“Of course,” said the gorgeous assassin calmly.
“You’ve got one month to toughen up. The Umbral Gate doesn’t care if you’ve got real skills or not—what they want is a body that doesn’t fall apart and stamina that doesn’t give out.”
That actually lined up with what Ethan had been thinking.
He’d already bought a speed bag and some ping pong balls to get ahead of the training curve.
“No problem,” he said.
“Bought them already.”
He grabbed the shopping bag at his feet and dropped it at the end of the bed.
Lila glanced at him, walked over, pulled out the contents.
“Speed bag’s useful for reflexes and quickness.
Ping pong balls though?”
“They help with speed training too.” Ethan explained, “If I can catch ten or twenty flying at me, it’d mean my reflexes and hand-eye coordination are on point.”
Lila nodded.
“Simple trick, but not bad.
Alright, get started.”
“Now?” Ethan blinked.
“When else?” she shot him a cold look.
“We’ve only got a month.”
Ethan avoided her gaze, picked up the speed bag and moved toward the back window.
“Let me get this thing hung up first.”
“Leave it. I’ll handle it,” Lila cut him off.
“You start with push-ups and finger push-ups.
A thousand each.”
“A what now?” Ethan stared at her.
“You heard me?” Lila’s glare sharpened.
Feeling the temperature drop six degrees, Ethan quickly forced a laugh, palms up.
“Don’t get me wrong, I mean… a thousand’s kinda low, right?”
She paused, caught slightly off-guard.
“How many you thinking, then?”
He raised a finger, “One more. One thousand and one.”
Lila felt a migraine coming on.
“Cut the crap.
Start now.
And from now on, stop calling me ‘gorgeous.’ You call me ‘wife.'”
“Wife?” Ethan laughed nervously.
Lately, that word felt like a death sentence to him—every time he said it, his scalp tingled and his back went cold.
“I don’t even know your real name and you want me to call you that?”
“Lila.” Her voice was as chilly as always.
Lila?
Ethan almost groaned.
A killer with such a soft and poetic name?
What a contradiction.
“…Wife…” he mumbled with a twisted smile.
“Again.”
“…W-w-wife…”
“More natural. Sound like you actually love me,” Lila demanded.
Sweat clinging to his forehead, Ethan squirmed and forced out a high-pitched “Wife…”
“Did your wife die or something? Call me like you mean it!” she snapped.
“When we get into The Umbral Gate, we need to act like a legit couple.
If they think I just grabbed some random guy to play husband, I’m done for.
Say it!”
“Wife…” Ethan tried sounding as gentle as possible this time.
“Keep going!” She still wasn’t satisfied.
“Act like a husband! Do what a husband would do!”
Ethan roughly scratched his short hair, then finally stepped up behind Lila.
He wrapped his arms around her slim waist and leaned in close, whispering near her flushed ear, “Wiiife…”
Then, as if crossing a line he never thought he would, he planted a light kiss on her cheek.
“Mhm.” The first time she didn’t sound cold.
“Go on. Get to training.”
In that moment, holding Lila in his arms felt surprisingly good.
Good enough to almost make him forget she terrified him.Lila had a figure to die for and a stunning face that could make hearts skip a beat.
Her subtle fragrance was intoxicating, and the way she leaned against Ethan—those tiny, almost imperceptible touches—completely messed with his mind.
Ethan could practically feel his body heating up.
Holding her slim waist, he whispered sweetly, “Wife…”
“Mhm,” Lila responded, voice laced with a surprising warmth.
Thoughts of last night’s intimacy flickered through her mind, softening her tone.
“Go on. Time to train.”
Ethan loved that gentle tone.
Hugging her tighter, he murmured again, “Wife…”
“Go train!” Lila suddenly shot him a sharp look and snapped.
Startled, Ethan flinched and hit the ground, starting his push-ups in a panic.
Damn it, she wants me to play the loving husband, and the moment I do, she turns into the Ice Queen.
One day I’ll sue her for emotional damage!
A thousand push-ups, another thousand on his fingers, then drills with the speed ball and table tennis—the usual full set ran deep into the night.
Even with his energy boost from his Clairvoyance Eye, Ethan was wrecked, sprawled on the floor, panting like a fish out of water.
“Hubby, go take a shower, brush your teeth, then come sleep with me,” Lila’s voice came from the bed where she’d already dozed off halfway, stretching lazily under the covers.
Ethan perked up immediately and scrambled to the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, clad in pajamas, he walked over to the bed.
Then he stopped dead.
Lila hadn’t bothered with a blanket.
She looked like something out of a dream—sexy yet almost unreal.
“Like what you see?” she asked, eyes locking on him with a tender smile.
Ethan swallowed hard and nodded.
“Honestly?
Yeah.”
“What if I wanted you to stay with me tonight.
Would you?”
He nodded faster.
“Honestly?
Totally.”
“And if I asked you for more, you got the stamina?”
“Absolutely.”
Lila chuckled.
“Good. I like that about you—your stamina impresses me.”
Then she pointed to the floor at the foot of the bed.
“Well then, if you still got energy, how about another thousand push-ups?”
You’ve got to be kidding me!
Ethan nearly collapsed.
“Wife, have mercy…”
“Nope,” she replied, cool and sharp, raising a solitary finger.
“Not a thousand.
A thousand and one.”
Ethan’s face twisted with despair as he let out a sigh and crawled to the floor again, repeating in his head, “I’ve gotta dump this crazy wife, seriously…”
He had no idea how many he managed before eventually passing out cold on the floor mid-push-up.
“Up!” A sharp kick to his backside jolted him awake.
Ethan blinked, still face-down on the floor.
Looking up, he saw Lila, fully dressed, towering over him like a queen.
“Wife, morning…” he offered a sheepish smile.
Her face stayed cold and distant.
“I’m heading out,” she said, tone calm and commanding.
“You’ll hear from me tonight. And remember—what happens between us stays between us. Got it?”
She flashed her phone at him, revealing a photo—Martha Brooks.
Ethan jolted upright and nodded quickly.
“Don’t worry. You’re my wife—I’d never sell you out.”
With a small nod, Lila turned and walked to the door.
As soon as it closed, Ethan sprang up and leapt onto the bed, acting out a dramatic, ridiculous wrestling move without a partner.
“Witch! I’ll smother you in your sleep! Witch!”
Just then, the door creaked.
He froze and turned his head.
Lila was standing there, still at the door, expression frozen, eyes cold as ice, staring right at him.