Emily looked at the man on the ground, unsure of what had just happened. Her heart was racing, and her hands were shaking. Ethan was on the ground, too, and she ran to him, kneeling beside him."Ethan, are you okay?" she asked, her voice trembling.Ethan groaned and rubbed his head. "I think so," he said, sitting up slowly.Emily looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. She saw a man standing at the end of the alleyway, holding a gun. It was Luke.Luke walked toward them, his gun still raised. "Are you two all right?" he asked, his voice low.Emily nodded, unable to speak. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Luke had saved their lives."What are you doing here?" Ethan asked, his voice shaky."I followed you," Luke said, his eyes never leaving the man on the ground. "I saw him pull a gun, and I knew I had to do something."Emily stood up, her knees weak. "Thank you, Luke," she said, her voice barely a whisper.Luke put the gun away and walked over to them. "Are y
Emily was taken aback by Ethan's sudden outburst. She had been caught off guard and had no idea what he was talking about."What are you talking about?" she asked, confused."Don't play dumb with me," Ethan said, taking a step closer to her. "I know you're hiding something from me. What is it?"Emily took a step back, feeling uneasy. She had always been careful not to reveal too much of herself to Ethan, and now he was accusing her of something she hadn't done."I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice trembling.Ethan's expression softened slightly, and he took another step forward. "Look, I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to come on so strong. I just feel like we're not really...connected. Like something is missing."Emily looked at him, surprised by his sudden vulnerability. She had never seen him like this before. It was almost as if he was a different person."I know what you mean," she said softly. "I've felt the same way."Ethan nodded. "I think it's time
Emily's world came crashing down around her as she watched Ethan fall to the ground. She didn't know what to do, or how to react. All she knew was that she couldn't lose him. Not after everything they had been through.As the men fled the scene, Emily fell to her knees beside Ethan, tears streaming down her face."Ethan, please," she cried. "Don't leave me."Ethan's eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at her, a weak smile on his lips."I'm not going anywhere," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Not without you."Emily felt a wave of relief wash over her, and she knew that she had to act fast. She quickly called for an ambulance and stayed by Ethan's side until it arrived.As they rushed him to the hospital, Emily felt a sense of dread wash over her. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew that she couldn't lose Ethan. Not now. Not ever.Days turned into weeks, and Emily spent every moment she could by Ethan's side. She watched as he slowly began to recover, his stre
The police quickly apprehended Jack and took him away in handcuffs, as Ethan and Emily watched, relieved."Thank God you're okay," Ethan said, pulling Emily close to him."I'm fine," Emily said, still feeling the sting of the slap on her cheek. "But we need to be careful. Who knows what else Jack is capable of?"Ethan nodded, looking around to make sure that they were safe. "We need to leave town," he said. "At least for a little while. Until things calm down."Emily knew that he was right. They couldn't take any chances, not after what had happened. "Okay," she said. "Where do you want to go?"Ethan thought for a moment, then looked at her with a smile. "How about Paris?""Paris?" Emily repeated, her eyes widening. "Are you serious?"Ethan nodded. "We've always talked about going there. And now seems like the perfect time. We can take some time to relax, enjoy ourselves, and forget about everything else."Emily couldn't help but smile. Paris had always been her dream destination, and
(A few days earlier) Emily's heart was pounding in her chest as she stared at the woman standing in front of her. She felt as though she was in a nightmare, unable to wake up from the terrible reality that was unfolding before her."Ethan's fiancée?" Emily repeated, her voice trembling.The woman smirked again. "Yes, that's right. I'm Kaitlyn."Ethan stepped forward, trying to take Emily's hand, but she pulled away. "Emily, let me explain," he said, desperation creeping into his voice.Emily shook her head, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "How long?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Ethan hesitated for a moment before answering. "A few months," he said. "But it's complicated. I didn't mean for it to happen."Emily felt a wave of anger wash over her, drowning out the pain and the confusion. "Complicated?" she repeated, her voice rising. "What does that even mean? You're married to me, Ethan. We have a contract, remember?"Ethan's face fell, and he looked away, unable
The next few weeks were tense and fraught with conflict. Ethan's father was relentless in his efforts to break up their marriage, and he used every means at his disposal to do so.He hired private investigators to dig up dirt on Emily, hoping to find something that would force Ethan to end the marriage contract. He also tried to bribe Ethan with promises of wealth and power if he would leave Emily and marry someone more suitable.But Ethan refused to back down. He stood by Emily's side, through every accusation and threat.Emily, for her part, was terrified. She had never been at the center of such intense conflict before, and she didn't know how to handle it. But Ethan was her rock, and he gave her the strength she needed to keep going.One day, Emily was walking home from the market when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, expecting to see a stranger, but instead, she saw Brian."What do you want?" she said, her voice trembling.Brian smirked. "I just wanted to check
