Ethan's fingertips burned.

He loosened his tie, Adam's apple bobbing.

This wasn't ordinary drunkenness.

Fire raged inside him, threatening to consume his last shreds of rationality.

"Mr. Sullivan?" His assistant eyed his flushed face cautiously.

Ethan bit his tongue.

The metallic tang of blood spread through his mouth.

"Get me a room." His voice came out hoarse. "Don't alert my wife."

Understanding flashed in the assistant's eyes as he guided Ethan toward the elevator.

The presidential suite's sheets felt icy.

Ethan lay on his back, three shirt buttons undone.

He stared at the crystal chandelier above.

The light fractured into shimmering fragments, swaying in his vision.

His phone vibrated.

A message from Sophia: [Don't drink too much]

Four simple words.

Her furrowed brow materialized in his mind.

His thumb brushed the screen. He didn't reply.

She'd be terrified if she saw him like this.

"Water, sir." The assistant offered a glass.

Ethan drained it in one gulp.

The cold liquid only fanned the flames.

His grip tightened around the glass.

"Call an ambulance." His voice barely recognizable.

As the assistant turned, the doorbell rang.

A wave of cloying perfume preceded Isabella's entrance.

Her silk slip dress revealed more than it concealed.

"Ethan..." She reached for him.

He recoiled.

Even through blurred vision, he knew this wasn't Sophia.

Sophia never wore such overpowering scents.

"Get out."

The word scraped from between clenched teeth.

Isabella advanced instead.

She grabbed his hand, pressing it against her waist. "Touch me—"

Crack!

His palm connected with her cheek.

Ethan's eyes burned crimson. "Don't make me repeat myself."

Isabella gaped, clutching her face.

She hadn't expected such clarity from a man in his state.

Footsteps approached outside.

Summoning his last strength, Ethan shoved her into the hallway.

As cold water hit his face, he remembered Sophia complaining of heat during her pregnancy.

Now he understood her torment.

Medical personnel burst in with his assistant.

When the needle pierced his vein, Ethan closed his eyes.

Around the corridor's bend,

Isabella sobbed into her phone. "He'd rather go to the hospital than touch me!"

"Patience." Adrian flicked his lighter open. "The show's just beginning."

He hung up, turning to his computer screen.

The surveillance footage clearly showed Isabella entering Ethan's suite.

"Release it." He instructed the hacker. "Make the headline explosive."

Flames reflected in Adrian's chilling smile.

Meanwhile, in the hospital room,

Ethan clutched his phone like a lifeline.

The screen displayed his photo with Sophia—

Her radiant smile frozen in time.