Chapter 14
The sound rang through the entire house.
Amara stood there staring toward the hallway with a completely appalled expression, still unable to believe he had actually abandoned her like that.
“That coward…” she muttered under her breath in disbelief.
She turned her head toward the bed.
Elias was still lying beside Jasper as if absolutely nothing had happened.
One arm was stretched above his head while the other rested lazily across his stomach. His body looked completely relaxed, his breathing slow and even like he was sleeping peacefully without a single care in the world.
Amara narrowed her eyes at him in pure frustration.
“You unbelievable asshole,” she muttered.
But after everything that had happened tonight, she honestly didn’t have the energy left to fight with him anymore.
Let him sleep there if he wanted to so badly.
Taking a deep breath, she spun around and stormed out of the room.
As she left, she smacked the light switch off with an irritated motion, throwing the room into darkness before heading straight toward her own bedroom.
The moment she entered, she shut the door behind her and walked toward the bed with exhausted steps.
She practically collapsed onto the mattress.
With a tired sigh, she slid under the blankets and pulled them all the way up to her neck before burying herself deeper into the bed. Her hair spread messily across the pillow as she closed her eyes.
She was exhausted.
Mentally. Emotionally. Physically.
She didn’t even want to think about Elias anymore.
If he wanted to sleep next to Jasper all night, then fine. Let him.
She forced herself to relax, trying to forget he was even inside her apartment.
But only a few minutes later—
Creeeak.
The bedroom door slowly opened.
Amara’s eyes instantly snapped open.
Before she could even sit up properly, she heard the soft click of the lock turning from inside the room.
Her brows furrowed.
In the dim glow of the bedside lamp, she saw Elias walking toward the bed.
He casually shrugged off his suit jacket as he moved, tossing it onto the nearby chair before kicking off his shoes one by one. His sleeves were rolled slightly up his forearms now, and his expression looked completely calm compared to the chaos he had caused earlier.
Amara immediately pushed herself upright.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
But Elias didn’t answer.
He simply pulled back the blanket and slid onto the bed beside her.
“Elias—”
Before she could finish, he suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her firmly against him.
Amara gasped in shock.
“Let go of me—”
But in the next second, Elias moved over her, his body covering hers completely as he pinned her beneath him against the mattress.
The sudden movement made her breath hitch.
His presence felt overwhelming this close.
Amara pressed both hands against his chest, trying to push him away, but Elias only tightened his hold around her waist.
Then, without warning, he lowered his head and captured her lips with his.
***
It was already late in the morning when Amara finally opened her eyes.
For a few seconds, she just lay there staring blankly at the ceiling, still half asleep and completely exhausted.
Then she slowly turned her head and glanced around the room.
There was no sign of Elias anywhere.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Pushing herself up weakly, she reached for her phone on the bedside table and checked the time.
“It’s already ten?” she groaned sleepily.
Her entire body ached with exhaustion, and her head still felt dizzy and foggy. Elias hadn’t let her sleep properly the entire night, and she had only managed to fall asleep around dawn. At most, she had gotten two hours of sleep.
Taking a deep breath, she dragged herself out of bed and headed straight toward the bathroom.
Still barely awake, she stepped under the shower, letting the cold water pour over her body as she leaned one hand against the wall and closed her eyes tiredly.
After washing up and brushing her teeth, she finally changed into a loose cotton nightdress that flowed softly down to her ankles.
She pushed her damp hair back over her shoulder and stepped out of the bedroom.
But the second she entered the living room—
She froze.
Elias and Jasper were both sitting across from each other on opposite couches.
And the atmosphere between them looked so hostile that it genuinely seemed like they had personally burned each other’s dogs alive.
Jasper was still wearing the same clothes from last night, though his hair was messier now from sleep.
Meanwhile, Elias had gotten dressed in his dress pants and shirt from last night, but the top few buttons were undone, exposing part of his chest. His tie and suit jacket were tossed carelessly across the coffee table like he had claimed the apartment as his own overnight.
The moment they heard her footsteps, both men immediately lifted their heads.
And both pairs of eyes landed directly on her.
Jasper reacted first.
“Good morning,” he said instantly, sitting up straighter on the couch before patting the empty seat beside him. “Come here. Sit with me.” He glanced toward the kitchen. “Do you want coffee?”
