Chapter 43

• After finishing her breakfast, Lily leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach in satisfaction. If only I could eat meals like this every day...
• Her gaze shifted to Ethan, who was scrolling through his phone, seemingly unbothered by anything around him. As she observed him, a thought crossed her mind: never believe everything you hear until you see it for yourself. The man in front of her was nothing like the rumors.
• People described him as cold, ruthless, emotionless, even terrifying—a devil in human form. But she couldn’t reconcile that image with the person she’d come to know. To her, he was shameless, occasionally a flirt, an unexpectedly skilled cook, and slightly overbearing—but not frightening. Quite the opposite, in fact. When he was around, she felt oddly secure, as though nothing in the world could harm her.