I rushed to the bathroom, quickly washing and wiping myself before heading to the garden, where everyone was already seated, waiting for the bride and groom. "Hey!" Jason said as soon as I arrived at our table."Hello," I smiled back, watching him stand up and kiss me on the cheek."I thought you were coming with the bride and groom," he wondered."I had to leave them to attend to a planning emergency," I said as he pulled out a chair for me, and I sat down."Oh! What happened?" he asked, giving me a welcoming smile—one of the things I liked about him. He always listened, like Ethan; he listened and tried his best to help me solve my problems."Can you believe it? The baker didn’t deliver the cake. I had to go there myself to get it," I explained. He knew about the trouble we had with the baker, how she kept changing her prices and adding extra charges for trivial things."That's terrible," Jason replied. "But is it ready now?" I nodded. "Ethan helped. You know how smooth he is with
As soon as he said the words, "I think I love you," my heart sank. 'Love'. It was a heavy word, and suddenly my heart began to race. I couldn’t love him back, and I didn’t want to be deceptive. “What’s wrong?” Jason asked, probably noticing the tension in my body.“I still love Ethan,” I admitted, locking eyes with him, waiting for his reaction. But he didn’t look fazed; it was as if he’d already expected those words.“I know,” he said, and my eyes widened in surprise. He knew. “You and I have been dancing for over five minutes, and I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve glanced over at his table,” Jason continued, his words making me feel terrible. I hadn’t even realized I was doing it. “But I don’t care,” Jason added, his voice firm. “Just give me a chance, and I’ll make you forget him.” He said it so confidently that I couldn’t help but doubt him. Could anyone really make me forget Ethan? But if Jason insisted, maybe I could try.“Sure,” I smiled, glancing briefly toward Ethan
"But seriously, Emily, it's not safe for you to be standing out here. I already called your cab company and canceled," Ethan said. I stared at him in disbelief, unsure whether he was lying or telling the truth. Could he even do that? I wondered.I glared at him, and his mischievous grin widened. "It’s fine if you don’t believe me," he said, walking back to his car. "You’ll just have to wait and find out. I hope you'll still be safe by then." His words made me swallow hard. I glanced around—he was right. It was late, getting darker, and there wasn’t a soul in sight."Fine!" I huffed, rushing after him."Did you really cancel my cab?" I asked, sliding into the passenger seat. Ethan laughed."Of course not. Can I even do that?" he replied, and before I could protest, he locked the door and started driving. I sighed, sinking into the seat, trying to ignore his occasional glances."Where are you going?" I asked, noticing he was heading in the wrong direction. "The hotel’s that way," I poin
My heart stopped. Standing by the door, fists clenched, I was about to step forward, but I froze, catching my breath. "No!" I whispered under my breath, pulling my hands to my chest, willing myself not to give in. Without a second thought, I turned and rushed back to my room. I could feel the pull, the magnetic force that drew me toward him, and I knew if I stayed even one second longer, I would fall back into Ethan’s arms. I couldn’t risk it.As soon as I reached my room, I threw my things into a suitcase and bolted for the airport. I had to leave. I had to get out of this country before I did something I couldn’t take back. I caught the next flight to New York, calling Jason on the way to offer a fake apology, spinning a story about a last-minute client meeting I had to attend. But when I called Jennifer, I told her the truth—about me and Ethan, about everything.Once I was back in New York, I did everything I could to avoid Ethan. His calls, his messages, any places I knew he might
He moved closer to me, his hands wrapping around my waist as he pulled me in. "Look at me, Emily," he said, gently turning my face to meet his piercing gaze."What do you want, Ethan?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly. He began placing gentle kisses on my neck, each one lingering longer than the last, building an intensity that left me breathless. His lips hovered at the tender spot where my neck met my shoulder, teasing before settling into a soft, sweet kiss that made my heart flutter."No!" I shouted, pushing him away, trying to resist the urge, the longing my body felt. I couldn’t give in, especially not with Jason waiting outside. "I don’t want you!" I yelled, stepping back from his grip. His eyes flickered with hurt, but I couldn't let that stop me."You hurt me, Ethan. You left me broken. You chose your life of crime over us," I reminded him, my voice shaking with the weight of everything I had buried. "And now you expect me to just... get back together with you? Do you thi
"You what?!" I exclaimed, my eyes widening as my heart began to race. I had heard that Christof died recently, but it was labeled as natural causes, old age. I had no idea Ethan was responsible."How could you?" I took a step back, almost stumbling. Ethan could never truly change, I realized, as the weight of it hit me. Tears began to roll down my cheeks. Why did it feel like a part of me still wanted him to?"You can never change, can you?" I whispered, staring at the man I once loved,the man who was a killer."No, Emily. I have changed. I've buried that part of my life," Ethan said, his voice firm, but I could only stare at him. A mixture of anger and pain surged through me."With how many bodies did you bury that part of your life?" I asked, feeling the crushing weight of his actions pressing down on me."I had to," he said, and I shook my head in disbelief."No. We could have run away together, somewhere far, somewhere they never would have found you." My heart broke as I spoke, w
"What is this?" I asked, my voice laced with disbelief. I turned to Jason, who shrugged in response. "What is this, Jennifer? Did Ethan use his AI to hack Jason’s TV or something?" I muttered, unwilling to believe what the reporter was saying. Ethan couldn’t have done something so foolish, just because of what I said."Are you serious, Emily?" Jennifer's voice was filled with frustration. "Ethan turned himself in for you!" she yelled, and I shook my head, my heart racing as tears welled up in my eyes."That’s a lie! He’s lying!" I protested, wiping away the tears. "He’s deceiving you, Jennifer. He’s done it to me before. He once told me he’d let Wayne kill him if I wanted, but he was lying!" I said, finding it impossible to believe what was happening."He’s not lying, My father is at the station right now, trying to convince him to stop. Only you can stop him!" Jennifer's words blurred in my mind."I won’t do it. Leave me alone!" I yelled, hanging up the call. As soon as the line disc
"Is this real?" I wondered. For someone about to have his head cut off, Ethan looked too comfortable."Stop this, Ethan!" I yelled, sitting down opposite him. "Please stop playing games with me. Just let me go, please," I pleaded, hating how easily everything he did affected me."This is me letting you go, Emily," Ethan said, his voice suddenly serious. I had almost forgotten how intense he could get. "I promise you, this isn’t a game. I really want to pay for my crimes."His words tightened something in my chest. "Why?" I asked, my eyes filling with tears. Despite everything, I didn't want the man I loved to end up in prison."Because I deserve it," he replied, his tone all business."No, you don’t," I said, my voice cracking. "You’ve done so many good things too." But Ethan only gave me a faint smile."I love you, Emily. With all my heart. And I really hope you find someone who loves you as much as I do," Ethan said, his words feeling like a final goodbye. "Someone good and kind, so