He moved closer to me, his hands wrapping around my waist as he pulled me in. “Look at me, Emily,” he said, gently turning my face to meet his piercing gaze.
“What do you want, Ethan?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. He began placing gentle kisses on my neck, each one lingering longer than the last, building an intensity that left me breathless. His lips hovered at the tender spot where my neck met my shoulder, teasing before settling into a soft, sweet kiss that made my heart flutter.
“No!” I shouted, pushing him away, trying to resist the urge, the longing my body felt. I couldn’t give in, especially not with Jason waiting outside. “I don’t want you!” I yelled, stepping back from his grip. His eyes flickered with hurt, but I couldn’t let that stop me.
“You hurt me, Ethan. You left me broken. You chose your life of crime over us,” I reminded him, my voice shaking with the weight of everything I had buried. “And now you expect me to just… get back together with you? Do you think I’m a fool?”
I could feel my heart breaking all over again as I spoke. If only he had left that life behind, we could have been happy. We could have had a future.
“That’s not true,” Ethan said, his voice defensive.
“Then what is the truth?” I demanded, folding my arms. I was tired of the excuses, but I waited, hoping for something-anything-that could explain why he disappeared for three years. Why he needed me to wait for five.
“What I was involved in… it wasn’t something I could just walk away from. It’s not that simple,” Ethan said, his words feeling like yet another excuse.
I rolled my eyes. “I hear you,” I muttered, unimpressed.
“I’m serious, Emily,” he insisted. “I couldn’t just leave. They would have come after you. They would have hunted everyone you love.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “Them? Aren’t *you* the hunter?” I shot back sarcastically, not believing a word he was saying.
“No,” he replied, his tone deadly serious. “It’s an organization. We all swore an oath of secrecy. No one leaves.”
A chill ran through me as I processed what he said. My heart tightened in my chest. “Like a cult?” I asked, my eyes widening. “You were in a cult?”
“Something like that,” he muttered, avoiding my gaze.
My heart raced as fear began creeping in. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. “What are you really doing here, Ethan?” I asked quietly. He had made his choice three years ago. What could he possibly want now?
“I’m trying to get you back,” he said, his voice sincere, but I could only feel a mixture of sadness and frustration, “I can’t wait for you to decid to leave that life, I don’t have two years to waste”
“And you know I can’t be with a criminal,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t live like that, Ethan. It was different when I didn’t know. But now, every time I look at you, I’ll remember what you’ve done. I can’t sit here and pretend that everything’s fine while knowing that every time you walk out the door, you could kill someone. I can’t.” I said my thoughts flashing to Wayne, what they did to Wayne, what I let them do to Wayne. “And I can’t wait for two more years for you to leave”
“I’m not a criminal anymore,” Ethan said, stepping closer, but I instinctively stepped back.
“I’ve left that life behind. I’m clean now,” he insisted.
I stared at him, my eyes narrowing. “How?” My voice was barely a whisper. I didn’t believe a word.
“I got out,” he said simply.
“You got out?” I echoed, disbelief sharpening my tone. “You just told me no one ever leaves. How did you get out?” I wondered my curiosity piqued.
He paused for a moment, his gaze unwavering. “I ended the organization.” He said vaguely .
My confusion deepened. “You ended it? How? Did you start it in the first place?” I wondered, If he did. it wouldn’t be a surprise to me, I remembered how well Christof spoke, like his bussines depended on Ethan, like he was his boss.
“No,” he shook his head, “but I did what had to be done.” He said. His Vague replies were staring to frustrate me.
“What are you saying” I pressed, the question heavy with curiosity.
His next words sent a chill down my spine.
“I killed them. All of them.”