Chapter 140
The weight in Ethan’s chest was unbearable, like a boulder pressing down on his ribs. His thoughts were a tangled mess, stretched thin like a wire about to snap.
This feeling—this suffocating, clawing emotion—was foreign to him. In all his twenty-eight years, he had never known anything like it.
It terrified him.
Why?
Why did it hurt like this?
He didn’t love Evelyn. He couldn’t.
He was just… adjusting. That was all.
Just unused to her absence.
Just needed time.
Then everything would go back to normal.
Upstairs, Evelyn pushed open the window, letting the cool night air wash over her. Her gaze drifted downward, and there he was—still there.
From the tenth floor, even a man like Ethan Caldwell looked small. Insignificant.
He sat on the pavement, his expensive suit rumpled, his pride discarded like yesterday’s news.
She turned away.
Outside, the drizzle turned to rain.
The rain pattered against the windowpane, threatening to seep inside. Evelyn hurried to shut it tight.
But when she glanced down again, her breath caught. Ethan was still there.
He hadn’t moved an inch, frozen in place like a statue carved from grief.
From her vantage point, Evelyn realized it wasn’t by choice. Ethan couldn’t move.
He swayed slightly, his hands braced against the pavement as he struggled to rise—and failed. The rain had turned into a downpour, soaking him to the bone.
Evelyn’s nails dug into her palms. After a heartbeat of hesitation, she grabbed her phone and dialed Trevor.
Ten minutes later, headlights cut through the storm as Trevor’s car screeched to a halt at the alley’s entrance.
"Ethan, what the hell?"
Trevor sprinted forward, umbrella in hand, his shoes splashing through puddles.
"Weren’t you supposed to be with Vanessa at Whitmore Manor today? How did you end up like this?"
Only when he crouched beside Ethan did Trevor notice the unnatural pallor of his skin. He gripped Ethan’s arm—burning with fever—and hauled him up with a grunt.
"You're burning up! We need to get you to a doctor now."
Ethan stumbled into the car, his mind foggy. Trevor's voice sounded distant, like an echo underwater.
No matter how much Trevor rambled beside him, Ethan barely registered a word.
The hospital came into view quickly. A physician rushed over the moment they arrived.
Lying on the sterile white bed, Ethan felt the cool sting of the IV needle piercing his skin.
Trevor frowned. "Ethan, what's going on with you?"
Ethan's gaze remained fixed on the ceiling for a long, silent moment before he finally spoke. "Evelyn married Alexander."
"What?"
Trevor's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious. That's impossible."
"You think she did it to hurt me, don't you?" Ethan suddenly gripped Trevor's arm, his fingers digging in.
"Because I married Vanessa, she wanted revenge. So she married Alexander out of spite."
Trevor was stunned. He couldn't believe Evelyn would go that far just to—
Trevor scoffed internally. What kind of woman would be reckless enough to weaponize marriage just to spite an ex?
But seeing Ethan’s disheveled state, he bit back the remark.
Ethan’s grip tightened as he demanded, "How did you even know I was in that alley?"
"Vanessa called me," Trevor admitted, wincing as he pried Ethan’s fingers off his arm.
Ethan froze. "What did you just say?"
"Ow—easy!" Trevor yanked his wrist free, rubbing the sore spot.
Without hesitation, Ethan snatched Trevor’s phone, scanning the call history.
There it was—Vanessa’s number, clear as day.
She actually reached out to Trevor for me.
His pulse spiked, a wild rush of hope and disbelief flooding him.
A slow, triumphant grin spread across his face. "I knew it. She still cares. Why else would she contact you to find me?"
The realization sent a reckless thrill through him.
This wasn’t over. Not even close.