Chubby Mommy: Scheming Daddy, Surrender Now!-Chapter 361: She Was His Unexpected Encounter

Ruby Sullivan sat up in bed, staring blankly. She didn’t want to meet Ethan Sterling; she was afraid of seeing him.

Those who manage to shed dozens of pounds and maintain it without rebounding know that looking in the mirror every day can create the illusion that nothing else in the world matters. So, Ruby hadn’t been this scared of anything for a long time.

She patted her face, trying to perk up, threw on a trench coat over her pajamas, slipped on a pair of sneakers, and headed out.

She stopped at the entrance of her building, looked around, and saw the car parked under the streetlight with Ethan Sterling standing outside, smoking.

She took a deep breath and walked over, frowning at him, unsure of what to say.

The streetlight’s dim glow made him look colder than usual, and she couldn’t fathom why he was here.

Ethan Sterling extinguished the cigarette and tossed it into a nearby trash can. He had been waiting for Ruby for over half an hour, and his pack of cigarettes was almost empty. Yet even now, he maintained his well-bred demeanor. Raised with strict rules, his somewhat rigid manner had become ingrained in him.

He didn’t like unplanned things, meaningless things, purposeless things, but ironically, everything he disliked was what she preferred. She loved being spontaneous, aimless, and free. In her eyes, everything he considered inappropriate or unrealistic didn’t matter; the most important thing was to be happy.

He thought he had helped her find her old self again, but little did he know she could never go back.

Now, no matter how carefree her laughter seemed in front of him, she still had to hide the deepest pain within her heart.

This incident made Ethan realize he’d never truly entered her heart.

Since Rhonda Sullivan had deliberately revealed these secrets at the party, he had anticipated this day might come. But before this day arrived, he hoped more than anything that she’d open up and let him bear her burdens with her.

But in the end, she chose to leave, cutting everything off in the cruelest way. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Ethan stared at her, his eyes cold, unsure of what to say. Her stubborn expression inflamed his anger, and he couldn’t suppress it.

Suddenly, Ethan stepped forward, cupping her face and, nearly losing control, bit her lips.

Ruby didn’t retreat or evade, letting him bite hard, recklessly taking her breath away until the taste of blood filled their mouths. Despite the pain and knitted brows, she still didn’t shy away or refuse.

The strong smell of smoke in his mouth made her throat uncomfortable, but she couldn’t resist wanting to hold him, to be wrapped in his scent more. Yet, she held back, afraid that in an unguarded moment, all the mental preparations she’d made since deciding to move out would be for naught.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Ruby shivered involuntarily. Only then did Ethan frown deeply and let go.

"Doesn’t it hurt?" His voice was hoarse, and both his tone and the look in his eyes were bewildered.

Ruby stared dully into his eyes, dazed for a moment, before pulling his hands away, stepping back half a pace, and asking in a low voice, "Do you have another cigarette?" She turned and hopped onto the hood of the car, lying back to gaze at the sky, exhaling a long breath.

A moment ago, she thought she might suffocate to death.

For a brief instant, she cowardly thought, suffocating to death wouldn’t be so bad.

Ruby took a few deep breaths of cold air, couldn’t help but utter a gloomy phrase, "Living is damn hard."

Ethan handed her a cigarette, and she finally moved lethargically. Ethan flicked the lighter and lit it for her.

Ethan never knew she smoked. She’d said before that the smell of smoke was too irritating for her, so she always avoided it. Had she been lying to him?

Ruby took a deep drag. The cigarette butt flared red, and in the next moment, she started coughing, her tears flowing as she patted her chest, practically choking to death on that puff of smoke.

Ethan frowned again, trying to snatch the cigarette from her, "Why pretend to be strong when you can’t smoke?"

Ruby raised her hand to dodge, struggling to calm her breath, looking at the cigarette in her hand unwillingly, saying, "You all seem to enjoy it so much when you smoke, isn’t this stuff supposed to relieve sorrow better than drinking?"

"Give it to me, stop fooling around!" Ethan reached out, his tone more forceful.

Ruby not only didn’t obey but took another drag. This time, imitating Sasha Shaw’s technique, she swallowed it down, only to choke even harder.

Ethan watched her self-destructive behavior, feeling a bit collapsible, forcibly pinned her arm down, snatched the cigarette away, stubbed it out, and threw it into the trash.

Turning around, he saw her arms propped behind her on the hood, lit up by the street lights, tilting her head to look at him like a fairy in a tale that only appears under the moonlight.

Ethan let out a long breath, releasing the anger in his heart, which all turned into heartache.

He walked over slowly, "Let’s go home. Even if you can leave me, can you bear to leave the kids?" He never expected himself to say such yielding words, but seeing her aggrieved yet silent expression, he was left with nothing but heartache. All blame and anger disappeared, and he only wanted to take her home right now, to hug her, pamper her, console her until she was no longer sad.

Ruby was stunned to hear his pleading tone, momentarily thinking her ears were deceiving her, then chuckled lightly, "Ethan Sterling, how could you say such a thing? Are you out of your mind?"

"Ms. Sullivan!"

"Don’t call me that anymore!" Her voice was suddenly urgent, "That title is awful." She took a breath and continued, "Of course, I can’t bear to leave the kids. Once I get settled, I’ll bring them over. There’s no legal marriage between you and me, so separating should be easy."

Ruby swung her overlayed legs back and forth, "Ethan, I’m sorry, I can’t continue living with you because seeing you reminds me of all the grievances I endured. In fact, since I returned home, I’ve been considering moving out. I just didn’t expect... didn’t expect it to happen so soon. So, let the kids stay where they are for a few days; I think you won’t oppose."

"You’ve planned this all along?" Ethan leaned against the car door, unable to look at her anymore.

Her slow, relaxed tone pierced his heart like sharp knives with every word.

Ruby swallowed her emotions, feeling she had said enough harsh words. Stepping down from the hood, she said, "Once I’m settled, let’s explain things to the kids together." She turned, stuck her hands in her pockets, and pulled her loose trench coat close, "Until then, let’s not meet. Let’s cool off, both of us."

Silence followed, one second, two seconds...

"Okay." He uttered the word lightly, decisively, getting into the car.

She too straightened her back, striding forward.