Chapter 6
I stayed quiet for a while before finally telling him what I had decided. “This time, I’m not going to run. I want to stand by you and protect our family.”
I didn’t want Ethan to spend his life hiding or always being on edge because of me.
E
His eyes turned red, and he said, thought you’d leave with him. I…
“I’ve been keeping this from you for a long time. He’s been trying to find you ever since we left.
“He refused to believe you were dead.
“But I never told you because I was scared. Scared you’d go back to him and leave me behind.”
I wrapped my arms around him tightly as tears filled.
my eyes.
I thought to myself, “This silly man! How come he still has so little confidence in me?”
I gently held his face and gave him a soft kiss.
But I said firmly, “Ethan, ever since you pulled me out of that darkness, I’ve been relying on you. Don’t even think about getting rid of me!”
Even though I had mentally prepared myself, the moment I saw Marvin, my face went pale.
He stood silently in our house, scanning the room, brushing his hand over a photo of me and Ethan. His eyes looked heavy and unreadable.
Chapter 6
My whole body went cold, and I wanted to run without thinking.
Ethan grabbed my hand and gently pulled me behind him to shield me.
Why had Marvin suddenly appeared in our home?
Then his gaze landed on me. His stare was full of fury, but deep inside, there was a flicker of longing and tenderness that I couldn’t understand.
Was he… really missing me?
“Eleanor, why aren’t you running this time?” Marvin said with a crooked smile, his voice cold.
Even though he was clearly furious, he still held himself back.
He didn’t want to scare me off like before.
He shouted, “I knew you were alive! I had everyone in Austin searching for you, but I never imagined you’d hide this far away!
“Come back with me today. From this moment on, I won’t blame you for anything that happened before.”
“I’ve kicked Luciana out of Austin. She will never hurt you again!
“You want to be Mrs. Berman?
your dream is- I’ll give it to you. You want power, influence, whatever
He grabbed my hand, breathing in the familiar scent on me. His eyes turned red, filled with longing.
I yanked my hand back in anger.
“Marvin, you lunatic! Why don’t you go find your beloved Luciana? What the hell are you doing here, losing your mind over me?
0005
“I’ve given you everything I had! If you keep following me like this, I won’t hesitate to die again!”
A strange look crossed Marvin’s face, as if something finally clicked in his mind. Then he smiled–a creepy smile that sent a chill down my spine.
He asked softly, “Eleanor, are you still jealous? Don’t worry. From now on, I only have eyes for you. I won’t even glance at another woman.
“It wasn’t until after you were gone that I realized the one I love is you. If you agree to leave with me, I don’t care what you do. Hit me, punish me, anything. As long as you come back to me.”
Then he lowered his head, speaking in a pained voice. “I never thought I’d miss anyone this badly.
“I renovated the attic and have been living there ever since. It still smells like you. I should’ve figured out my feelings long ago instead of always hurting you.
“I was only torturing myself, too!”
Right after those words left his mouth, Ethan finally lost it. He punched Marvin so hard that his face snapped to the side.
Before Marvin even had a chance to respond, his bodyguard quickly stepped in front of him to shield him.
A group of three or four people moved in on Ethan, completely surrounding him.
I watched as they beat Ethan so badly that he started coughing up blood, but he still looked at me, trying to tell me to run quickly!
I ran to him and held onto him tightly, shouting, “If you want to hurt him, you’ll have to go through me first!”
Chapter 6
With my eyes shut, I used my own body to cover Ethan and stood still,
ready to take the next hit myself.
