She didn''t want to argue with someone who was sick, so she approached, spread the nket over Finnian, returned to her own room, locking the door securely behind her, and and went to bed.


    Probably out of the spectacle she''d experienced that night, which exhausted her, Amara quickly fell asleep.


    The next morning, she woke up, her eyes fluttering open to find someone sitting at the edge of her bed, staring down at her.


    The shock jolted her fully awake. She sat up quickly, making frantic attempts to pull the nket up to her side. "You got better?”


    She looked up at Finnian.


    He was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, but he seemed much more like himself.


    His face was calm andposed, his gaze steady on Amara.


    Amara felt a shiver run down her spine under his scrutiny. She was fully dressed in her pajamas, but his gaze made her feel strangely exposed.


    Just as she was about to ask him something, it hit her that something was off. She blurted out, "How did you get in here?"


    She distinctly remembered locking the doorst night, and there was no spare key in the living room. How on earth did Finnian end up in her room?


    Finnian held up something between his fingers—a ck hairpin.


    Amara''s eyes widened. It was the hairpin she''d casually left on the coffee table.


    "You picked the lock with that?"


    Finnian could pick locks?


    Amara was angry, though she didn''t dare to directly berate him. Instead, she shot back sarcastically, "Mr. Everly, is there anything you can''t do? Even mastering less-than-honorable skills, impressive."


    Finnian ignored her sarcasm, cing the hairpin down and tilting her chin upwards to examine her.


    His gaze made her ufortable, as if he was sizing her up. She asked, "Mr. Everly, is there something you need?"


    From the feel of his hand, he wasn''t feverish anymore, which meant he should probably head home soon.


    Finnian released her and stood up, still observing her from the bedside.


    Lately, he''d been questioning his feelings.


    He realized that his fixation on Amara''s supposed infidelity wasn''t just about feeling humiliated or cuckolded.


    He wasn''t one to hold double standards.


    People had pointed out before that he was away for those three years, and Amara must have someone else by now. It never bothered him much. Their marriage was more of a business arrangement; what she did outside of it wasn''t his concern.


    He himself had thought when Liliana came along, if Amara had someone else too,


    it would be fairer.


    But when it actually happened, his reaction was nothing like what he''d expected.


    He was jealous. Jealous of the man who was with Amara.


    His feelings towards Amara had always been unique. Others had mentioned it a couple of times, but he''d never admitted it, always using his grandfather as an excuse.


    Now, after a drunken night and a fever, everything was clear. He finally acknowledged these feelings.


    But where had this special feelinge from?


    Was it because of that chance


    encounter when he''d returned to the


    house and identally seen Amara


    stepping out of the shower


    clothless, sparking a reaction and leaving a mark on his mind?


    After all, due to past trauma, he''d never reacted to any other woman.


    Maybe it was that singr moment that made Amara special to him.


    If that was the case, maybe he just needed to be intimate with her once to settle things.


    Just once, to satisfy his curiosity, and perhaps then everything would be resolved.


    He looked at Amara and said, "Do you want a divorce?"


    Amara nodded immediately. "Yeah."


    Finnian''s eyes darkened. "Spend one night with me, and I''ll let you go."