All Chapters of The invisible Groom: Chapter 11
- Chapter 14
14 chapters
Chapter Eleven
Ethan… someone is outside the house.”Lila’s whisper trembled through the phone.Ethan’s blood went cold, but his voice remained steady.“Where?”“By the gate. I—I think they’re watching the house. I saw shadows moving. And the lights flickered. I don’t know what’s happening.”Hale stiffened.“Slate’s already deployed. They’re targeting civilians.”Ethan pressed the phone closer.“Lila, listen to me carefully.”Her breathing was shaky.“Okay…”“Do not step outside. Stay away from the windows. And whatever you do—don’t open the door.”“O-okay. Ethan, what’s going on?”He didn’t answer.He couldn’t—not yet.Instead, he signaled sharply.“Riker. Full speed. Dawson residence.”“Yes, Young Master!”The convoy surged forward, engines howling as they tore through the streets.⸻OUTSIDE THE DAWSON HOUSEThe night was unnaturally quiet.Three figures in dark tactical suits crouched near the Dawson gate, their movements precise, their breathing controlled. Their visors glowed faint red—Black Se
Chapter Twelve
The garden was silent.Shattered wood, broken armor, and the crushed body of the Black Serpent scout lay at Ethan’s feet. The porch light flickered above him, casting jagged shadows across his face.Lila stared at him—eyes wide, chest rising and falling fast.This wasn’t the Ethan she knew.This wasn’t the quiet, obedient, overlooked husband.This man looked like a weapon.A storm.A warning.Her voice trembled.“Ethan… what… what did you just do?”Ethan didn’t answer.He turned instead—slowly, controlled—and locked eyes with Riker’s operative who had taken cover behind the torn doorframe.“Report.”The operative stood at once.“Sir! Two scouts down. One escaped toward the east block.”Hale’s voice burst from Ethan’s earpiece.“Sir! We have visual on the runner—Slate’s men are initiating Phase Two. They’re retreating to regroup.”Ethan’s eyes narrowed.“Not on my watch.”⸻THE ONE WHO ESCAPEDThree blocks away, the surviving Black Serpent scout sprinted across rooftops, armor sparking
Chapter Thirteen
The city lights of District 7 flashed beneath the aircraft as Ethan stepped onto the ramp, black coat whipping in the wind.Hale’s voice cut through the comms.“Sir, Central Vault security is collapsing. Slate deployed a Phantom Unit—full optical camouflage.”Ethan adjusted his gloves.“Phantom won’t stop me.”The strike craft dove lower, slicing through fog like a blade.Below, alarms wailed across District 7. Roads were blocked, drones spun out of control, and the entire security grid flickered as if something—or someone—had overwritten its core.Slate.He was already inside.Ethan exhaled once.Cold.Steady.Purposeful.“Open the hatch.”The ramp snapped downward.Ethan jumped.He landed on the rooftop of Central Vault—silent impact, controlled descent. The black monolith towered above him, its armored surface vibrating from internal shockwaves.Hale landed beside him, panting.“Sir, we can still intercept him if we move—”Ethan was already moving.THE FALL OF THE VAULTThey reache
Chapter Fourteen
The Dawson house was too quiet.Too still.Too heavy.Lila stood in the middle of the living room, the broken door replaced temporarily by Riker’s men, the shattered glass swept away, the blood stains scrubbed clean.But the silence remained.The kind of silence that sits on your chest.The kind that changes something.She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling the cold settling into her bones. Every few seconds she replayed the moment Ethan walked away. The way he didn’t look back. The way he spoke as if he were someone else. Someone she didn’t know.Someone she might never have known at all.Riker cleared his throat behind her.“Ma’am,” he said gently, “the perimeter is secure.”She didn’t turn.She didn’t trust her voice yet.A moment passed, then another.“Ethan… he’s gone to fight that man, isn’t he?” Lila said softly.Riker hesitated.“Specialist Cole is responding to a breach. That’s all I can say.”“That’s not an answer,” she whispered.“It’s the safest one I can give.”Lila