool ones.