Chapter 0023
+25 BONUS
As soon as Ryan is out the door, Ethan pulls his phone out. release him and make my way over to the couch, sitting down and turning a lamp light on. Ethan speaks with someone on the phone, but I tune him out and look at my leg.
There’s a large cut on my thigh, but from what I can tell through my pants, it doesn’t look too deep.
“Make
e sure you
take care of him and bury him,” Ethan orders. Bury? “I want him locked so far away that he won’t think about hurting another person.”
The enraged words shock me, but they also scared me a bit. The power rolling off Ethan is palpable, creating a thick tension in the air. Hair stands up on my arms and the back of the neck, almost triggering my fight or flight
response.
He ends the phone call, and I stare up at him. If I were to anger this man, the consequences would be much worse than what Jack could ever do. Ethan was far more powerful and frightening-
“You should get your wound bandaged,” Ethan finally says, his eyes on my leg. I don’t know how much of the wound he can see, but I don’t ask.
“I will.”
He inhales, closes his eyes, and rubs his face before opening his eyes again and looking around. I look around also. What does he see? It doesn’t take long since the room is small, but eventually, his eyes land on a family photo. Everyone in the photo is smiling, including me and Jack. I scowl at the image, wondering why I hadn’t thrown the picture away yet.
Apparently, Ethan had his own questions because after a minute of looking at the picture, he asks, “Why did you marry your husband?”
It seemed like a silly question, but from his point of view and because of my situation, I understand his curiosity “When my heart was broken, my husband was there for me. During that time, we developed feelings for each other,” I answer honestly. There’s no reason to lie, yet I still feel embarrassed.
“Feelings?” Ethan hums. “Feelings are useless.”
15
“–”
The doorbell rings, making me gasp. My heart jumps into gear, and I grab onto Ethan’s arm again out of instinct. Shaking my head, I release his arm. He probably doesn’t want me hanging all over him, and the attacker is gone. Someone with bad intentions wouldn’t ring the doorbell, so we’re okay.
Following Ethan, I watch as he opens the front door.
“What’s going on?” I ask, looking at my neighbors. They’re armed with bats and rolling pins, ready to strike until they see me.
“Fiona! We heard a commotion,” Mindy, my neighbor to the left, says.
Are you all right, hon?” Mindy’s sister asks, lowering her rolling pin.
“Yeah, we heard some shouting and a fight,” Roman, my neighbor on the right, says.
I step in front of Ethan and offer my best calming smile as say, “I’m okay. My friend dealt with the danger. Three pairs of eyes immediately focus on Ethan behind me. They study him for a minute before looking at me
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0023
again.
“If you’re sure. We didn’t want to bust in, but we were worried,” Mindy says. Warmth fills my chest, and I hug each of them. My neighbors back at my house with Jack were never this kind. We chat for a little while, and once I’ve assured them a few more times that I’m alright, they head home.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Roman calls out as he makes his way back to his house. Ethan stiffens behind me, and I think I’m hearing things when a soft, barely audible rumble reaches my ears.
“I’ll get going,” Ethan announces as my neighbors disappear.
A stone sinks in my stomach, and I reach up with shaking hands.
“Wait,” I gasp. I wrap my trembling fingers around his arm again, stopping him from walking away. can’t stay here. I can’t sleep alone tonight.”
