Thanks Ex, I Married My Uncle

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I downed a drink and my body started burning up. Someone must have drugged me.

I stumbled around looking for my boyfriend Ethan Smith, but at the bar I overheard his conversation with someone else.

I don't believe in 'well-matched families'I only believe in myself. Yara, I swear I'll make you the future Mrs. Smith.

"As for Lila, after tonight, videos of her acting like a slut will spread all over the internet. From then on, I'll have her wrapped around my finger."

Everything went black. This was the man I'd loved for three years.

With nowhere else to turn, I shakily dialed my uncle Lucas Brown's number.

"Lucas, I've been drugged. I feel terrible..."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then his deep, magnetic voice came through.

"Send me your location... Stay where you are. I'm coming to get you."

Under the dizzying lights, I was roughly shoved onto a soft couch.

My head was spinning, my mouth was dry.

It felt like a wildfire burning inside my body.

Without thinking, I started tearing at the neckline of my dress, desperate for a breeze to cool my burning skin.

I longed to press against someone's cool skin to ease this unbearable heat.

"Well, well, little slut, can't wait anymore?"

"I'll take care of you right now..."

A stranger's voice exploded in my ear, instantly shocking me back to my senses.

Something was wrong.

I'd been drugged!

Today was my twentieth birthdaywho would want to destroy me like this?!

A strange man pressed down on me, shamelessly tearing at my dress.

I bit my lip hard until I tasted blood, which brought me a moment of clarity.

Grabbing a bottle opener from the table, I used all my strength to smash it against his forehead!

A muffled groan.

The man clutched his head as blood seeped through his fingers.

I shoved him away and fled, clutching my torn dress.

Call the police? Noin my current state, they'd just think I was some girl whose hookup got out of hand. I'd never be able to explain.

Go home? Even worse. It would only make my parents worry and break down.

The drug's effects were getting stronger. I steadied myself against the wall and staggered out of the bar.

The cold air made me shiver, but the fire inside me burned even fiercer.

Right now, I had only one option.

My uncle Lucas, who'd just returned from a mission.

Lucas's place wasn't far from here.

He was Dad's closest comrade-in-arms, ten years older than me.

But... he'd just returned from an overseas mission. We hadn't seen each other in almost a year.

And he was such a disciplined man, filled with that steely military bearing.

If he saw me like this...

Behind me, Ethan's cursing and footsteps faintly approached.

He'd figured out my intentions from the private room.

"Think you can run? Yara, quick, don't let her get away! The phone's still recording!"

Yarathe girl I'd always thought was my best friendsounded thrilled.

I couldn't worry about anything else. Gritting my teeth, I plunged into the night.

With trembling hands, I pressed the doorbell.

Almost instantly, the door opened.

His unique scent hit meclean and crisp like a pine forest after snow.

I stood at the door, nervously watching the tall, imposing figure before me.

After a year, Lucas's features were even sharper than I remembered, devastatingly handsome with an aggressive edge. High nose bridge, thin lips pressed tight.

The moment our eyes met, I couldn't help but shudder.

My blood ignited like gasoline, exploding with a rush. A tingling itch seeped through my entire body.

Every inch of me felt like it was being gnawed by ants.

I clutched at my damaged dress in agony. When I spoke, my voice was so soft it could drip water: "Lucas, I feel terrible, so hot..."

Lucas, usually cold as an iceberg, stared at me intently. His dark pupils reflected my current disheveled state.

Flushed face, misty eyes, clothes in disarray.

Utterly... debauched.

The door slammed shut.

He pulled me into the room with one motion.

The instant our skin touched, the cool sensation of his arm made me release a satisfied sigh.

My strength drained away as I hung onto him.

Instinctively, I nuzzled against him, desperately seeking that precious coolness.

Outside the door, I heard Ethan's pursuit: "Strange, where is she? I just saw her run into this building!"

Lucas held me with one arm while picking up his phone with the other, his voice cold as ice: "Hello, police? Someone's causing a disturbance in the military family residential area."

Up close, I could hear the suppressed tremor in his throat.

After a few sentences, he hung up.

Soon, sirens sounded below, and Ethan's voice disappeared.

The danger had passed.

But I was still in Lucas's arms, clutching the front of his combat uniform, burrowing into his embrace.

Greedily absorbing his coolness.

His toned waist from years of training held a fatal attraction.

And lower...

A suppressed groan.

My hand was firmly pressed down by his burning palm.

My heart was racing.

In an instant, everything spun. My dress fluttered.

Lucas carried me to the bed with gentle, controlled movements, though his eyes looked like they wanted to devour me alive.

He extended his slender hand, checking my forehead.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently: "Lila, you're burning up..."

"Don't move, I'll get a thermometer!"

I shook my head in discomfort.

The drug's effects left me unbearably restless. I could only plead with him tearfully: "Lucas..."

"I... want... I need..."

Lucas looked at me, his throat tight.

His fingertips, calloused from years of handling weapons, touched my wrist.

That rough texture made my heart itch.

A moment later he released my hand, his breathing unstable as he leaned in close.

