Tania entered the house, feeling triumphant after her night of manipulation with Fabian. She smirked, satisfied with her latest scheme. As she stepped inside, her mood immediately shifted when she saw Ethan sitting in the dimly lit living room, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His gaze was fixed on her, sharp and piercing.
“Where are you coming from?” Ethan’s voice cut through the silence. “And why are you looking like that?”
Tania’s smirk faded into a casual expression, masking the chaos inside her mind. “Like what?” she responded, feigning innocence. “Besides, where I’m coming from is none of your business.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “What do you mean it’s none of my business? You left this house yesterday and now you’re strolling in like everything’s normal. In case you’ve forgotten, Tania, you have a daughter at home.”
Tania rolled her eyes, her patience running thin. “Honestly, Ethan, I could care less about Grace right now. I’m tired. I’m going to bed. She has you, doesn’t she?”
Without waiting for a response, Tania turned on her heel and started up the stairs. Halfway up, she noticed little Grace sitting quietly, her big eyes filled with apprehension.
“Hi, Mummy,” Grace said in a small voice, hoping for some acknowledgment.
But Tania didn’t even spare her a glance. She walked past her daughter, as though Grace didn’t exist, and disappeared into the bedroom.
Grace’s heart sank. She climbed down the stairs and walked toward her father, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Daddy, why does Mummy hate me?”
Ethan’s heart shattered at the sound of her voice, at the innocent question. He knelt down, pulling Grace into a tight hug, struggling to find the right words. “Mummy doesn’t hate you, honey. She’s just… going through some things.”
Grace clung to her father, still confused but comforted by his embrace. Ethan, desperate to lift her spirits, forced a smile. “Come on, let’s go. You’re going to spend the day with Daddy at the office. How does that sound?”
A small smile broke through Grace’s sadness, and she nodded eagerly.
At the office, Ethan worked while Grace played nearby. He tried to focus on his laptop, but the turmoil of his marriage and the tension with Ella weighed on him. His phone buzzed with a message, pulling him from his thoughts. It was from Ella.
Ella:
We’ll discuss the custody of the twins or the court case once this whole Tania saga is over. But until then, there’s no way I’m putting our boys in harm’s way just because their father is being unreasonable.
Ethan read the message twice, frustration bubbling up inside him. He couldn’t deny that Ella had a point, but the thought of being kept from his sons infuriated him but he just sighed and responded ok to the text.
Meanwhile, Ella sat in the living room after sending a text to ethane hen a text came from Derek :Rick called. Tania contacted him, saying she has two people she wants to send his way. Rick suspects it’s fishy. We need to take extra precautions. Ella’s mind raced after Derek’s update. She knew she needed to protect her boys at all costs. As much as she wanted to fight for them, the danger posed by Tania was too great.
She quickly sent a text to Derek:
I’ll arrange to send Leo and Liam to a safer location.
Ella sighed heavily. She had come too far to lose now.