A Week Later (Saturday)
For the past week, I hadn’t slept a wink. Wayne’s threats echoed in my mind as I stared at the piece of paper he’d given me. ‘Protect your father. Ethan deserves it’, my conscience urged, but every time I considered betraying Ethan, a wave of heart-pounding fear would overwhelm me.
“Still having trouble sleeping?” Ethan asked, noticing my wide-open eyes as he moved closer, wrapping me in his arms.
“Is everything okay, darling?” Ethan’s voice was soft and concerned, and I turned to him, tears streaming down my cheeks.
“No!” I cried, staring into his eyes. He looked confused, but he pulled me into a tighter embrace.
“What’s going on?” Ethan asked, his voice filled with concern as he held me tenderly. “Talk to me, please.” But what could I say? How could I tell him that in less than eight hours, I was leading him to his death?
“I just miss my father,” I lied, sobbing louder into his chest.
“Is that all?” Ethan asked, his voice tinged with disbelief as he pulled back slightly to look into my eyes.
“Is that really it, Emily?” he pressed. I nodded.
“That’s not a problem. We can go to Asheville tomorrow,” Ethan suggested, making me cry even harder. He was too sweet, too understanding.
“Why not today?” I blurted out, staring into his eyes with desperation. “Let’s go to Asheville today. We can go straight to my father, pick him up, and disappear somewhere far away,” I said, desperately clinging to any last shred of hope.
“Really?” Ethan asked, smiling at me as he cradled my face gently. “Do you think your father would agree to go somewhere far?” His eyes glowed with curiosity.
“Do you think your father would approve of me?” he added, causing me to take a deep, frustrated sigh.
“But we can still go to Asheville later today if you want,” Ethan offered, noticing the frustration in my eyes. I lay quietly next to him, wondering if I could really save them all. With Wayne having access to Alpha, there was no telling how much power he held.
“No, I just want to hold you all day,” I said, clutching him tighter and burying my face in the comforting scent of his skin.
We spent most of the day in bed, with the maids bringing food to our room at Ethan’s request.
“Is this the plan for today?” Ethan asked as he sat close to me, a small table on the bed between us, feeding me fruit cubes the maid had brought.
Before responding, I picked up my phone and checked the time. It was minutes to three. I’d been trying to push past the racing thoughts in my mind, those that urged me to choose between my father and Ethan, but it was time to face the reality.
“No,” I said, picking up the piece of paper I’d kept in the bedside drawer. “There’s this warehouse right outside town. I wanted to check it out for my art,” I lied, glancing at the address on the paper before meeting Ethan’s interested gaze.
“Your art? Are you considering moving your gallery to New York?” Ethan asked with a smile of enthusiasm.
“Something like that,” I mumbled. Each word made me feel worse, my heart pounding as I fought back more tears.
“That’s great. Can I see the address?” Ethan asked, extending his hand. I hesitated for a moment, double-checking that there was nothing incriminating on the paper, before handing it to him. Ethan took it gently, studying the address and time.
“Oh! You already have an appointment,” Ethan noted, seeing the date and time on the paper.
“Yes,” I stammered, my heart pounding in my chest. “For today, at four.”
“We wouldn’t want to miss it then,” he said, quickly moving the table aside and standing up.
“Let’s get ready and check it out. If you like it, we’ll get it. If not, I can ask my realtor to look for other warehouses for you,” Ethan offered, making my heart ache. How could a man so kind to me be so cruel to the rest of the world?
“Alright,” I agreed, getting up from the bed. “Let’s take a bath,” I suggested, smiling at Ethan as I sauntered toward the bathroom, making sure he was watching before I slowly slipped off my nightwear.
I heard Ethan chuckle lightly before he rushed into the bathroom after me. We made love passionately, and I tried to give him everything I could as if, in my foolish mind, it was my way of making amends for the betrayal that loomed.
After bathing, we got dressed and headed downstairs. My heart raced as we got into the car, and Ethan began driving towards the location on the paper.
*You’re making the right choice,* I tried to reassure myself as I sat quietly, watching Ethan drive towards the ambush. ‘It’s between him and your father. You need to save your father,’ I repeated, desperately trying to console myself.
As Ethan focused on the road, I kept my eyes on him, my heart breaking as we drew closer.
“I love you so much,” I said to him, my voice trembling.
“I love you more than you can ever imagine, Emily,” Ethan replied, and tears began to stream down my face as we approached the warehouse.
Ethan parked the car, and just as he was about to get out, I suddenly yelled, “I can’t do this anymore!”
My heart pounded violently as the reality of losing Ethan overwhelmed me. At that moment, I realized that death would be easier for me than living without him.
“I don’t know what to do. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t lose you,” I cried, clutching onto him.
“I can’t choose between you and my father. I can’t lose both of you,” I sobbed as Ethan gently pulled away, staring at me with a mix of confusion and concern.
“What are you talking about, Emily?” Ethan asked, his voice gentle but demanding.
“I betrayed you,” I confessed, my voice trembling.
“I sold you out to Wayne. I gave him access to Alpha, and now he wants to kill you,” I said, tears blurring my vision as I stared expressionless eyes.
“He threatened to kill my father if I didn’t bring you here,” I continued, my voice barely a whisper.
“This isn’t a warehouse for my art. It’s an ambush. If you walk through that door, Wayne and Christof will kill you,” I finished, my voice breaking as I waited for Ethan’s reaction.