Chapter 38
Two days ago.
The moment Ryan’s father knew Ethan was still alive, he and Ryan immediately launched an investigation into Ethan’s existence- how he had survived, and more importantly, where he had been hiding all these years.
Their first clue came from an old butler who had served the Donovan family for decades. The same man who was once ordered to clean up Donovan Manor and quietly dispose of Ethan’s body.”
When they brought the butler in for questioning, his hands trembled and his voice cracked as he spoke.”
“I… I couldn’t do it,” the butler admitted, his gaze cast downward in shame. “He was breathing. Barely, but… he was alive. Or maybe… breathing again.
“I couldn’t bear it. The child looked so fragile, like a ghost already. He was fifteen, but his body was so frail and skinny like no older than ten.”!
“So, what did you do?” Ryan’s father demanded, his voice thick with disbelief.
“I–I couldn’t leave him there to die. I sent him to an orphanage under a false name, hoping… praying that someone else could give him a chance at life. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Ryan’s jaw clenched, the revelation striking him like a blade. “But he’s alive. Why didn’t you tell us?”
The butler’s shoulders sagged under the weight of his guilt. “Because two years later, the orphanage burned down. The fire was merciless. They said no one survived.
“I was terrified. I thought Ethan was dead for sure. And if the truth came out, I would be blamed for failing the family. I… I’m so sorry.“}]
Ryan’s father’s expression darkened. “But what if he wasn’t dead? What if he escaped and left everyone else to die?“}
The butler’s horrified gaze snapped up. “No… that can’t be. He was just a child.“}
“Maybe it was Ethan who set the fire,” Ryan said, his voice low and grim. The idea of his twin brother not only surviving but thriving in the darkness sent chills down his spine.]
Ryan’s father nodded solemnly, his features tight with controlled fury. “We need to find him. If he’s alive, if he’s truly the one behind this madness, we have to put an end to it before it’s too late.”}
They immediately contacted the police forces they usually relied on for delicate Donovan matters, those who handled cases that needed to be buried in secrecy.}
With their help, they uncovered traces of Ethan’s existence, clues of his presence infiltrating the underworld the next day, on the day I met Ethan again.
In Texas, Ethan had established himself within the black market, a ghost pulling strings from the shadows. His criminal record was carefully concealed, but their sources managed to reveal fragments of his vile operations.
The investigation brought nothing but bitterness and regret to Ryan’s father. His head throbbed with the weight of his failure, the knowledge that his own son–his firstborn–had grown into something monstrous right under his nose. And he had been too blind, too arrogant to see it.
But suddenly, an urgent message flashed on Ryan’s phone. It was from the guards he had assigned to protect me.
An SOS message./
Panic gripped him as he tried to reestablish contact, but every attempt ended with nothing but static.
“What’s going on?” Ryan’s father asked, his voice tight with anxiety.}]
Ryan shook his head, his face pale. “Jocelyn’s guards… they’ve gone dark. No contact.”
Ryan’s father’s hands clenched into fists. “What about the rest of the team? Have they returned to the house?“}]
“I don’t know. Let me call the guards leader.“}]
But the answer only scattered them, “No. None of them. It’s as if they’ve all just… disappeared.”}]
The color drained from Ryan’s face. His heart pounded violently against his ribs, terror and fury churning within him. “Jocelyn… No.”
And in that instant, Ryan knew. Ethan had her. And if he did not find her soon, she would be lost to him forever.
**0
The sun had set that time, only light coming from the moon’s glow seeping through the cracked window.
My wrists throbbed where the shackles had rubbed them raw, but the pain was nothing compared to the terror gnawing at my chest. I could not stop the tears that spilled over, hot and desperate.
Ethan returned, his presence filling the room with a chill colder than ice. Blood streaked his clothes, a violent, dark stain that made my stomach churn.
I could not tell if the blood was his own or someone else’s. But as far as I knew, he had been chasing after the guard who managed to escape with Leo.
Guilt twisted in my chest–I could not shake the feeling that I had failed the guards.”
“Hey, dear, are you hungry?” he asked, his tone as casual as if he were asking about the weather. “I want to clean myself up first before cooking for you. What do you want to eat?”
He climbed into bed with me, his hands moving toward me with a twisted gentleness that made my skin crawl.
His fingers traced the lines of my tear–stained cheeks before he brought them to his mouth, licking them with a satisfied grin.
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to escape with Leo.
Guilt twisted in my chest–I could not shake the feeling that I had failed the guards.
“Hey, dear, are you hungry?” he asked, his tone as casual as if he were asking about the weather. “I want to clean myself up first before cooking for you. What do you want to eat?“”
He climbed into bed with me, his hands moving toward me with a twisted gentleness that made my skin crawl.
His fingers traced the lines of my tear–stained cheeks before he brought them to his mouth, licking them with a satisfied grin.}
“Your tears are so sweet,” he murmured, his breath hot against my skin. “I wonder what else is sweet besides that.“}
A choked sob slipped past my lips, my entire body trembling under his touch. I wanted to disappear, to sink into nothingness rather than endure his madness.
But before he could bring his face closer to mine, a knock on the door interrupted the horror.
“What?!” Ethan snapped, his mood swinging violently.
Leo’s voice drifted in, cold and calm. “The bath water is ready.”
“Okay,” Ethan huffed, his voice dropping to a low, menacing growl. “We’ll continue later, sweetgirl.“}
He left the room, his footsteps heavy and fading down the hall. I was left panting, shaking, my mind unable to process the nightmare I was living.
