⚡ Chapter 15 –
"Valerie… get away from him," Ethan said, his voice low and dangerous.
I didn't move. My legs felt glued to the ground. "I'm not going anywhere until one of you tells me the truth."
Jace's eyes never left Ethan. "She doesn't need to hear your lies."
Ethan's smirk was bitter. "Lies? Should I tell her about the night in Paris? About the deal you made?"
My head snapped toward Jace. "What deal?"
His jaw tightened. "It's not what you think—"
But Ethan cut him off, pulling a folded paper from his jacket and tossing it at my feet.
It was a contract. My name was on it.
And Jace's signature.
The words blurred in my vision. Payment… exchange… retrieval.
"You were PAID to find me?" My voice cracked, the air leaving my lungs.
Jace took a step toward me, desperation in his eyes. "I swear, it started like that—but then I—"
"Stop," I whispered, my throat closing. "Don't you dare say you love me."
The forest around us seemed to close in, the shadows deepening.
Ethan's hand reached for mine. "Come with me, Valerie. Before it's too late."
And then—
A gunshot.
Jace stumbled back, blood blooming across his shirt.
And someone—someone I never expected—stepped out from the darkness, holding the smoking gun.