I I didn't sleep.
Ethan wasn't tired either. He stood at the window again, sleeves rolled up, the city glowing beneath him like he owned it. Maybe he did.
Finally, he turned. ", we're announcing our marriage next week "
My stomach dropped. "Announcing what? No. Absolutely not. You can't just do that "
"I can. And I will." He poured himself coffee like this was casual, like we were discussing the weather. "Your parents will choke on their champagne when they see the press release. Your fiancé will crawl back into whatever hole I shove him in. And you…" His eyes cut into me. "…will smile for the cameras, just like the perfect bride."
I shot to my feet. "This is insane! People will know something's wrong. No one disappears from their own wedding and suddenly remarries the next week."
"That's the beauty of it." He set his cup down, walking toward me with that slow, controlled swagger that made my chest ache with old memories. "They'll believe it. Because I've already planted the story. The headlines will say you ran away from a loveless marriage and came back to the man you always loved."
My pulse slammed. "That's a lie!"
His smirk cut sharp. "Truth is what I buy, Aria. And I can buy it all."
I backed up, shaking. "I won't do it. You can force me to sign paper, but you can't force me to stand by your side in public."
That was when his smile faded. His voice dropped, low and dangerous. "You think I can't?"
He pulled his phone again. With one click, the screen lit up photos. My heart stopped.
Pictures of me. From high school. From college. Some private, some intimate, all things no one else should ever see.
My voice broke. "Where did you—"
"I kept everything," he said coldly. "Every memory, every message, every picture. I've had years to build my arsenal. So either you stand by my side and play the role, or I make sure every media outlet in this city knows exactly what kind of saintly little daughter your parents raised."
I staggered back like he'd slapped me. "You wouldn't."
He stepped closer, brushing a strand of hair off my face with chilling gentleness. "I would, Aria. And I will. Because you already signed. Which means you're mine. in private and in public."
My whole body trembled. My voice came out as a whisper. "What do you even want from me?"
His hand slid down, gripping my jaw, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Obedience. Loyalty. A wife who knows she belongs to me."
"And if I don't?"
His lips curved into that dangerous smile again. "Then I'll burn every bridge you ever had, until I'm the only thing you have left to hold onto."
Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "You're cruel."
"I learned from the best," he whispered, his voice a blade. "Your parents taught me how merciless the world is. Now you get to reap what they sowed."
I wrenched free, breathing hard, my chest a battlefield of hate and something worse,something that still remembered the boy he used to be. The boy I once loved.
But that boy was dead.
And the man standing before me was a stranger wearing his face.
Before I could speak, Ethan's phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and his expression darkened.
He cursed under his breath and looked back at me. "Change of plans."
My stomach twisted. "What now?"
He slid on his suit jacket, his movements sharp, precise. "Your father's making a move. He's trying to transfer assets overseas before I can freeze them."
My breath caught. "So? What are you going to do?"
Ethan's gaze locked on mine, and for the first time, I saw raw fire in his eyes, looklol i just vengeance, but fury, absolute and lethal.
"What I should have done years ago," he said. "Finish what they started."
And before I could ask what that meant, he grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the door.
"Where are we going?" I demanded, panic lacing my voice.
He looked over his shoulder, his grip iron.
"To pay your father a visit".