Chapter 22%
I swallowed. “Then why don’t you?”
“Because I can’t.“%
I sucked in a breath. Ethan stepped closer, his fingers grazing my cheek, his touch featherlight.&
“You drive me fucking insane…
I shivered
“You’re reckless. You’re stubbom. You don’t fucking listen.
His lips hovered over mine, his breath warm against my skin. And then, barely a whisper.
“But God help me, I can’t stay away.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. But before I could say anything–before I could even process what the hell was happening- he pulled away.8
“Get some rest,” he muttered, turning toward the door. “We’re not done talking about this.“8
And then, just like that, he was gone. I let out a shaky breath, pressing my fingers against my lips
I wasn’t sure what was more dangerous anymore…
The game I was playing, Or Ethan Sullivan
After he left, I stayed curled up on the couch, my mind a mess, my body still aching from earlier. My wrists were raw from the cuffs, my skin bruised where my father’s men had dragged me. But I didn’t care about the pain.
I cared about the fact that i had almost died. That if Ethan had been even a second late, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. The thought made my stomach twistS
And then, the door opened. I looked up, heart pounding as Ethan walked in again, a bag of food and a bottle of alcohol in his hands. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes–his eyes were watching me.
I didn’t realize how hungry I was until Ethan placed the food in front of me.
“Eat,” he ordered, his voice rough but firm. “You haven’t had a proper meal all day.”
I stared at the steaming plates–grilled steak, mashed potatoes, buttered vegetables, a bowl of hot soup–and felt my stomach tighten. I hadn’t even noticed the hunger gnawing at me until now. Without a word, I picked up the fork and started eating. The moment the first bite hit my tongue, I almost moaned. It was good! Warm. Comforting. The kind of meal that reminded you you were still alive.
Ethan didn’t speak as I ate. He just sat across from me, sipping his whiskey, watching me like a hawk. I should’ve felt uncomfortable under his gaze, but I didn’t
This was Ethan. The man who saved me tonight. The man who carried me in his arms as if I weighed nothing, who killed for me without a second thought, who punched a glass wall in his fury because he almost lost me. And yet, despite all that, there was something unreadable in his expression. A quiet storm brewing beneath the surface!
I finished my food and leaned back in my chair, exhaling “That was good,”
He nodded. “You needed it.
I gave him a look. “You keep acting like I’m going to drop dead any second.”
His jaw tightened. “You almost did.”
I swallowed, not sure how to respond to that. Then, without warning, he pulled out a thick folder and dropped it in front of me. Ifrowned. “What’s this?“%
*Open it”
I hesitated for a second before flipping the file open. And the moment my eyes landed on the first page, my entire world tilted.
I stared at the name printed in bold letters, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
Malcolm. The richest family in Asia. And beneath it–Seraphina Malcolm. Daughter
No. No, no, no.
My pulse roared in my ears as I flipped through the pages, scanning the words, the details, the reports–kidnapped as a newbom, presumed dead, parents still searching, DNA confirmed match
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think &
I turned to Ethan, my voice barely above a whisper. “This… This isn’t real.”
His expression didn’t change. “It is.“E
I shook my head, gripping the papers so tightly my knuckles turned white. “No. It’s–it’s some kind of mistake. Some kind of sick joke. I- I belong to the Morettis-”
“No, you don’t.”
His voice was sharp. Finall
“But they raised me-“I
They kidnapped you.” Ethan corrected, leaning forward, his gaze burning into mine. “You were stolen, Seraphina. The Morettis took you from your real family to destroy your father. You were never theirs.”
My stomach twisted. I wanted to argue. To deny it. But the reports… The DNA results
I licked my lips, my throat dry. “You–You dug into my past?“}}
Ethan exhaled, rubbing his jaw. “I had my suspicions for a while. The way they treated you. The way they always favored Lily. The way Edward looked at you like you were a burden rather than a daughter.” His voice darkened. “I started digging. And the deeper I went, the more things didn’t add up.”
I closed my eyes, my chest aching. “And you found this.”
He nodded. Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. I felt like I was drowning.
All this time–all these years–1 thought I was a Moretti. Thought I was the unwanted daughter of a cruel father, the castaway, the disgrace. But I wasn’t even that. I was a stolen child. A child that had been ripped from her true family before she ever had the chance to know Mhem?
I stared down at the reports, my vision blurring. They never loved me,” I murmured, more to myself than to Ethan.!!
He said nothing. Because he didn’t need to.&
I laughed, a hollow, broken sound. “I spent my whole life trying to prove myself to them. Trying to be enough. Trying to make them see me” I sucked in a sharp breath. “And they never even wanted me in the first place.“T
The truth cut. Deep. But at the same time, it was freeing.
I lifted my gaze to Ethan. “And my real parents? They’re still looking for me?
“They never stopped.“?
A lump formed in my throat. All this time… I thought I was alone. Thought I had no one.!
But I had a family. A real one.
“I want to meet them.”
Ethan studied me carefully. “Are you sure?”
“1. I don’t know.“!
Because if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Everything I thought I knew had been a lie. And now? Now, I had no idea where I belonged.
Ethan reached across the table, his fingers grazing mine. A small touch. A silent reminder.
I looked up, meeting his gaze. And for the first time that night, I realized I wasn’t alone. Not completely
Ethan was here. Ethan cared. And right now, that was enough.
