Chapter 10
“Why won’t you go? Hannah was just being thoughtful, trying to introduce you to someone.”
Ethan’s voice carried irritation, but Elijah Watchmaker only found it absurd.
“The great Mr. Morgan,” she said dryly, “recommending a boyfriend for his former lover… That’s
a first.”
Ethan’s brows furrowed slightly.
“Do you still have some… unrealistic ideas in your head?”
“I thought I’d made myself very clear,” he continued flatly.
“My future wife will be Hannah. You’d better accept reality before you waste any more of your
time.”
Elijah’s lips curved faintly, but her tone was calm, detached.
“You think too highly of yourself, Ethan. I’m not so pathetic that I’d still be pining for you.”
In truth, if she were to set her mind on anyone right now, it would be that son of Howards, the man
she was about to meet at Mrs. Morgan’s arrangement.
At least he could offer her a path out of the Morgan family’s cage.
Her voice was steady, her expression unshaken.
Ethan should have been pleased to hear it. He wasn’t. Instead, a strange, sharp frustration settled in his chest, refusing to let him breathe easily.
After a pause, his voice grew cold again.
“If you want me to believe you, then agree to go on this date with Ivan.”
“Hannah’s rarely this excited about something,” he added. “Don’t ruin it for her.”
Elijah gave a short, sharp laugh, no warmth in it at all.
“What am I, Ethan? Hannah’s little handmaiden? Am I supposed to dance whenever she feels like playing matchmaker?”
Her gaze hardened, her words slicing through the air:
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“Do I not get to decide whether I want to go or not? Do I need her permission for everything?”
Ethan frowned, his tone tightening.
“Stop comparing yourself to Hannah. You’re not the same.”
“With your status, Elijah, you don’t have the luxury of being picky. Ivan is already the best you can hope for.
She froze for a moment, then smiled faintly, a soft, bitter curve of her lips.
She had heard enough.
Always the same thing from him: what she couldn’t do, what she didn’t deserve, what her “place” was supposed to be.
Was she really never allowed to have her own choices? Her own boundaries? Her own preferences?
Why was it that they got to decide everything for her?
“You don’t need to shove me away so urgently, Ethan,” she said evenly, looking him straight in the eye. “I’m not staying close to you because I want to.”
Her voice was quiet, but her gaze was sharp as glass.
“When the time comes for me to leave, I’ll walk away cleanly. No hesitation. No regrets.”
She didn’t wait for his response, didn’t want to see the storm flickering in his eyes. Elijah turned and walked away, her heels clicking softly against the floor.
Ethan stood frozen, his hand half–raised as though to stop her. But he didn’t.
Her words echoed in his ears.
“I’m not staying close to you because I want to.”
“When the time comes, I’ll leave without looking back.”
What the hell did she mean by that?
She loved him.
For three years, she’d willingly kept herself hidden in the shadows for him, even risking everything by trying to leverage that scandalous post for a chance at marriage.
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She couldn’t possibly mean it. She was just angry. She had to be.
He exhaled slowly, convincing himself as much.
That night, Elijah’s phone rang.
Her mother’s voice came through, laced with both reprimand and unease:
“Elijah, what’s wrong with you lately? Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Hannah’s a young lady from a wealthy family. She carefully picked someone for you, what right do we have to be so choosy?”
Elijah clenched the phone tightly in her hand, holding back a bitter laugh.
“Mom… that man, Ivan, he’s been in love with Hannah for four years.”
There was a beat of silence, and then Mrs. Watchmaker let out a delighted little gasp.
“Oh, well, that’s perfect!”
Elijah froze, momentarily stunned into silence.
Her mother sounded almost cheerful as she went on.
“If Hannah and Ethan are together, she obviously won’t pick Ivan, so if he has a crush on her, it’ll just be one–sided!”
“That means he’ll be completely devoted to you. No risk of him cheating on someone else. Isn’t that great?”
Elijah’s hand went slack against the phone, her chest tightening until it hurt.
It was laughable. It felt like the entire world was conspiring to force her to take whatever Hannah Lopez chose to leave behind.
Even if she didn’t want it. Even if it made her sick.
After hanging up, Elijah immediately called Ethan.
“I’ll play along with Hannah’s little game,” she said flatly. “I’ll go on this date with Ivan.”
“But in return,” she added after a pause, “you’re going to promise me one thing.”
Over ten years of knowing Ethan, she had learned one truth. He was unpredictable, volatile when
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challenged, and relentless when denied.
She’d seen the signs these past few days. She knew him better than anyone.
Ethan didn’t hate her. Not really. If anything… he felt too much.
And that made him dangerous.
So Elijah needed to plan ahead. She needed an exit. One Ethan wouldn’t try to block.
Ending the call, she let out a quiet, humorless laugh.
No power. No backing. No protection.
And now, even leaving required strategy. How utterly ridiculous.
