Devilish secretary - Chapter 256

Chapter 256: Chapter 256 Sleeping together
The trees finally thinned a little, and through the gaps, Tara spotted something ahead, a crooked roof, an old wall half-covered with vines.

As they got closer, the full view appeared.

It was a small, shabby wooden cottage, sitting awkwardly in the middle of the trees like it had been forgotten by time.

The wood was dark and rotting, windows cracked, the door hanging slightly off its hinges. The whole place looked like the perfect set for a haunted house scene.

Tara slowed down, staring at it suspiciously. Even the wind around the place seemed colder, making the broken window shutters creak eerily.

But beside her Ethan’s face lit up like he had just found heaven.

“YES! YES! A HOUSE! I don’t even care if it’s haunted—I’ll take my chances!” he cried happily, already dragging Tara toward the front door.

Tara raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. “It looks abandoned… and maybe dangerous.”

Ethan waved his free hand dismissively.

“Dangerous is sleeping in the forest with wolves, my lady. I’ll take ghosts over getting eaten alive, thank you very much.”

He reached the crooked door and gave it a push.

It creaked loudly, swinging open with a screech that made even Ethan flinch a little.

Inside, it smelled musty, old wood and damp earth, but at least it was dry and had a roof.

Ethan peeked inside carefully, his heart hammering.

He half-expected a ghost to float past or a zombie to pop out.

When nothing happened after a few seconds, he turned back to Tara, flashing his brightest, most hopeful smile.

“See? Totally safe.” he said confidently, his voice cracking slightly at the end.

Tara bit back a laugh and stepped inside carefully, her bare feet brushing against the dusty floor.

At least it was shelter.

Ethan closed the door behind them with a determined thud.

“Congratulations to us,” he said, spreading his arms grandly, ignoring the cobwebs stuck to his hair.

“Our first house together. Very romantic. Very moldy.”

Tara finally laughed softly, shaking her head.

They stepped inside the cottage carefully.

The moment they entered, a strong, unpleasant smell hit them.

Tara wrinkled her nose immediately, covering her mouth with her sleeve.

“Ugh… it stinks in here…” she muttered, looking around in disgust.

The air was thick with the scent of old wood, damp earth, and something that smelled suspiciously like rotten leaves.

But Ethan just shrugged, walking in casually like he couldn’t smell a thing.

“Smells better than the sewer near my high school,” he said proudly, tossing his wet shoes near the door.

Tara gave him a long, judging look. “You need to fix your standards,” she said seriously.

They wandered a few steps further inside and spotted a small old bed tucked in the corner under a cracked window.

The bed had a thin, dirty mattress and an even dirtier sheet thrown over it.

Without thinking, Ethan plopped himself onto the mattress with a loud sigh, arms spread out dramatically.

“Finally! A place to die—I mean, rest,” he said with a goofy grin.

Tara’s eyes widened in horror. She rushed toward him and whacked his leg with her hand.

“How can you lie down anywhere so casually?!” she shouted, genuinely shocked.

“It’s filthy! You don’t even know what’s on that bed!”

Ethan sat up instantly, looking at her as if she had slapped his soul instead of his leg.

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Nobody had ever scolded him like that before.

He just stared at her, looking almost betrayed. “I was just… resting,” he muttered quietly, like a child caught doing something wrong.

Tara groaned in frustration.

She glanced around the room quickly and spotted an old, dusty broom leaning against a corner.

Without wasting a second, she grabbed it and started sweeping the floor quickly, kicking up clouds of dust. She opened the small broken window nearby to let the fresh air in, coughing a little as she worked.

Meanwhile, Ethan sat frozen on the bed, watching her work like she was some angry house fairy on a mission.

Then Tara turned to the bed, eyeing the dirty bedsheet in disgust.

Without hesitation, she yanked off the sheet and threw it toward the corner, away from the mattress.

She thought quickly—

She took out Ethan’s jacket (the one he had earlier draped over her shoulders), and carefully spread it across the mattress as a temporary clean cover.

Then, she untied the outer layer of her thick, heavy wedding dress skirt, it had an extra fabric lining. She folded it neatly and placed it on top of the jacket to make a cleaner, safer spot to sleep on.

Tara wiped her hands on her dress and stood back, inspecting her work with a satisfied nod. “There. Now it’s at least half decent,” she said firmly.

Ethan stared at her like she had just built a palace out of nothing.

“You’re… scary,” he said seriously, inching back toward the newly cleaned bed carefully.

Tara crossed her arms. “You’re welcome,” she said proudly.

Ethan slowly, very carefully, sat down again, this time as if he was sitting on sacred treasure.

Once Tara finished cleaning, she dusted her hands off and stood by the bed, looking at Ethan.

Ethan sat awkwardly on the edge, glancing between her and the small space they had.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Finally, Tara cleared her throat and said stiffly, “You can sleep on the bed. I’ll sit somewhere else.”

Ethan immediately shook his head. “No way. You’re hurt, remember? You need to lie down.”

Tara frowned. “I’m fine. You’re the one who saved me. You should rest properly.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sleeping while you sit like a sad statue in the corner.”

“I’m not sad!” Tara huffed.

“You will be after a few hours sitting on the floor,” Ethan argued back, crossing his arms.

A strange, awkward silence filled the tiny room.

The small bed didn’t look big enough for two people. Maybe not even for one properly. But it was their only option.

Finally, Ethan sighed loudly and threw his hands up.

“Fine. New plan. We both sleep. Together. Problem solved.”

Tara froze, her heart thumping weirdly.

Together?!

Her face flushed slightly, and she shifted her weight awkwardly.

She had never been this close to a man before…never shared a space, never breathed the same air so closely like this.