Chapter 22

"Ethan!"

Vivian gasped, rushing forward in three quick strides. Her slender fingers clamped around Ethan Winslow's arm, nails digging into his skin.

Ethan's face turned ghostly pale as he collapsed onto the ground like a limp rag.

"Are you okay?" Vivian's voice trembled. She fumbled to lift him but staggered under his weight, her strength insufficient.

I stood three meters away, watching the scene unfold with cold detachment.

"Take him to the hospital," I said calmly.

Vivian's head snapped up, hesitation flickering in her eyes. She bit her lower lip before finally making up her mind. "Go to the new house first. I'll come after I drop him off."

The black Porsche roared to life, disappearing in a cloud of dust.

I pulled out my phone and dialed an old friend.

"Now?" I arched a brow. "Fine. Meet me at the airport."

Hanging up, I turned the car around without hesitation. In the rearview mirror, the house that should have been filled with anticipation grew smaller and smaller.

Twelve hours later, I stood in a hotel room in a foreign country. The blue glow of my laptop screen reflected on my exhausted face, stacks of documents scattered across the desk.

"Double-check the proposal," my friend rasped.

We worked through three sleepless nights. On the fourth morning, when the client finally signed the contract, we exchanged a tired but triumphant smile, eyes red-rimmed.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out—twenty-seven missed calls, all from Vivian.

The latest message read: "I'm downstairs at the new house. Where are you?"

Sent three days ago.

I turned off the screen and tossed the phone back into my pocket. Outside, the foreign sunlight was blinding.

The night I returned, the doorbell rang like mad the moment I stepped out of the shower.

"Who is it?" I asked warily.

The only response was even more violent pounding.

The second I opened the door, a warm body crashed into me. The overpowering stench of alcohol made me grimace.

"Vivian?"

She lifted her head, eyes bloodshot. "Ethan and I are together now," she enunciated slowly, a mocking smile twisting her lips. "Happy?"