CHAPTER 31 MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS

Bianca scoffed, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Just like Madeline, right?” Ethan’s eyes widened in understanding, the realization dawning on him like the first rays of the morning sun. “Bianca...” he said, his voice softening. “That’s why you’ve been so distant. You know about Madeline.” He reached for her hand, his touch gentle, his sincerity palpable. “I can explain,” he began. Her words cut through the air like a knife, her tone cold and detached. “I’m not interested in your love life, Ethan. After all, I’m not your girlfriend. I’m just a—” she hesitated, the word “sex worker” lingering on her tongue, unspoken but hanging heavy in the air between them. “What do you want?” she asked, the question a challenge and a dare all at once. Ethan’s eyes burned with an intensity that belied his words. “You,” he said, the single syllable vibrating with the force of his emotion. “I want you. You know but keep asking.” Bianca held his gaze for a moment, the faintest hint of a smile curling