“You what?!” I exclaimed, my eyes widening as my heart began to race. I had heard that Christof died recently, but it was labeled as natural causes, old age. I had no idea Ethan was responsible.
“How could you?” I took a step back, almost stumbling. Ethan could never truly change, I realized, as the weight of it hit me. Tears began to roll down my cheeks. Why did it feel like a part of me still wanted him to?
“You can never change, can you?” I whispered, staring at the man I once loved, the man who was a killer.
“No, Emily. I have changed. I’ve buried that part of my life,” Ethan said, his voice firm, but I could only stare at him. A mixture of anger and pain surged through me.
“With how many bodies did you bury that part of your life?” I asked, feeling the crushing weight of his actions pressing down on me.
“I had to,” he said, and I shook my head in disbelief.
“No. We could have run away together, somewhere far, somewhere they never would have found you.” My heart broke as I spoke, wishing with every part of me that things could have been different.
“You don’t get it,” Ethan said, his voice low. “There’s no place in this world far enough.”
I took a deep breath, wiping the tears from my eyes. “You’re a monster, and you disgust me.” The moment the words left my mouth, I saw it, the hurt in Ethan’s expression. His eyes narrowed as if I had just delivered a blow to his chest.
Ethan paused, searching my eyes, as if hoping I was lying. But I wasn’t. I meant it. He disgusted me.
He took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving mine. “I really want you back, Emily,” Ethan said softly. “I have given up everything and everyone I have ve ever loved just to be with you. But you still don’t want me.” His voice cracked, and for a moment, I saw the pain in his eyes. “What else do you want me to do?”
He sounded tired, defeated. My mind swirled, and I wasn’t thinking straight. The next thing I said was the stupidest thing that had ever left my mouth.
“I need you to turn yourself in.”
His eyes widened. “What?” he exclaimed, and I nodded gently.
“Turn yourself in to the police. Pay for your crimes like everyone else.” The words spilled out on their own, I didn’t even mean them. But after I said it, a smirk appeared on my face. I was too sure Ethan wouldn’t do it. His crimes were too many. The moment he confessed to any of them, the verdict would be either life in prison or a death sentence.
“Is that really what you want?” he asked, and I rolled my eyes, too confident he would never follow through.
“Yes,” I said, smugly.
Ethan nodded. “Whatever you say, my love.” He moved closer, placing a gentle kiss on my cheek before walking away.
As he walked away, a sharp pain pierced my chest. My heart shattered into a million pieces. I clutched at my chest as deep sobs escaped me. Is it really over? I wondered. I stumbled into the makeup room, falling to the floor as I cried my eyes out. After I had no more tears left, I wiped my face and touched up my makeup, trying to pretend everything was fine.
“Are you okay?” Denise asked. I wondered what had given me away. I was fully dolled up, looking like I was ready for a party.
“I’m fine,” I forced a smile.
“Honestly, was Ethan really going to pay that much for just a painting of you?” Denise asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t care. I don’t want to think about it.” I brushed off her question. I spent the rest of the evening calculating the money from the auction-some of it was going to charity, the rest to the gallery.
When it was all over, Jason and I headed back to his apartment, where I had promised to spend the night. After a week of dating, we still hadn’t been intimate. Every time he tried to touch me, I made excuses, mostly about worrying over the auction. But now that the auction was over, I had no more excuses, except the real reason; Ethan.
As soon as we got to his apartment, Jason began kissing me at the door. Each kiss stiffened my body. Somehow, my body was still loyal to Ethan, and I hated it. “Forget about Ethan,” I whispered to myself, trying to relax, but I couldn’t. I was stiff as a board, completely unresponsive.
“Are you okay?” Jason asked, noticing my tension.
“Yeah, I’m just tired,” I sighed, pulling away from his grip and walking further into the house.
“Okay, let’s have a shower then,” Jason said with a smile. “I’m all sweaty and sticky. I’d just make you more dirty,” I said, trying to deflect. A suggestive smile appeared on his face as he moved closer.
“I’d love that,” he whispered.
I gave a faint smile, but my heart wasn’t in it. Before Ethan came back into my life, I had been moving on. I found Jason attractive. He made me feel butterflies. But now? Now I just felt… obligated to be with him.
‘Curse you, Ethan,’ I thought. It almost felt like he was doing this intentionall, to make sure I stayed stuck on him forever.
“What’s really going on, Emily?” Jason asked, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Nothing,” I said, stiffening up again.
“Why are you so stiff around me?” Jason asked, his grip on my waist tightening. “I’ve been patient with you, waiting for this. Why don’t you let me have you?” His voice sounded demanding now, the edge creeping in. “Forget about Ethan and give yourself to me.” He crashed his lips onto mine with intensity. It didn’t feel natural or passionate. It felt forced.
I tried to pull away, but he held my hands. “Relax,” he whispered, making me even more uncomfortable.
“No!” I yelled, yanking myself free. “I’m tired, Jason. And if you can’t respect that, then I’m leaving.” I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.
“Wait! I’m sorry,” Jason began apologizing as my phone started ringing. I ignored it at first, listening to his apologies.
“I’ll respect that, I promise,” Jason continued, but I barely heard the rest. My phone kept ringing loudly.
“I need to take this,” I sighed, thinking it was work. I glanced at the caller ID, it was Jennifer. For some weird reason, as soon as I saw her name, my heart began to race.
“Hey, Jen. What’s up?” I answered.
“What happened between you and Ethan?” Jennifer questioned and I furrowed my brows.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“My father just called me, asking me to plead with you to forgive Ethan,” Jennifer said, and I scoffed.
“Is this some trick? Did Ethan put you up to this? You know I’m with your cousin, Jason, now,” I said, emphasizing the word cousin.
“I know, but you need to call Ethan. If you still love him, you need to stop him,” Jennifer urged.
“Stop him from what?” I asked, confusion deepening.
“From turning himself in to the police,” Jennifer said, her voice panicked.
My heart raced, but I laughed. “He’s manipulating you, Jen. He’s not going to do that.”
“Trust me, he’s bluffing,” I added, remembering how Ethan once told me he could die if I wanted him to.
“If you think so, then turn on your TV to Channel 5,” Jennifer said.
I sighed, walking into Jason’s living room and turning on the TV. The moment I did, the news anchor’s voice filled the room.
“Mr. Ethan Marcel has just turned himself in to the police for a series of numerous crimes, including the murder of billionaire Christof Marino and several others…”