Chapter 102

Ethan. A firearm. The man falling to the floor.

I could still hear the gunshot's piercing crack, which seemed to bounce through my bones. Ethan turned to see me stuck in place, scarcely breathing, unable to move. I couldn't get the sight in his eyes out of my head; it was a mix of surprise, sorrow, and something else entirely.

I hadn't waited for his answer. I ran with my heart beating so hard it felt like it might burst out of my chest after my legs finally followed my brain. I kept going till I got to my car, struggling with the keys while my eyes went dark from crying.

I leaned on the steering wheel, fighting to breathe, and locked the doors after entering. In the back seat, my phone kept buzzing. Ethan's name constantly displayed on the screen.

I was unable to answer myself. What could I possibly say? What on earth could he say to me? That it wasn't as it appeared? That he was powerless? I was convinced otherwise by the picture of his calm hand pulling the trigger.

The buzzing had stopped by the time I turned into my apartment building's driveway, but my phone was still showing a number of unread texts and almost a dozen missed calls. None of them were opened by me.

Rather, I staggered inside and locked the door. My apartment was oppressively silent, the quiet intensifying the mental storm.

My breathing was weak as I sat on the edge of the couch and stared at nothing. I stayed there for hours, too restless to sleep, too numb to cry. Although Ethan hadn't said a word at the scene, his voice and face still echoed in my mind.

Exhaustion finally set in when the gray light of morning crept through the blinds at the crack of dawn. However, I pulled myself to the shower rather than dozing off.

I had to face him.

As I was driving to the workplace, Ethan's calls continued, but I let them to ring. With each call that went unanswered, my resolve got stronger. He owed me answers, and this time I wasn't going to let him get away with it.

The next morning, with the burden of the night before still weighing heavily on my chest, I entered an office that felt colder than usual. Slower than the last, my footsteps reverberated down the empty hallway to Ethan's office. How could I have slept? With the piercing sound of the gunshot still echoing in my ears, I watched Gerard's lifeless body hit the ground each time I closed my eyes. And Ethan pulling the trigger, cool, calm.

I remembered his face when he spotted me, and the pain in my throat got more intense. Startle. I'm sorry. And another thing. Was it terror?

Despite my phone going nonstop throughout the night, I hadn't returned his calls. I couldn't stand to hear his voice, yet his name kept coming up on my screen. Not until I had answers.

I stopped in front of the heavy wood door of his office. Without knocking, I pulled it open while taking a steadying breath. With his tie loose over his neck and bloodshot eyes, Ethan looked up from his desk.

"Emily," he continued in a low, almost begging voice. "You didn't answer my calls."

I said, "I had nothing to say," and closed the door. I tightened my hands into fists as they shook. "But now, I do."

Ethan got up and walked toward me around the desk. "Listen, I can explain-"

"No!" I didn't care if my voice sounded harsher than I had meant. "Ethan, you have no right to deny what I saw last night. You killed him. You ruthlessly murdered a man!"

He winced but did not flee. "Cold blood wasn't involved. It was necessary."

"Necessary?" I crossed my arms and laughed bitterly. "Is that what you plan to use? How could someone's life be justified in that way?

Ethan's jaw tensed as he paused. "He posed a risk to us both. To all that we are trying to protect."

I stepped forward, my voice shaking with rage. "Protect? You dare not act as though this was about me. You killed Gerard for your own gain, not for us. Admit it."

His eyes wavered, and I briefly believed he might. However, he straightened and put his mask back on. "Emily, you don't understand the circumstances. Gerard left me with nothing to do as Victor breathed on my neck. The problem would have become worse if I hadn't taken action."

"Worse than murder?" My nails dug into my hands as I spat. "Can you hear yourself at all? Ethan, you're exactly like him. identical to Victor."

"Don't," he said sharply, his tone tightening. "Stop comparing me with him. Instead of making this problem worse, I'm working to mend it."

"Fix it?" My voice broke. "Everything is being ruined by you, even yourself. You are also pulling me along with you."

Ethan's face was impenetrable as he gazed at me.

At last, he stated in a calmer tone, "I'm doing this to protect you. You have to believe that."

I took a step back and shook my head. "Ethan, I no longer believe a word you say. Not after what I saw. You can't go back from the line you crossed last night.

His hand moved at his side as though he considered reaching for me but decided against it. "Emily, please-"

"No." Despite the pain in my chest from trying to keep from breaking, I spoke strongly. "I can no longer do this. Knowing what you're capable of, I can't work with you."

"What are you saying?" A glimmer of fear pierced his calm, and his eyes narrowed.

"I'm saying I'm done," I whispered, turning to face the door. "I'm resigning."

I froze when I heard Ethan's words. "You don't mean that."

I turned around and looked him in the eye. "Watch me."

He looked really shaken for the first time. "Emily, if you leave now-"

With a hard voice, I interrupted, "I'm not leaving right now. But I will. I'll be going by the end of the week after writing my letter of resignation today."

With his hand out, he stepped in my way. "Don't do this, Emily. Together, we can solve this."

I felt nothing but a hollow sadness as I looked at him, the man I had once believed I could trust. "No, Ethan. You set the answer. I'm tired of becoming a casualty in your fight with Victor.

My heart pounding in my chest, I left before he could speak another thing.

I opened my laptop back at my desk, the screen's glare stinging my eyes. I was nervous as my fingers lingered over the keyboard. It felt like I was cutting the final link between Ethan and everything I had built here when I wrote my resignation. However, staying would mean sacrificing what I believed in.

My mind was racing with bits and pieces of our fight as I started typing. His reasons. He begged. He seemed to be unable to handle losing me based on the way he looked at me.

I detested the fact that I was still affected by that.

Tears entered my eyes and clouded the words on the screen, but I blinked them away. Weakness was not appropriate at this time. Now I had to defend myself, even if it meant forever leaving Ethan behind.

It wasn't until his voice broke the silence that I heard him coming.

"Emily."

Startled, I raised my head. With an enigmatic look, Ethan stood in the doorway.

His hands were clenched at his sides as he said, "You can't do this."

"I already have," I said, firmly shutting my laptop.

He took a step toward me and looked into my eyes. "I need you here."

I replied, "No, Ethan," with a little break in my voice. "You don't need me. You need someone who will ignore you as you ruin everything in your way. And I'm not like that."

I quickly feared that he would dispute, but all he did was nod, his expression a mask of resignation. "If that's what you really want."

"It is," I pretended as I got up to go.

I felt his eyes pressing down on my back as I passed him, but I decided not to turn around. I doubted I'd have the strength to leave if I did.