His unique masculine scent flooded my nostrils, his tall frame casting a shadow over me.

And I melted like spring water under his presence.

"Lila, you've been drugged."

"What a massive dose!"

"Don't be afraid, I'll buy medicine... otherwise it'll cause permanent damage to your nervous system."

His hoarse voice entered my ears, stirring my desires.

I had no mind for his words. All my attention was on his thin lips moving up and down.

Pale in color, yet utterly tempting.

Just a slight lift of my head, and I could kiss them.

I swallowed, reaching my arms around Lucas's neck.

From his suddenly constricting pupils, I saw myself with hair cascading like a waterfall across the white pillow.

Looking exactly like a little temptress.

Completely different from my usual quiet, obedient self.

When I spoke, my voice carried a seductive tone.

"Lucas, I... want..."

Lucas held my waist with one hand.

His other hand caressed my face.

Every movement made my heart tremble.

His eyes were filled with desire too.

"Lila, do you know who I am?"

"I know, you're Lucas."

"Good girl. Whatever you want, I'll give you."

Morning light pierced through the curtain gaps, falling on my face.

A hangover-like headache.

Last night's memories flooded back like a tidefragmented yet crystal clear.

Lucas's burning body temperature, his suppressed gasps, and my shameless demands.

My cheeks instantly burned. I sat up abruptly from the bed, nearly drowning in shame.

The room was empty.

The air still held traces of his crisp pine scent and the tobacco he'd smoked.

He was gone.

My heart felt inexplicably hollow.

On the nightstand sat a glass of warm water and a packet of pills. A note was tucked underneath.

Sharp handwriting with forceful strokeshis military bearing showed through.

"Take the medicine when you wake up. Rest well."

On the chair back hung a brand-new dress and underwear, tags still attached.

My face burned even hotter.

I fled from Lucas's place and returned to school.

The moment I stepped through the campus gates, I sensed something was wrong.

The surrounding gazes were like poisoned needles, densely piercing my body.

Those whispers were like countless buzzing flies, drilling into my ears.

"Look, that's her. Lila."

"I heard she went wild at the bar last night, with several guys..."

"Ethan really got unluckyhis girlfriend's so shameless."

My blood turned ice-cold, inch by inch.

Ethan had moved faster and more ruthlessly than I'd imagined.

I clenched my fists and quickened my pace, just wanting to get back to my dormmy only refuge.

But as soon as I reached the building, a crowd blocked my path.

Leading them was Ethan.

He had dark circles under his eyes, a conspicuous bandage on his forehead, looking haggard.

Beside him, Yara was supporting him with a face full of concern. When she saw me, triumph flashed through her eyes.

Ethan looked at me like I was something filthy, his eyes full of disgust and anguish.

He pointed at me, his voice trembling with emotion, as if he were the victim.

"Lila! How dare you show your face here?"

The crowd exploded, all eyes focused on me.

I watched his pathetic performance coldly.

But he seemed wounded by my gaze. He stepped forward abruptly, screaming hysterically:

"You spent last night screwing around with some random guy, and you have nothing to say?"

"I loved you so muchis this how you treat me?"

"I've already told the teacher. The school must severely punish a morally corrupt student like you!"

Every sentence was like a poisoned dagger, precisely stabbing into my heart.

The pointing and gossiping around me became a suffocating net.

I felt cold all over, trembling with rage.

This was the man I'd loved for three yearstwisting facts, utterly shameless.

Under everyone's gaze, I actually calmed down.

Facing his hypocritical expression, I curved my lips into an icy smile.

"Oh? Really?"

"Then let's call the police."

The moment I spoke, the air seemed to freeze.

Ethan's face turned the color of liver, clearly not expecting this from me.

The crowd's whispers exploded like salt thrown into hot oil.

"Call the police? She dares call the police?"

"She's guiltytrying to scare people with threats."

Just then, a middle-aged woman with glasses pushed through the crowd. It was our advisor.

She looked at me with angry disappointment, her gaze severe.

"Lila! Come with me to the office!"

The teacher's appearance was like a shot of adrenaline for Ethan.

He immediately put on a heartbroken expression, pointing at me with a tearful voice.

"Professor, you came just in time! I never imagined Lila was this kind of person. I'm... I'm so disappointed in her!"

Yara beside him immediately chimed in, saying quietly to those around: "Ethan's just too kindthat's why she could deceive him so badly."

Working together, they nailed me to the pillar of shame.

The teacher's expression grew worse. She looked at me like I was hopeless trash.

My heart sank inch by inch into an icy abyss.

So this was what it felt like to be unable to defend yourself.

Just as the invisible pressure was about to crush me, a voice as cold as ice cut through all the noise.

"Who's taking her away?"

The crowd automatically parted.

A tall figure walked toward us against the light, military boots making steady, powerful sounds on the ground. Each step seemed to land on everyone's heart.

It was Lucas.

He wore a crisp military uniform, his shoulder insignia gleaming gold in the sunlight. That handsome, sharp face was covered with frost, his gaze like a blade sweeping across everyone present.

The noisy crowd fell instantly silent.

The smugness on Ethan's face froze.