Shattered Inside (Yandere!Cheater x Reader)

XVII

"And then, a few days ago, we went to the carnival— Let me tell you, I didn't necessarily have the fun of my life with all the silly attractions and rides, but we made up and now everything seems to be alright again! Oh Ethan, someone up there heard my prayers... I'm so glad that Matthew—"

Ethan stopped listening, too busy drowning in the raging sea in the depths of his heart. Uneasily, he shifted his weight once again and rubbed his cheek with a tired and slightly hurt frown on his face. Whenever your sparkling eyes drifted over to him though, he'd put up an attentive smile, feigning to be listening to your cute rambling. His distant eyes were trained on your moving lips, his gaze sometimes moving up to lovingly look into your beautiful eyes. Sometimes, Abbey — your shy make-up artist — would move in front of you, thus obstructing his view of you. But he wouldn't let himself be bothered by such a small problem too much.

Your dressing room was spacious and luxurious; Ethan had been in awe when you first had invited him into this area that solely belonged to you.

"—anyway, what have you been up to the last days, Ethan?" you concluded your rambling once you noticed he no longer was listening to you. He bolted up right and straightened his slightly hunched over posture. The way his ears perked up in such a cute fashion made you snicker to yourself.

"Oh, you know, the casual things," he humoured, his eyes flashing playfully. "Breaking into people's houses and stealing their sugar because I always run out of that." His words were followed by his own chuckle.

"Still the funny Ethan I know, huh?" you mused behind soft laughter of your own. "Things haven't changed too much, I guess. Just like with Matthew—"

His eyes darkened once again. Why did you always have to bring up your good for nothing husband, Ethan always wondered. The smile quickly slipped of his face and was instead replaced by an annoyed scowl, which you didn't notice, of course.

"Have you seen Amanda today?" Abbey cut in curiously, not able to still that question any longer. She lowered the make-up brush in her hand. "It's not like her to be late..."

"Don't worry, Abbey." You put a hand on her shoulder. "I mean, I haven't seen her, but I'm sure she's alright." Just a few days ago, you had been angry at her for seemingly flirting with your husband, but now, you were sure that whatever had gone on between the two of them had been just friendly; your trust in your husband was sky-high.

"It just feels weird to not have her here with us," Abbey mumbled as she sent Ethan a weird look. "She's always here, leading you out of your dressing room when you were stage-ready — which you are now."

"I'll do that!" Ethan piped up with his eyes sparkling like the ones of a little child. A soft giggle escaped your lips at that, and you reached out to grab his outstretched hand. He was completely dressed and prepared for the grand stage already, as Milo Jones — Lady Gloria's loving and doting husband.

With his hand's support, you jumped from the comfortable chair and onto the hard ground. Luckily for you, which left Ethan disappointed though, you were wearing simple flats; your steps were steady and you didn't need support like when in your royal attire. The dress you wore for today's scenes were simple and the one of a commoner. Of course, it wasn't as beautiful as the royal gown you had worn before, but it was much more comfortable for a long day of work on set.

"You look stunning, Lady Gloria," he commented, a genuine smile playing on his lips as he lead you out. "Now, are you ready to go onto stage with me?"

"I still can't get over how you've become my co-actor so quickly," you said with an amused grin. "From cute baker to famous actor — that sounds like an inspiring story, doesn't it? You should publish a book some day, Ethan."