Immediately, Elias looked at Jasper with an offended expression before turning toward Amara.
“You should sit here,” he said at once, patting the spot beside him on the two-seater couch.
Then he shifted farther to the side to make extra room for her, even though there was already more than enough space.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Elias continued calmly as if Jasper didn’t exist. “I’ll make it for you. Do you want soup? You like tomato soup, right? I can make it.”
Jasper stared at him like he had completely lost his mind.
Then he immediately looked toward Amara again.
“Don’t sit there,” he warned. “You’re going to catch some kind of disease.”
Amara blinked.
Jasper pointed accusingly at Elias. “You finally escaped his clutches. Don’t fall into the same trap again.”
Elias instantly shot him a cold glare.
“What the fuck does that mean?” he snapped. “She’s my wife. Of course she’s going to sit next to me.”
Jasper scoffed loudly.
“You’re not her husband anymore,” he shot back immediately. “She’s your ex-wife, Mr. Creed. Stop acting like you own the place.”
Then Jasper gestured around the apartment with annoyance.
“Actually, it’s unbelievable you even had the nerve to walk into this house uninvited,” he went on, his voice laced with contempt. “The lack of shame and morals is honestly shocking.”
Elias’s face darkened dangerously.
But before he could respond, Jasper suddenly turned toward Amara with narrowed eyes.
“Wait a second,” he said suspiciously. “Why did you even let your ex-husband stay here?”
Then he frowned harder.
“When did he even come here?”
Elias ignored Jasper. Instead, he leaned forward and stretched out his hand toward Amara, his gaze fixed on her as if she were the only person in the room.
His voice came out rough with tiredness. “Amara…”
He tried to reach her, fingers curling slightly as if to pull her closer and make her sit beside him on the couch.
But Amara shifted instantly to the side, avoiding his hand.
Her brows knit together as she looked up at him. “What are you still doing here? Don’t you have work or something? Why are you still here?”
Elias froze for a fraction of a second, then his expression turned sharp. He suddenly pointed toward Jasper instead, his tone rising. “Why is he still here? Shouldn’t he leave? What is he even doing in this house at this hour?”
Jasper let out a loud, disbelieving scoff, pushing himself upright on the couch. “I live here too. This is my house as well.”
He gestured around them as if the entire situation was absurd. “You’re the one who shouldn’t be here.”
Elias snapped back immediately, voice cutting through the room. “Exactly. Why is my wife living with you? Get out.”
Amara rolled her eyes so hard she almost turned away in exasperation, her arms crossing tightly over her chest. “I am not your wife. I’m your ex-wife. And I have nothing to do with you anymore, so you don’t get to question who lives in my apartment.”
Jasper leaned forward slightly, clearly fed up now, adding bluntly, “That’s right! Amara and I have known each other long enough to live together comfortably. It’s none of your business, Mr. Creed.”
He gave Elias a pointed look. “Maybe it’s time you stop interfering in your ex’s life. It’s not a good look on someone like you. Honestly, it just makes you look desperate.”
Elias’s jaw tightened so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek. For a moment, he looked like he might actually snap. His gaze flicked briefly toward the dining table, then back to Jasper—sharp, dangerous, restrained only by effort.
Then he exhaled sharply and turned back to Amara instead.
“Why are you living in a place like this?” he said, voice low but firm. “I’ll buy you a new house. You can move there. You don’t need to stay here with random people.”
Jasper immediately straightened. “I’m not a stranger. She has known me for years. We’re close friends.”
Elias didn’t even look at him this time. His eyes stayed locked on Amara, waiting, intense and unblinking.
Amara shook her head, her expression firm. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t want a new apartment, Elias. Just leave. Go back to work or do something else.”
Silence settled for half a beat.
Instead of leaving, Elias’s expression shifted—almost satisfied, as if her refusal hadn’t bothered him at all. He casually crossed one leg over the other, leaning back slightly into the couch like he belonged there.
“I want breakfast,” he said simply.
“Then ask your assistant to make it for you,” Amara said flatly.
Elias didn’t move. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest and leaned back further into the couch, completely settling in like he owned the place.
“I want breakfast from you,” he said stubbornly. His eyes stayed on her. “I’m your guest. Don’t you think it’s a bit impolite to leave me like this?”