Ethan and Maya locked eyes for a brief moment. She was still breathtaking—whether she was angry, smiling, crying, or even standing in the pouring rain. Her beauty hadn’t faded in the slightest. But Ethan knew—there was no going back for either of them. Maya kept insisting that Ethan couldn’t let go of her past with Tony, but that wasn’t the root of the problem. Her affair with Tony had taken place before Ethan revealed his true identity. It had hurt him deeply, yes—but it wasn’t something he couldn’t have forgiven. The real breaking point had been her entanglement with Cayden. By then, Maya was already his wife—married to the president of the Walt Disney Corporation and poised to become an heir to the Sinclair family. Even if nothing happened between her and Cayden beyond holding hands, that alone was inappropriate and disrespectful. And what hurt even more was how her attitude changed when Ethan lost everything. She treated him differently, coldly, as though his worth had disap

Cayden was in an exceptionally good mood today. He believed he had finally succeeded in toppling Ethan from his role as president of the Walt Disney Corporation, reducing him to nothing more than a broke nobody.Even better, he had forced Ethan to divorce Maya—the woman Cayden had been pursuing—effectively stealing her away.To Cayden, everything was going exactly according to plan.He’d never been one to lose in matters of love, and this felt like just another victory.Although Ethan had injured one of Cayden’s fingers, it wasn’t something that seriously disrupted his daily life.He had trained himself to be ambidextrous, so eating, drinking, or even playing games on his phone posed no issue.After chatting with Maya on the phone for a while, and feeling pleased with himself, Cayden finished his IV treatment and invited her to join him for a round of Call of Duty: Warzone.Cayden couldn’t move the index and middle fingers on his right hand, but luckily, he only needed his thumb to pl

Maya stared at Cayden in disbelief. They had never been intimate, so she knew without a doubt that the baby wasn’t his.“What are you saying?” she asked, confused. “If I don’t go through with the abortion, how can we even get married?”Cayden had previously told her he didn’t mind the pregnancy, but also claimed that his grandfather was old-fashioned and would never approve unless she terminated the baby.Now, Cayden took a deep breath, already prepared with an answer. “Maya… I need to be honest. I lied to you.”“Lied to me?” Maya’s expression froze. “About what?”Lowering his head, Cayden put on a guilty, remorseful look. “The truth is… my grandfather doesn’t even know you’re pregnant—or that you’ve been married before. I never told him.”“As for what I said about needing to have an abortion before we could get married… I made that up too.”Maya blinked, puzzled. “But why would you lie about something like that?”Cayden sighed, playing the part of the conflicted lover. “Because I was

“Whoa!” Mike exclaimed, eyes wide in shock. His face turned serious with a hint of nervousness. “Man, that’s... seriously intense.” Ethan smirked. “It gets better. Her husband’s going to catch you two in bed.” Mike nearly jumped out of his seat. “Hey, don’t joke like that!” He looked genuinely alarmed. “Come on, we’ve been friends for over a decade—you wouldn’t throw me under the bus like that, right?” Clearly shaken, Mike imagined worst-case scenarios. What if the husband showed up with a gun? Or even a baseball bat? Either way, it sounded painful. But Ethan reassured him calmly, “Relax. The guy’s not violent. If he walks in, the worst he’ll do is break down in tears. He’s not the type to get physical.” Mike breathed a little easier, but was still puzzled. “So what’s the deal? What did this guy do to you that you want to put him through something like that?” Ethan’s tone softened. “You’ve got it wrong. He didn’t do anything to me. He’s actually a good man, and I consider him a

Ethan was stunned, completely blindsided. He had walked into the evening expecting nothing more than a relaxed meal—some light conversation, maybe a glass of wine, and a chance to catch up. He never imagined Clara would drop something so heavy, so unexpectedly heartfelt. “I have feelings for you, Ethan,” she had said, her voice steady but her eyes betraying the storm behind them. “I’ve had them for a while now.” For a moment, he couldn’t speak. His mind reeled. He had always thought Clara was... different. Not indifferent exactly, but distant—untouchable. He’d picked up on her subtle gestures, the way her gaze lingered a bit longer than it should, but he never truly believed she’d take it further. Ethan wasn’t stupid. He knew Clara had feelings for him. He’d known for some time. But to hear her actually say it aloud, to see her sitting across from him—composed, but vulnerable—was something else entirely. This wasn’t college anymore. Adult relationships carried a weight that young