We sped down the empty highway, the city lights fading into the distance like a bad dream we’d barely escaped. The silence between us was thick, punctuated only by the rumble of Ethan’s car engine.
I clutched the folder tighter against my chest, my mind reeling from everything I’d just learned-and everything I still couldn’t understand.
“Where are we going?” I asked, finally breaking the silence. My voice felt foreign, tight with exhaustion and fear.
Ethan’s jaw was set, his knuckles white as he gripped the wheel. “Somewhere they can’t find us. A safe house I’ve kept off the grid.”
I leaned back in the seat, rubbing my temples. “You sound like you planned for this.”
He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “I plan for a lot of things, Alyssa. I didn’t get this far by being careless.”
I shot him a look. “Careless? You dragged me into this mess.”
He smirked, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Dragged you? You jumped headfirst the moment you sniffed a secret. You were always too curious for your own good.”
I hated how calm he sounded, like this was just another game. “You think this is funny? We almost got killed back there! There’s a sniper-someone’s trying to wipe us off the map, and you’re acting like it’s just business as usual.”
Ethan’s smirk faded, and his gaze darkened. “It is business. This is the life we’re both in, whether you like it or not. The sooner you accept that, the better.”
I folded my arms, grinding my teeth. “I didn’t choose this.”
He shot me a quick glance. “Didn’t you, though? You could’ve stayed out. But you didn’t. And now, here we are.”
We drove for hours, the weight of his words settling into my bones. Deep down, I knew he was right-I hadn’t stayed away. Even when I should’ve, I kept digging. Now I was in too deep, and there was no going back.
When we finally pulled off the highway and down a winding, gravel road, I exhaled for what felt like the first time all night. The cabin nestled in the woods was small and unassuming, almost too quiet. It didn’t look like a place where someone like Ethan would hide out, but that only made me trust it more.
“Come on,” Ethan said, nodding toward the door. “We won’t stay long. Just enough time to figure out our next move.”
Inside, the air was cold, and the cabin smelled faintly of pine and old wood. I tossed my coat onto the couch and collapsed into an armchair, burying my face in my hands.
“This is insane,” I muttered. “Everything is falling apart, and now you tell me we’re just… what? Running? Hiding? What’s the plan, Ethan? What are we even doing?”
Ethan crouched in front of me, his hands on the arms of the chair, forcing me to look at him. “We’re not just running. We’re regrouping. And then we’re going to burn everything down.”
I blinked. “What?”
“The mafia. Xavier. Your uncle. All of them. We’re going to take them out, one by one.” His voice was low, steady, like he was stating a simple fact.
I shook my head, disbelief coursing through me. “You can’t be serious. You-no, we can’t take on the entire mafia. You’re out of your mind.”
He gave me a bitter smile. “It’s already in motion, Alyssa. I’ve been planning this for years. I just didn’t think you’d be in the middle of it. But now that you are…” He trailed off, his gaze softening for a moment. “Now that you are, I can’t let you go. Not with everything at stake.”
I stared at him, my chest tight. “Why are you doing this? What do you really want, Ethan?”
He hesitated, just for a second, and in that brief moment, I saw something I hadn’t expected-regret. Maybe even guilt.
“I want out, Alyssa. I want to end this. But I can’t do it without you.”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “Why me?”
He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “Because you’re the key. They all want you-Xavier, your uncle. They think they can use you to get what they want. But you’re smarter than all of them. You can play this game better than they ever could.”
I clenched my jaw, trying to ignore the way his words made my heart race. “And what happens if I don’t want to play?”
Ethan leaned closer, his voice barely above a whisper. “Then they’ll destroy you, Alyssa. And I can’t let that happen.”
I stood, pacing the small cabin as I tried to make sense of everything. “This is insane,” I muttered. “Even if I wanted to help you-how? What do you expect me to do?”
Ethan watched me silently for a moment, his gaze unreadable. Then, slowly, he stood and reached into his coat pocket.
“There’s one more thing you need to know.”
I stopped pacing, my heart pounding in my chest. “What?”
He pulled out a small, folded piece of paper and handed it to me. “Before you decide anything, you need to see this.”
I unfolded the paper, my hands trembling-and froze.
It was a medical report. My medical report.
And at the bottom, in bold letters, was a single, horrifying word:
Pregnant.
The room spun, and I stumbled backward, my breath catching in my throat. “No. No, this can’t be…”
Ethan stepped closer, his expression cautious, almost gentle. “Alyssa… I didn’t know how to tell you. I just found out.”
I shook my head, panic clawing at my chest. “This… This isn’t possible.”
His eyes darkened. “It is. And there’s more. Xavier knows.”
My stomach dropped. “What?”
“He knows, Alyssa. And he thinks the baby might be his.”
The words hit me like a freight train, knocking the air from my lungs. “What are you saying?”
Ethan’s gaze locked onto mine, intense and unyielding. “I don’t know if the baby is mine or Xavier’s. But what I do know is that we can’t let him find out. Not until we’ve figured this out-together.”
I sank into the armchair, my mind spinning out of control. Pregnant. With a baby that could belong to either Ethan or Xavier.
This wasn’t just a tangled web anymore-it was a ticking time bomb. And the clock was running out.
I pressed a hand to my stomach, feeling the weight of the truth settle over me like a shroud. “What do we do now?” I whispered.
Ethan crouched beside me again, his gaze steady. “We fight, Alyssa. We fight like hell. And we make sure no one-not Xavier, not your uncle-ever gets their hands on you or that baby.”
Before I could respond, the sound of tires on gravel echoed outside the cabin. Ethan’s face hardened, and he reached for his gun.
“Stay here,” he whispered. “We’ve got company.”