Days passed by, and Emily could tell that Ethan was still unsettled by what he had learned about her family. He had been distant and moody, and it made her worry.One evening, she decided to confront him. "Ethan, is everything okay?" she asked, her voice soft.Ethan looked up from his laptop, his expression guarded. "Yeah, everything's fine," he said, but Emily could tell he was lying.She sat down next to him, her heart heavy. "You don't have to pretend with me," she said. "I know something is bothering you. You can talk to me about it."Ethan sighed, then closed his laptop. "It's just...I can't stop thinking about what I found out about your family," he said. "I feel like you've been keeping so much from me, and I don't know if I can trust you anymore."Emily felt a pang of hurt. She had never meant to keep anything from him, but she understood why he felt that way. "I'm sorry," she said. "I should have told you about my family. But you have to understand, it's not easy for me to ta
Emily felt like she had been punched in the gut as she listened to Ethan on the phone. She couldn't believe he was willing to go to such lengths to keep her, even if it meant nullifying their marriage contract.She backed away slowly, feeling like a traitor for eavesdropping, but unable to tear herself away from the conversation."I know what I'm doing," Ethan was saying. "I'll make sure that Brian doesn't get in the way."Emily felt a surge of fear. What did Ethan mean by that? Was he planning to hurt Brian?She knew she had to confront Ethan, but she didn't know how to do it without revealing that she had overheard his conversation.The next few days were tense, with Emily feeling like she was walking on eggshells around Ethan. She tried to act normal, but it was hard, knowing what she knew.One day, when Ethan was out of the house, Emily decided to take matters into her own hands. She went to their lawyer's office and asked to see the contract.The lawyer was hesitant at first, but
Emily's eyes widened in shock as she realized who it was. She had never expected to see Andrew again, especially not like t"What's he doing here?" she asked Ethan, her voice shaking with feaEthan frowned, his eyes fixed on Andrew. "I don't know, but we need to get out of here. NowThey quickly got out of the car and started running, hoping to lose Andrew in the crowd. But he was too fast. He caught up with them in a matter of second"What do you want, Andrew?" Ethan demanded, his voice angrAndrew smirked. "I just wanted to say hi to my old friends. But it seems like you two are too busy for meEmily felt a surge of anger. "We're not friends, Andrew. And we have no reason to talk to youAndrew's smirk faded. "Is that so? Well, I have a reason to talk to you, Emily. You owe me something, rememberEmily glared at him. "I don't owe you anything. Our deal is overAndrew's eyes narrowed. "Oh, is it? Because I seem to remember that you signed a contract. And that contract said that you wo
Ethan didn't hesitate. He punched Andrew in the face, knocking him to the ground.Emily gasped, shocked at the sudden violence.But Ethan wasn't done. He kicked Andrew in the stomach, making him groan in pain."I won't let you hurt her, Andrew. She's mine. She always has been, and she always will be," Ethan said, his voice filled with fury.Andrew tried to get back up, but Ethan punched him again, this time in the nose. Blood gushed out of Andrew's nostrils, and he fell back down to the ground, unconscious.Emily looked at Ethan, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and admiration. She had never seen him so angry, so fierce."Ethan, stop. Please. He's not worth it," Emily said, her voice trembling.Ethan turned to look at her, his eyes softening. "I'm sorry, Emily. I just couldn't stand to see him hurting you like that."Emily nodded, feeling grateful for Ethan's protection.From that day on, Andrew never bothered Emily again. He knew that Ethan was not someone to be trifled with
As the words left Ethan's lips, Emily couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Ethan took a deep breath. "I mean that maybe the contract was just a formality. Maybe what we had between us was real, even if we didn't realize it at the time."Emily felt a surge of hope. Could it be possible? Could Ethan have finally realized what he had lost?But she refused to let herself get carried away. "Ethan, you can't just say things like that and expect everything to be okay. You hurt me, and I can't just forget that.""I know," Ethan said. "And I'm not asking you to forget. I just want you to know that I never stopped caring about you. Even when we were apart, I thought about you every day."Emily felt a sense of warmth spread through her chest. She had missed Ethan more than she ever thought possible, and she couldn't deny the fact that she still cared about him.But she refused
