The Ceo's contract wife

Chapter 35 – Then Why Did You Kiss Me Back?

Li didn't move.

She couldn't.

His lips were warm, hesitant at first—like he was waiting for her to stop him. But she didn't. She couldn't.

Because in that moment, everything else had blurred into the background—the contract, the rules, the warnings. Only the way he held her mattered. Only the way her heart stuttered in her chest.

When he finally pulled back, he didn't speak.

Neither did she.

The silence between them wasn't awkward. It was terrifying.

Because it felt too real.

Li stepped back, her eyes avoiding his. "You shouldn't have done that."

Ethan frowned. "But you didn't stop me."

"That's not the point." Her voice cracked. "You're confusing me."

"No." His voice was quiet, steady. "You're confusing yourself. You kissed me back."

Her breath hitched.

"I saw it in your eyes. Felt it." He took a step toward her. "You wanted that kiss as much as I did."

"Don't," she whispered.

"Don't what?" His tone hardened. "Don't say what we both already know?"

She looked up at him, eyes shining. "This wasn't supposed to happen, Ethan. We had a deal."

"And that deal ended the second I realized I wanted more."

She shook her head, fighting the chaos inside her. "You don't get to say that now. Not after everything."

"You think I haven't tried to ignore this?" he asked. "You think I haven't been fighting it every time I see you laugh, every time I hear you say my name like it means something?"

She turned away.

"Li," he said, voice softer now. "Tell me you didn't feel anything just now, and I'll walk away. For real this time."

She didn't answer.

[System Warning: Emotional Pressure at 85%. Termination Imminent.]

Her hands trembled at her sides.

"I can't," she finally whispered.,

Ethan exhaled, as if he'd been holding his breath.

"But I won't survive this again," she said, eyes glassy. "Not if you change your mind tomorrow. Not if this is just guilt or jealousy."

"It's not," he said firmly. "This isn't confusion. It's me realizing I've been an idiot for pushing you away."

Her lip quivered. "Then what happens now?"

He reached out, brushing her hair gently back. "Now, we stop pretending."

[System Countdown: 71:05:23]

But the reality she couldn't say out loud pressed heavily on her chest.

She wasn't just a wife under contract.

She was someone with secrets she couldn't tell him—about who she really was, about the system that controlled her very survival, about the timer counting down to her erasure if she let this love continue.

That night, she sat alone in the guest room.

She didn't cry. She couldn't afford to.

∴

But she felt it—the creeping panic, the quiet voice in her mind that said: Choose. Him or freedom.

[System Notice: Emotional Divergence Detected. Two endings remain.]

[Ending 1: Complete Contract, Survive. Ending 2: Fall in Love, and Lose Everything.]

And as she looked toward the master bedroom, where Ethan's silhouette moved behind the lighted door, she whispered to herself—

"Then why did I kiss him back?"