Chapter 1

Cold water sprayed from the shower head, drenching me from head to toe.

Ethan's long, powerful hands caressed my lips.

"I told you, mistakes must be punished," he whispered.

"Brother, why... why are you here?" I stammered.

At the gates of A University, I was holding hands with my boyfriend Oliver, ready to go on a date, when a Maybach stopped in front of us.

Ethan, dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit, stepped out of the car.

It had been almost two years since I last saw him, and an inexplicable panic welled up inside me.

He said nothing, his gaze falling on Oliver's and my intertwined hands.

As if touched by a spark, before my brain could react, my hand had already retracted. I even unconsciously moved half a step away, distancing myself from Oliver.

Oliver turned to me in surprise, "Chloe?"

A cold, composed smile appeared on Ethan's face. "Chloe, aren't you going to introduce me?"

I avoided his gaze, not daring to look at him directly.

"I... he..." I suddenly became a stutterer.

Unexpectedly, Oliver smiled graciously and extended his hand to Ethan: "So you're the brother. I'm Oliver, Chloe's boyfriend."

Ethan lowered his eyelashes, glancing at Oliver's hand with no intention of shaking it. He turned to look at me and said, "Boyfriend? It seems our little Chloe has grown up and even has a boyfriend now. Why didn't you tell your brother?"

Though he was smiling, I felt a chill run down my spine, as if a cold, venomous snake was slithering up my back.

I wanted to flee.

I just wanted to escape.

But my feet felt like they were filled with lead, unable to move.

Seeing that Ethan had no intention of shaking hands, Oliver awkwardly withdrew his hand, but still maintained a polite smile on his face. "Brother, Chloe and I haven't been together for long. She probably hasn't had the chance to tell you yet..."

"Don't call me that. I'm her brother, not yours," Ethan said coldly, his icy gaze sweeping over Oliver.

With that, he grabbed my wrist and unceremoniously pushed me into the car.

Oliver hurriedly stepped forward, but unsure of what to do since Ethan was my brother, he could only tap on the window, calling my name in confusion.

I opened the window and forced a smile. "Oliver, my brother needs me for something. You should head back to campus first."

Before I could finish speaking, Ethan leaned over and closed the window.

The car started, and Oliver's worried face quickly receded in the rearview mirror.

...

The shower in the bathroom was turned on full blast.

Ethan pushed me into the bathtub, and cold water poured down on me.

He leaned in, his long, powerful fingers tightly gripping my chin.

His expression was grim. "Did he touch you?"

"No," I shook my head, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably, mixing with the cold water. "Brother, Chloe knows she was wrong."

"What did you do wrong?" His voice was dangerous, impossible to disobey.

"Chloe shouldn't have dated."

"What else?"

"I shouldn't have hidden from you."

"And?" He prompted.

I sobbed and shook my head. "There's nothing else..."

Ethan cupped my face, looking at me seriously. "And you can't let anyone touch you. They're all too dirty. They'll taint my Chloe. Do you understand?"

Looking at his cold eyes, I nodded fearfully.