Whispers of the Heart

Beneath the Surface

Chapter 20: Beneath the Surface

The days following that night were a blur. Ethan, though still confused, tried to move on from the suspicions gnawing at his chest, burying them beneath the surface. He wanted to believe Lila. He truly did. The way she had kissed him, the way she had pulled him close—it felt like a reassurance, a fleeting promise that things could go back to the way they were.

But even as he tried to convince himself that everything was fine, a part of him knew something was off. Lila had been distant for weeks. The physical connection between them, though heated, felt increasingly forced. His mind kept circling back to one thing—Dominic.

He couldn't quite shake the feeling that the handsome, charismatic man had more to do with the distance between him and Lila than he realized. But every time he questioned her, Lila had the perfect explanation, the perfect excuse to smooth over any lingering doubts. Her charm, her beauty, they always seemed to distract him—make him forget.

But not this time. Ethan had made up his mind. He couldn't keep living in ignorance, pretending that everything was normal when his gut told him otherwise. His relationship with Lila was on a precipice, and if there was something he needed to know—no matter how painful—it was time to find out.

Meanwhile, Lila had been busy playing the game. The game she was becoming all too skilled at. She had kept Ethan close, showering him with affection when he needed it most, distracting him with tender kisses and intimate moments, all while silently sinking deeper into the trap she had set for herself. The affair with Dominic, she told herself. It's not a mistake, it's just something I'm doing to fill the void. He's not like Ethan. He gets me. He understands.

But Dominic, as much as he had captivated her in the beginning, was becoming something more than just a distraction. He wasn't just her lover—he was her obsession. Every time she saw him, felt his touch, heard his deep, possessive whispers in her ear, something inside her shifted. A hunger, a craving, a need for more. But at the same time, she could feel the walls around her life closing in.

Dominic was no longer content with their secret meetings, their stolen moments in dark corners, and their whispered promises. He wanted more. He wanted her, not just in stolen hours, but completely. He wanted to be in control. To be the one Ethan never suspected, the one who would pull her away from the man who never truly saw her for who she was.

And so, as Ethan stayed oblivious, consumed by his own questions and doubts, Dominic's presence in Lila's life grew more dangerous, more insistent. He no longer accepted the hidden kisses in dark alleys or quiet rendezvous in cheap motels. He was pushing for more. Much more.

Ethan had been working late that night, trying to focus on his job, but the weight of his suspicion was hard to ignore. His eyes kept flicking to the clock, to the phone on his desk, as if waiting for some sign, some message from Lila or Dominic. The stillness of the office felt oppressive, the silence broken only by the clicking of his keyboard as he tried in vain to focus on the reports in front of him.

Then, his phone buzzed—an unexpected message. From Lila.

"Ethan, I'm going out with a few friends. I'll be late tonight. Don't wait up."

The message was short, but it triggered a thousand thoughts in Ethan's mind. Friends? Who were these friends? He never remembered Lila mentioning anything about going out with anyone. He wanted to text her back, ask her where she was going, who she was going with, but something held him back. His gut told him not to.

Instead, he got up from his desk, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door. He wasn't going to sit there waiting for an answer. This time, he was going to follow the thread, wherever it led.

Lila didn't notice the subtle shifts in her own behavior. She couldn't afford to. She had become too good at lying to herself, at pretending everything was fine while her heart beat faster every time she saw Dominic. The affair was supposed to be a temporary escape, something she could keep hidden while maintaining the perfect life with Ethan. But with each stolen kiss, each touch, each secret rendezvous, Dominic had wormed his way deeper into her life, her mind, her body.

And now, as she sat across from him in their usual spot—a small, intimate corner booth of a dimly lit restaurant—she felt a stirring that made her blood run hot. Dominic's eyes never left hers, his gaze searing and intense, as if he could see straight through her, to the very center of her desires.

"You're different tonight," Dominic murmured, his hand sliding across the table to rest over hers. His touch was firm, possessive, and Lila couldn't help but tremble slightly under the weight of it.

"I'm just tired," she whispered back, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "There's been so much going on lately. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." Her eyes darted nervously around the restaurant, though she knew no one was watching. But the secrecy of it all was beginning to take its toll on her.

Dominic leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear as his voice dropped to a near growl. "You're mine now, Lila. Don't pretend you don't feel it. I'm the one who can give you what Ethan never will. You know that, don't you?"

Lila's breath caught in her throat. She wanted to protest, to pull away, but she couldn't. He was right. There was something about Dominic that made her feel alive in ways Ethan never did anymore. The need inside her—the hunger—was unbearable.

"I don't want to lose you," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"You won't," Dominic said, his lips curling into a slow, devilish smile. "You just need to let go. Let me take care of everything."

Lila closed her eyes, her body surrendering to the words, to the promise of more. She hadn't felt this way in so long—desired, wanted, needed. But as much as she tried to bury it, a tiny voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she had a life outside of this. A life with Ethan. She couldn't let him find out. Not now. Not yet.

Meanwhile, Ethan's car slid through the darkened streets, his thoughts racing faster than the wheels spinning beneath him. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. Was it Lila? Or was it something that would finally give him the truth, something to prove what he already feared? He pulled up to a parking lot near the restaurant, his heart pounding in his chest. He wasn't sure what he'd find, but he couldn't back down now.

He stepped out of the car, his eyes scanning the area, and then he saw her.

Lila. Sitting across from Dominic.

His blood ran cold.

But before he could approach, Lila's eyes locked with his—frozen, wide, filled with panic.

End of Chapter 20