As they were taken to the police station for debriefing, Emily and Ethan couldn't help but feel relieved. They had made it out of that dangerous situation alive, and they had each other to thank forBut as they sat down with the police officers, they realized that their troubles were far from ove"We have reason to believe that the group that attacked you is part of a larger criminal organization," one of the officers explained. "And we need your help to take them downEmily and Ethan exchanged a nervous glance. They knew that they were in for another fight, but they also knew that they couldn't turn their backs on justic"We'll do whatever it takes," Ethan said, his voice resolutThe officers nodded, and they began to explain their plan. Emily and Ethan listened intently, taking in every detaiThey knew that this mission would be risky, but they were ready to take that risk. They were ready to fight for what was righAs they prepared for their mission, Emily and Ethan took comfort in
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.Emily nodded, tears streaming down her face. "I'm fine. Thank you."Ethan helped her to her feet, and they made their way to their car. They knew that they had to leave town immediately before the corrupt officials could catch up to them.As they drove away, Emily turned to Ethan. "What are we going to do now?"Ethan's jaw clenched as he thought about their next move. "We have to keep going. We can't let them win."Emily nodded, her eyes filled with determination. "We'll keep fighting. For our children, and for the generations to come."As they drove into the night, Emily and Ethan knew that their fight was far from over. But they also knew that they had each other, and that was all they needed to face whatever lay ahead.Weeks turned into months, and Emily and Ethan continued to work tirelessly, gathering evidence and building their case against the corrupt officials. They knew that they were getting close and that their hard w
As Emily and Ethan hurried towards their car, they were surrounded by the group of men who had been watching them. The men were armed, and they had no chance of fighting back."What do you want from us?" Ethan demanded, trying to sound brave despite the fear that was gnawing at him."We want the evidence," the leader of the group said, his voice cold and menacing.Emily and Ethan knew that they couldn't let the evidence fall into the wrong hands. It was their only hope of stopping corruption and bringing justice to the people."I'll never give it to you," Emily said, her voice firm.The leader just laughed. "We'll see about that."The men grabbed Emily and Ethan, dragging them towards a nearby van. They were thrown inside and tied up, their mouths gagged.As they drove away, Emily and Ethan could do nothing but wait and hope for a chance to escape. The van stopped in a remote area, and they were dragged out and thrown into a small room."We'll give you one more chance," the leader sai
Days passed, and Emily and Ethan tried to focus on their work. But the sense of unease lingered, and they found themselves constantly looking over their shoulders.One evening, as they were walking home from dinner, they noticed a car following them. They quickened their pace, but the car sped up as well."We need to run," Ethan said, taking Emily's hand.They took off down the street, but the car was still hot on their heels. Just as they thought they were going to get caught, a group of men appeared out of nowhere and tackled the people in the car.Emily and Ethan watched in shock as the men subdued their attackers. "Who are you?" Emily asked, turning to the men."We're the ones you helped out a few days ago," one of the men said. "We owe you our lives, and we'll do anything to protect you."Emily and Ethan were speechless. They had never expected anyone to come to their aid, but they were grateful for the help.As they made their way back home, they couldn't shake the feeling that
But as they walked towards their car, they saw a figure in black waiting for them. Emily's heart skipped a beat as she recognized the figure.It was the same person who had saved them twice before."You again," Ethan said, surprised.The figure nodded. "I'm glad to see that you're both safe," he said.Emily and Ethan exchanged a look of confusion. "Who are you?" Emily asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.The figure hesitated for a moment before finally removing his mask, revealing a face that Emily and Ethan knew all too well.It was Victor.Emily gasped in shock, unable to believe her eyes. "How did you escape?" she demanded.Victor smirked. "I have my ways," he said. "But I didn't come here to fight. I came to make a deal."Emily and Ethan exchanged a look of disbelief. They couldn't trust Victor, not after everything he had done."What kind of deal?" Ethan asked, his voice laced with suspicion.Victor's smirk widened. "I want to make a proposition. I'll give you something
The music continued to play and the guests danced, Victor slinked away, defeated. But Emily and Ethan knew that their victory was only temporary. They had made an enemy who would never forget or forgive what they had done.The following days were filled with anxiety and tension as Ethan and Emily waited for the inevitable retaliation from Victor. They hired extra security and changed their routines, but they couldn't shake off the feeling that something terrible was about to happen.One evening, Emily was walking back to her car after a meeting when a hand suddenly covered her mouth, and she was dragged into an alleyway. She struggled to break free, but the attacker was too strong."Shh, it's me," Ethan whispered, as he took his hand off her mouth.Emily was relieved to see her husband, but her heart was still racing from the sudden attack. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice shaking."We have to leave. Now," Ethan said, his eyes scanning the surroundings.Emily could sense the ur