Before Andrew could even move his hands to begin the massage, the door to the room swung open, and Irene burst in, her eyes wide with concern. “Eva, what happened?”

Andrew groaned, already feeling his patience wear thin. “She just fell. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Irene’s eyes flashed with irritation as she turned on her brother. “You just shut up right now!” she snapped, surprising him. Andrew was left speechless, dumbfounded by the sudden outburst.

Eva couldn’t help but smile at the exchange between the two siblings. Despite the tension in the room, there was something oddly comforting about their bickering. “Irene, I’m alright,” she assured her, her voice soft but steady.

Irene glanced at the bottle of oil on the bedside table and raised an eyebrow. “Andrew, what’s that?”

“It’s oil,” he replied casually, though there was an edge of annoyance creeping into his voice. “Mom told me to give her a massage.”

Irene’s lips curled into a teasing smirk. “Well then, carry on,” she said, stepping out of the doorway but not before throwing a final jab over her shoulder. “Have fun!”

Andrew muttered a curse under his breath as the door clicked shut. “Idiot,” he grumbled, his mood souring further.

Eva, still lying on the bed, watched him closely, trying not to laugh at the awkwardness he was clearly feeling.

“Lay on your stomach,” Andrew ordered, rolling up his sleeves, preparing for the task ahead.

“How?” Eva asked, wincing. “I can barely move.”

With a sigh, Andrew bent down, gently lifting her and repositioning her so that she lay on her stomach. His hands on her body sent an unexpected shiver through her, and for a brief moment, Eva’s heart raced for reasons beyond the pain in her back. She’d never been this close to him, and despite everything, his touch felt... careful. Almost tender.

Andrew poured the oil onto her skin, the cool liquid making her shiver again. “Tell me if you want more pressure or if it’s too hard,” he said, his voice quieter now, as if he wasn’t quite sure what he was doing.

Eva nodded, her cheek resting against the pillow, her body bracing itself for his touch. When his fingers finally pressed into her skin, gently working the tension from her muscles, she felt her body relax despite herself.

“A little harder,” she whispered, her voice muffled.

“What?” Andrew asked, leaning closer.

Eva lifted her head slightly. “A little more pressure,” she repeated, her voice louder this time.

He nodded, adjusting his grip. His fingers moved more firmly now, and Eva couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped her lips as the tension in her back started to melt away. She immediately blushed, embarrassed at the sound.

Andrew smirked slightly, clearly amused. “I didn’t know I was that good,” he teased, his voice dripping with mock arrogance. But despite the smirk, there was a tenderness in the way he worked, a care in his touch that she hadn’t expected.

Eva’s cheeks flushed further, but she ignored his teasing, her mind drifting to the complicated relationship between them. As his hands continued to glide over her skin, she broke the silence. “I know you don’t like me because of my sister. So why are you even doing this? It’s... unlike you.”

Andrew was quiet for a moment, his hands stilling briefly on her back. For once, he seemed unsure of how to respond. Finally, his voice came out low and rough. “Out of guilt.”

Eva frowned, confused by his answer. “Guilt? Why would you feel guilty?”

Before Andrew could answer, Eva let out another soft moan as he pressed into a particularly sore spot. She immediately stiffened, her face burning with embarrassment again. “Oh, sorry,” she mumbled, trying to cover up her slip.

Andrew let out a low chuckle, the sound surprising her. “Don’t worry, I’ve heard worse.” But there was something else there, a shift in his tone. A tension he was trying to mask.

“I shouldn’t have forced you,” Andrew continued after a moment. “Even after I realized something about you.”

Eva’s brow furrowed. “Something about me? What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer immediately, and she could feel him hesitate, his hands pausing on her back. “You’ll know in time,” was all he said before he pulled her shirt back down and helped her turn onto her back. His hands were gentle, though there was a stiffness in his movements now, as if he was struggling to maintain his usual cold distance.

Eva gazed up at him, her eyes searching his face for any hint of what he was feeling. “What?” Andrew asked, his tone sharper than necessary.

She shook her head, unsure how to even begin unraveling the layers of tension between them. “Nothing. Never mind.”

Andrew sighed, his fingers reaching up to brush a few strands of hair behind her ear. The gesture was surprisingly soft, and Eva’s heart fluttered despite the ache in her body. “Goodnight,” he whispered, his voice barely above a murmur before he stood and headed toward the door.

“Goodnight,” Eva whispered back, her voice quieter than she intended. As Andrew left, she couldn’t help but notice the blush that spread across her cheeks, the warmth lingering long after the door closed behind him.

Andrew, meanwhile, was fighting his own battle. The moment he left her room, he stormed down the hallway, cursing under his breath. His emotions were a tangled mess, and for the first time in a long time, he didn’t know how to control them.

By the time he reached his own room, he was practically seething with frustration. “I need a cold shower,” he muttered to himself as he stripped off his shirt and turned on the faucet. The freezing water hit his skin, but it did little to cool the fire burning inside him.

As he leaned against the shower wall, his thoughts drifted back to Eva—her soft skin under his fingers, the way her body had relaxed beneath his touch, the blush that had painted her cheeks. He’d never felt such a pull toward anyone before. Not even Jessica, the woman he once thought was everything he wanted.

“Eva,” her name slipped from his lips before he could stop it. He groaned, his body betraying him as he struggled with the desire he hadn’t expected to feel for her. The cold water did nothing to extinguish the heat coursing through him.

When he finally climbed into bed, the night felt impossibly long. Sleep refused to come, and his mind continued to drift back to her, no matter how hard he tried to push the thoughts away.

For the first time, Andrew found himself completely unsettled by a woman. And it was his wife.