Ethan's pupils constricted sharply.

He had imagined countless questions Jenna might throw at him, but never anticipated she'd bring up that long-buried name.

"I said it at the club?" His voice tightened.

Jenna pressed her lips together and nodded, hurt flashing in her eyes.

At the moment their lips were about to meet, he'd called out someone else's name. The realization made her chest constrict.

"Yvonne was my college girlfriend." Ethan's Adam's apple bobbed. "We broke up five years ago. She lives abroad now. We've had no contact since."

He paused. "After we got married, I didn't even think about her."

Jenna turned her face away, nails digging unconsciously into her palms.

"Forgotten when sober, remembered when drunk." Her voice trembled. "If you can't let go, why did you involve me?"

Ethan suddenly seized her wrist.

"I was drunk that night." His knuckles whitened. "I apologize. Can we forget this happened?"

Jenna wrenched free and walked to the window, taking deep breaths.

The glass reflected her red-rimmed eyes.

"Let's divorce." She turned back with forced calm. "Go find her. Don't waste each other's time."

"Never!"

His raised voice startled her.

Ethan's eyes were bloodshot, jaw clenched tight, veins bulging on his hands.

"Five years is enough to forget anyone." Each word sounded ground between teeth. "That night was a moment of weakness, but I swear she means nothing to me now!"

Jenna froze at his intensity.

Suddenly Ethan dropped to one knee, grasping her cold hands.

"At first I resented this marriage." He gazed up, dark eyes turbulent. "But you changed that."

His thumb gently stroked her knuckles.

"You're ridiculously kind, stubbornly endearing." His voice softened. "Even the way you pout when upset makes me unable to look away."

Jenna's heart skipped.

"Don't leave." He pressed her palm against his chest. "There's only you here now."

Beneath her fingers, his heartbeat raced wildly.

Jenna yanked her hand back, ears burning. She'd thought this marriage was purely transactional—never expecting a confession.

Worse, her own pounding heart betrayed her true feelings.

"I—I need water."

As she fled, she missed the dark glint in Ethan's eyes.