Chapter 4 – Centre Of It All

Anna’s POV

As soon as the cab pulled up in front of my home, I barely waited for it to stop before pushing the door open and rushing out. My chest felt tight, as if the weight of everything I’d seen and heard today was pressing down on me with unbearable force. My legs carried me on autopilot to the front door.

The silence was a relief. No voices, no questions. My dad was out, and my mom had taken Lily Christmas shopping. For once, I was grateful for the emptiness. I kicked off my boots, leaving them scattered by the door, and went upstairs to my room.

The moment I closed my bedroom door behind me, I broke. A sob escaped my lips as I leaned against the door, sliding down to the floor.

How could they?

Jack, the man I’d trusted with my life, my heart, my future. Sarah, my cousin, my blood, someone I’d grown up with and trusted completely. And Ethan...

Ethan’s betrayal was a different kind of pain. He’d known. Known about Jack’s affair, known about Sarah’s involvement, known everything—and he hadn’t told me. The thought made my stomach churn, my chest tighten until it felt like I couldn’t breathe.

Tears blurred my vision as anger and heartbreak burned within me. My head pounded. Was I such a fool, so blind, that everyone around me saw the truth while I lived in ignorance?

I covered my face with my hands, trying to steady my breaths, but the feelings overwhelmed me—betrayal, humiliation, anger, heartbreak.

Then came the knock.

It was soft at first, almost hesitant, but I ignored it, hoping whoever it was would just go away.

The knock came again, louder this time.

I stiffened, a sinking feeling in my gut. I didn’t need to open the door to know who it was. Ethan.

I clenched my fists, refusing to answer. But the knocking turned into a series of bangs, relentless and insistent.

“Anna, open the door,” his voice came through, muffled but unmistakable.

“Go away!” I yelled, my voice cracking.

“Please, Anna. I just want to talk,” he called back.

The banging continued. Out of anger, I stormed to the door, yanking it open with so much force that it slammed against the wall.

“What part of ‘go away’ do you not understand?” I shouted, my voice trembling with rage.

Ethan didn’t flinch. Instead, he stepped forward, forcing his way into the room before I could slam the door in his face.

“Get out,” I said through gritted teeth.

“No,” he said firmly, his gaze locking onto mine. “Not until you hear me out.”

“There’s nothing you can say to fix this,” I snapped, folding my arms across my chest.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Anna, I didn’t tell you because—”

“Because you thought I was happy?” I cut him off, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “If that’s your excuse, then don’t bother talking. I don’t need more lies.”

His shoulders sagged, but he didn’t look away. “It’s not a lie. At first, I thought you were happy. And then... things got complicated.”

“Complicated?” I repeated, my voice rising. “Ethan, you stood there and watched me marry a man you knew was cheating on me with my own cousin. How do you justify that?”

He took a step closer, his expression unreadable. “You’re right. I should have said something. But I didn’t fully understand what was going on until it was too late.”

“Start talking, then,” I said coldly. “And don’t leave anything out.”

Ethan took a deep breath, his gaze steady but pained. “I first met Jack when he came to me with a legal case. It was straightforward, nothing unusual, and I handled it. After that, he came back asking for advice about acquiring a piece of land. The way he talked about it, it seemed aboveboard, so I gave him a general answer just to be done with him. But then...”

He paused, his jaw tightening.

“But then what?” I demanded.

“The history of the land caught my attention,” he admitted. “Something about the way Jack talked about it didn’t sit right with me. So I looked into it. And that’s when I discovered Sarah’s involvement. At first, I thought she was just helping him with the deal. But then I saw them together. It didn’t take long to figure out what was really going on.”

My stomach turned at his words. I felt sick, not just at Jack and Sarah’s betrayal but at the fact that Ethan had known all of this and stayed silent.

“You knew all of this,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “And you said nothing when I introduced Jack to you as my fiancé. You didn’t even act like you knew him.”

Ethan hesitated. “Jack acted like he didn’t know me at first. That was... odd. As a lawyer, I’ve learned to recognize when someone’s hiding something. So I kept quiet, hoping to gather more information.”

“To my detriment?” I shot back, my voice rising again. “You let me walk into a marriage with a man who was lying to me, and your excuse is that you were ‘gathering information’?”

“Anna, I’m sorry,” he said, his voice filled with regret. “I didn’t know how deep it went. I didn’t know how much it would hurt you.”

I laughed bitterly. “Hurt me? Ethan, I trusted you. I thought you were my friend. But now I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

He stepped closer, his expression desperate. “I’m trying to make it right. I’ve been digging into Jack’s dealings ever since. And I think there’s more to this than just an affair.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “What do you mean?”

“The land Jack was after,” Ethan said slowly. “It used to be a gold mine. And it belonged to your grandfather.”

His words hit me like a thunderclap. My grandfather’s gold mine? I hadn’t thought about it in years. The property had been sold off long before I was born.

“What does that have to do with me?” I asked, my voice wary.

“I don’t know yet,” Ethan admitted. “But I have a feeling you’re somehow at the center of all this. Jack wouldn’t have gone to such lengths otherwise.”