Chapter 8 - A BILLIONAIRE'S WRATH
The fallout was spectacular and immediate. By evening, financial news networks were scrambling to cover the sudden, shocking resignation of Eleanor Caldwell. Caldwell Biotech stocks took a minor hit, but Ethan didn't care. He spent the entire afternoon on the phone with his lawyers, liquidating a massive portion of his trust, transferring assets, and building an impenetrable legal wall around Hannah and the twins.
When he finally returned to Hannah’s room, the sun was setting over the Chicago skyline, casting a warm golden glow across her bed.
She was sitting up, watching the news on the muted television. When he walked in, she turned to him, her eyes wide with shock.
"You did this?" she asked, pointing to the scrolling ticker tape at the bottom of the screen announcing Eleanor's departure.
"I told you the running was over," Ethan said, pulling up a chair beside her bed and sinking into it. The exhaustion of the past four days was finally catching up to him, but his heart felt lighter than it had in half a decade.
Hannah stared at him, searching his face. "You gave up your family for me. Your inheritance. The company."
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"The company was a cage," Ethan said quietly, taking her hand. He traced the faded burn scar on her forearm, a physical reminder of the hell she had endured while he was living in luxury, blinded by lies. "You are my family, Hannah. You and Leo and Maya. Nothing else matters. Nothing else ever mattered."
Tears welled in Hannah’s eyes, and this time, she didn't pull away. She let him pull her gently into his arms, resting her head against his chest. For the first time in five years, she listened to the steady, strong beat of his heart, and she finally felt safe.
