My head snapped to Vivian at her words, my heart thudding painfully in my chest. "What are you saying?"
"Exactly what I said, Isabella." She continued, her tone full of venom. "You've been so out of touch with your father's cruelty that you don't even know how many lives he's ruined."
"What?" My voice barely registered the shock I felt. I glanced between Ethan and Vivian, my mind spinning. What was she talking about? And how was this all tied to Ethan?
"He's—"
"Thank you, Vivian. I'll take it from here." Ethan's voice cut through the room like a blade, dismissing her with chilling calm. "Can you give us a moment alone?"
Vivian's eyes flashed with something between annoyance and triumph, but she grabbed her bag, her footsteps slow and deliberate as she exited, leaving the door slightly ajar.
"Ethan…" My voice was barely a whisper as I gripped his arm lightly. But he pulled away as if I were something foul, something he couldn't touch. My heart sank deeper into my chest.
"What's going on?" I asked again, the words feeling like they were tearing out of me. I waved the divorce papers in the air, my fingers trembling. "What is all of this? What was she talking about?"
His gaze turned distant, colder. The way he said my name made my blood run cold.
"Izzy…" he started, his voice strained, before cutting himself off. "Isabella." The formality stung. It was so distant, so unfamiliar. The name felt like a slap, like he was a stranger, and I wasn't sure how to breathe in the space between us anymore.
"Everything Vivian said… it's true." His words hit me like a cold wave, leaving me breathless. The world around me seemed to fall away, everything growing blurry and distant. The floor beneath my feet felt unsteady, as if I might crumble at any moment.
"My parents' lives were ruined because of what your father did. Your father betrayed mine and we had to suffer for it."
"What?" My lips trembled, gasping for air as I struggled to process his words. "What are you talking about? Dad would never…"
Ethan chuckled darkly, his gaze mocking my pitiful state. "I knew you would take his side. You're just like him, aren't you?"
"No, Ethan, I promise…" I stammered, but the words felt weak even to me.
"Your father is a monster," he spat, his voice low and filled with venom. "And I swore to make him pay for the lives he's destroyed."
"No! No! Dad would never—!" My words came out in a desperate sob, but the conviction in my voice started to falter. I couldn't accept this. I couldn't believe it. The man who raised me, who taught me everything, could never have done something like this.
"My parents died… miserable deaths because of him," Ethan continued, his tone colder, unrelenting. "… that's why I made sure he paid for that and it's just the beginning."
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. The weight of his words hit me like a physical blow. "Does this mean…?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.
"Yes, Isabella." His gaze never wavered, icy and filled with contempt. "I am the reason your father is detained right now, and I will make sure he rots in prison. For what he did."
The world around me seemed to blur, and for a long moment, I couldn't feel anything but numbness. My hands shook uncontrollably as I tried to process what Ethan had just confessed. How could this be?
"Ethan…" I whispered, my breath leaving my lungs, each word tasting bitter on my tongue.
"Isabella it's unfortunate but you were nothing more than a pawn in my game," he sneered, his voice cold.
"No, that's a lie, Ethan, that's—" I paused, gasping for air as my heart pounded painfully in my chest. "It's not possible."
"I never loved you Isabella. You were merely a means to climb my way to the top and exact my revenge. How much clearer do I need to make it?"
"No! No! No! No! No! No! Ethan! No! You love me! This isn't true… it's not!" My voice cracked, rising with each word I spat, my tears choking me as they streamed down my face.
My body trembled, every muscle in my chest and arms aching as though something heavy had been placed on top of me. The air felt thick, my breath shallow and ragged as I stared at Ethan, his words still echoing in my head. My vision blurred, tears flooding.
"The quicker you accept this, the easier it is for you." his voice continued to pierce through the deafening silence. "You are of no use to me anymore and I can keep you out of pity, but I doubt you'd want that."
Each word felt like a stab to my heart, ripping apart everything I thought we had built. The memories, the promises, everything—gone in an instant.
I tried to breathe, to steady myself, but the pressure in my chest intensified, and my body betrayed me. I reached out to grab something, anything, to steady myself, but my hands trembled too violently to grasp anything.
"You don't mean this," I whispered, my voice breaking as if the very air I breathed was choking me. "Please… Ethan, please, you're lying. You have to be."
He said nothing. His cold stare remained fixed on me, his green eyes unwavering, unfeeling. And in that moment, I felt a deep, suffocating sense of loss. Every ounce of strength I had left seemed to evaporate.
I stumbled back, my legs too weak to carry me. The room around me spun, everything fading into a dizzying blur of shapes and colors.
I reached out again, but this time, my hand failed to find anything to hold onto. My knees buckled, and in a single, terrifying moment, my body crumpled to the floor like a broken doll.
The last thing I remembered before everything went black was the hollow sound of my name, faintly echoing in the distance. "Isabella…"
Then, nothing.