The incessant buzzing of Ethan's phone pierced through the veil of his restless sleep. He groaned, reaching for the device with the intention of silencing it. As his bleary eyes focused on the screen, he scrambled to sit up on his bed, heart pounding."BREAKING: Renowned Poet Eliot Bassett Found Dead"Below the headline, a photo of Ethan and Eliot locked in an intimate embrace stared back at him. His breath caught in his throat. "No," he whispered, voice hoarse. "No, no, no."With trembling fingers, he dialed his most trusted sources, praying for a denial, a retraction, anything but confirmation. But with each call, the terrible truth solidified, settling like lead in his stomach."I'm sorry, Mr. Asher," Carter's voice quavered over the line. "It's been confirmed. Mr. Bassett was found in his hotel room early this morning. They're saying it was a heart attack, but there are whispers of foul play, and... and you're being implicated."Ethan couldn't hear the rest. The phone slipped from
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