Chapter 4 - The Fortress
We didn't go to the airport.
Ethan’s armored SUV drove us out of the city, weaving through the dark, quiet roads of Long Island until we reached massive iron gates. They swung open, revealing a breathtaking, secluded beachfront estate in the Hamptons. It was completely hidden from the world, surrounded by acres of private forest and the crashing ocean.
When we stepped inside the warm, softly lit mansion, the adrenaline that had kept me standing finally vanished. My knees buckled.
Ethan caught me before I hit the hardwood floor.
He didn't call for the staff. He didn't ask questions. He simply scooped me up into his arms, carrying me effortlessly up the grand staircase. He smelled like expensive cologne and the crisp night air. For the first time in a year, I felt entirely, undeniably safe.
He laid me down gently on a massive velvet sofa in the master suite. He walked to the en-suite bathroom and returned a moment later with a warm, damp towel and a first-aid kit.
"May I?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion, gesturing to the collar of my blouse.
I nodded, tears finally breaking free, silently streaming down my cheeks.
With excruciating care, Ethan unbuttoned the top of my blouse. When the fabric fell away, revealing the angry, purple bruises around my neck and collarbone, a sharp, ragged breath escaped his lips. He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might shatter.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, ashamed. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you."
"Do not apologize," Ethan said fiercely, his eyes opening to lock onto mine. "Ava, look at me. You have nothing to be ashamed of. He is the monster. Not you."
He gently pressed the warm towel to my skin, his touch so light it felt like a ghost. "How long?" he asked quietly.
"Seven months," I confessed, the truth pouring out of me like a broken dam. "It started after we got engaged. He isolated me. He told me if I left, he would ruin my career. He threatened to falsely accuse my brother of embezzlement at the hospital. He had everyone fooled. He’s the miracle doctor. Who would believe an assistant?"
Ethan set the towel down and took both of my hands in his. His large, warm thumbs gently traced my knuckles.
"I would have believed you," Ethan said, his voice breaking with a vulnerability that stole the breath from my lungs. "Ava, I have spent the last eleven months watching you. Not as my assistant. But as the most remarkable, brilliant, beautiful woman I have ever known. I watched him put that ring on your finger, and it took everything in my power not to tear him apart. I stayed away because I thought you loved him. Because I thought he made you happy."
My heart hammered in my chest. The billionaire who commanded global empires was kneeling on the floor in front of me, laying his soul bare.
"I haven't been happy in a very long time, Ethan."
Ethan reached up, his fingers gently brushing a tear from my cheek. "You are never going back to him. You are staying here, where no one can touch you. And while you heal... I am going to burn his entire world to the ground."
"Ethan, you can't just ruin a top surgeon. He has a pristine record."
May you like
A dark, terrifying smile curved Ethan’s lips. "Ava, I am a billionaire. I pay people to find the ghosts that men like Andrew Vaughn think they have buried. By the time I am finished with him, he will beg for a prison cell."
---
