Chapter 9
Two years. Seven hundred and thirty days. That’s how long it took for me to go from a dying woman to a survivor. Two years of hell. Of gritted teeth and endless pain. Of waking up every day, unsure if I’d make it to the next.
But I did.
And now? Seraphina Velasquez was born.
The final test results were in. Ethan held the papers in his hand, scanning through them with an unreadable expression. His tattoos peeked out from under the sleeves of his white coat, a stark contrast to the sterile medical setting.
I stared at him, my stomach twisting. Well?”
He didn’t speak night away, Instead, he exhaled slowly before looking up at me. “You’re cancer–free.”
I blinked. The words didn’t register at first. They felt foreign. Distant.
“What?‘
A small smirk tugged at his lips. “You heard me, Seraphina.”
My breath caught Cancer–free.
I was supposed to cry, wasn’t I? I was supposed to collapse, overwhelmed with relief. But I just stood there, gripping the edge of the exam table, my nails digging into the cushioned surface.
Because this wasn’t just about survival. This was about revenge.
Ethan studied me carefully. “You don’t look happy.”
“am,” I murmured, my voice hoarse. “I just.” I swallowed. “I don’t know how to feel.”
You feel like you were ready to die,” Ethan said, crossing his arms, and now you don’t know what to do with your life.“)
I nodded. He wasn’t wrong.
Ethan stepped closer, his golden–brown eyes locking onto mine. Then let me give you an option:”
I frowned. “What kind of option?”
“The kind where you don’t just live–you take back what’s yours,” he said smoothly. “Power, Seraphina. The ability to fight back. To destroy the people who destroyed you.
My heart pounded. Power? Me?)
I had spent my entire life being weak. Being the woman who gave everything and received nothing. But now, Ethan was offering me something different. A chance to become something different.
“You want to train me?” I asked hesitantly.
Ethan’s lips curved. “Not just train you. Transform you.”
I exhaled sharply. Jason. Lily. Noah. My parets. They thought I was dead. They thought they had won. But I wasn’t just going to return, I
was going to rise.
I lifted my chin. “I want in.2
Ethan chuckled. “Good girl.”
Training was hell. I had thought surviving cancer was painful. But Ethan didn’t hold back.D
For months, I was thrown into combat training, Kicked to the ground more times than I could count. Forced to hold my own a
against men twice my size. My body ached. My muscles burned. But I never gave up.
And Ethan? He was relentless.
“Again,” he ordered, standing over me as I panted on the floor!!
I groaned, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I just got thrown into a wall, Ethan.”
“And next time, you’ll throw them into a wall,” he said smoothly.
I gritted my teeth, pushing myself up. Pain didn’t matter. Weakness wasn’t an option. I lunged at him, and this time I landed the punch.
Ethan grinned. “Better”
It wasn’t just physical training. Ethan made sure I learned everything. Business strategies. Psychological warfare. The art of manipulation.
I studied late into the nights, memorizing every lesson he threw my way it
One night, after hours of drilling business tactics into my head, Ethan leaned back in his chair, watching me. “You learn fast,” he mused.!!
I smirked. “I have to.”
He tilted his head. “Tell me, Seraphina. What will you do when you see them again?”
I went still. Jason. Lily My parts. The people who left me to die
I curled my fingers into fists. I won’t forgive them”%
Ethan nodded approvingly. “Good.”
But Ethan wasn’t just a mafia king. He was still a doctor. A damn good one. And one day, he took me to see something that would
change my life forever.
change my life forever.X
A children’s cancer ward.
I hesitated at the entrance, watching as tiny, bald headed kids sat in hospital beds, hooked up to IVs. Some were smiling. Others looked tired, frail,!
Ethan walked in like he belonged there. Because he did.
“Dr. Ethan!” A little girl beamed, waving &
Ethan grinned, kneeling beside her bed. “Hey, kiddo, How are we feeling today?”
She giggled “Better!”
I watched, stunned.
This ruthless mafia king–the man who had trained me to break bones and crush enemies–was kneeling beside a six–year–old girl, listening to her talk about her favorite cartoons.
And he cared. Truly, deeply cared.
One of the nurses smiled at me. “Dr. Ethan is their favorite. He pays for most of their treatments.”
I blinked. “He what?”
The nurse chuckled. “He doesn’t talk about it, but yeah. He saves lives in more ways than one.”
I turned to look at him again. The tattoos on his arms peeked from beneath his rolled–up sleeves as he carefully adjusted an IV drip for one of the kids.”
For the first time since I met Ethan, I saw him completely. He wasn’t just a killer. He was a protector. And I wasn’t sure what to do with that realization.
That night, Ethan found me on the rooftop of the hospital, staring at the city lights
“You’ve been quiet,” he noted.
I crossed my arms. “I didn’t know you did all this.”
His lips twitched. “What, you thought I was just a heartless bastard?”
I hesitated. “Kind of.”
He laughed, low and rough. “I am a heartless bastard. Just not to them.”
I exhaled. “You’re a good man, Ethan,” I murmured
He scoffed. “I’m a dangerous man, Seraphina. There’s a
a difference.”
I turned to look at him. Tattoos. Scars. Darkness in his eyes. But I had seen him with those kids. I had seen the truth
“Maybe,” I admitted. “But I don’t think you’re as heartless as you pretend to be. T
Ethan smirked but didn’t deny it.
Months passed. I became stronger. Faster Smarter.
And one day, I stood in front of a mirror, staring at the woman I had become. Gone was the fragile, heartbroken wife. In her place stood Seraphina Velasquez. A woman with one goal. To take back what was hers. To take her son back.
And this time- I wouldn’t break.
