Sophia closed her office door and leaned against it, her heart still racing.
Ethan's words from earlier refused to leave her mind.
"You should've trusted me."
She had replayed that sentence a hundred times—and every time, it hurt a little more.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, it wasn't Ethan.
Marcus Blackwood.
Her uncle.
The man who had controlled her life more than she liked to admit.
"Why is Ethan Reed back?" his cold voice came through the line.
Sophia's fingers tightened around the phone. "You said he wouldn't be a problem."
"I said I'd handle him," Marcus replied sharply. "But now he owns part of the company."
There was a pause.
Then Marcus spoke again—lower, dangerous.
"Have you told him anything?"
Sophia swallowed. "No."
"Good," he said. "Because if he finds out the real reason you left him… this entire house of cards will fall."
The call ended.
Sophia slid down into her chair, trembling.
She remembered that night clearly.
The warning.
The threat.
Leave him… or watch his life burn.
A knock on the door snapped her back to the present.
"Come in," she said softly.
Ethan stepped inside.
She hadn't expected him. Not again. Not so soon.
"I won't take long," he said. "I just wanted to be clear."
"About what?" she asked, her voice barely steady.
"This partnership," he replied. "I won't use it to hurt you."
She looked up, surprised.
"But," he continued, "I won't protect you either."
Sophia stood. "You think I need protection?"
"I think you're hiding something," Ethan said. "And whatever it is—it's bigger than both of us."
Her heart skipped.
He was closer to the truth than she had ever imagined.
"You don't know what you're stepping into," she whispered.
Ethan met her gaze. "Then stop standing alone in it."
For a moment, she almost told him everything.
Almost.
But fear won.
"Nothing is wrong," she said.
Ethan studied her for a long second.
Then he nodded.
"Alright," he said. "But remember this, Sophia—when the truth comes out… I won't be gentle."
He walked out, leaving the door open behind him.
Sophia stared after him, tears burning her eyes.
Because she knew—
The truth she was hiding wasn't just dangerous.
It was explosive.
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Question for readers:
Is Sophia protecting Ethan… or destroying him again?