"Ethan! The soup is cold. Are you trying to poison us?"Diane Whitmore's sharp voice cut across the dining room. Twelve guests turned to stare. Some smiled. Some laughed out loud.Ethan Cole stood by the table with a white towel over his arm, like a waiter. He was not a waiter. He was Diane's son-in-law, and today was his third wedding anniversary."I'm sorry," Ethan said calmly. "I'll warm it up.""Sorry?" Diane put down her spoon. "Three years, and that is all you ever say. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. You know what I'm sorry about? That my daughter married you."The guests laughed again. Chloe Whitmore, Sophia's younger sister, laughed loudest of all."Mom, be nice," Chloe said with a smirk. "Ethan works very hard. Yesterday he cleaned all the bathrooms. Didn't you, Ethan?"Ethan said nothing. He picked up the soup bowls one by one.At the far end of the table sat his wife, Sophia. She wore a simple blue dress, and she was the most beautiful woman in the room. Her eyes were on her plate. H

For a long moment, nobody spoke.The washing machine hummed in the corner. Ethan could hear his own heart beating.Sophia held up the gold ring. The little wolf seemed to stare at him."Ethan," she said again. "Answer me."Ethan walked slowly into the room. His face was calm, but his mind was racing. One wrong word, and twelve years of hiding would be over."That old thing?" he said, and gave a small laugh. "I bought it at a pawn shop."Sophia frowned. "A pawn shop?""Three years ago. Before we met. It was cheap, and I liked the wolf." He shrugged. "I sewed it into my coat because I was sleeping in shelters back then. People steal everything in those places.""It's gold, Ethan. Real gold. Look how heavy it is.""Is it?" Ethan made his eyes go wide, like a man who was surprised. "The old man at the shop said it was fake. He sold it to me for forty dollars."Sophia studied his face for a long time. Ethan did not look away."The man on the news last night," she said slowly. "King Viktor.

Sophia did not answer.She just stood there on the dance floor with Kael holding her hand. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.Ethan moved fast.He stepped out from behind the group of women and walked straight onto the dance floor. He kept his head down and his shoulders bent, like a shy man who didn't know where he was going. He bumped into a waiter on purpose. A glass of champagne fell and broke on the marble floor.Everyone turned to look."Oh no, I'm so sorry," Ethan said loudly. "I'm so clumsy. Sorry."People laughed. A woman nearby said, "Who let him in here?"Ethan walked up to Sophia and touched her arm gently. He did not look at Kael. He looked only at the floor."Sophia, I'm sorry," he said in a soft, nervous voice. "I don't feel well. Can we go outside for some air?""Of course," Sophia said quickly. She pulled her hand away from Kael. "Excuse me, Count Kael. My husband needs me."Kael smiled. "Of course, my dear. Family comes first."Ethan turned to leave. He was alm

The pen touched the paper.Ethan could not breathe. He watched Sophia's hand. Her fingers were shaking so badly that the pen made a small black mark on the line.Diane leaned forward, smiling. Chloe put down her phone to watch. Even Gerald turned away from the window.Then Sophia stopped.She stared at the paper for a long time. Then, slowly, she put the pen down."No," she said quietly.Diane's smile disappeared. "What did you say?""I said no." Sophia looked up. Her eyes were still wet, but her voice was steady now. "Not today.""Sophia!" Diane's face turned red. "After everything he did to us last night? After the police? After the video?""He didn't kill anyone, Mom. The police let him go. There was a video of the real shooter.""I don't care about the shooter! I care about our name!"Sophia stood up from the table. She was shorter than her mother, but right now she looked taller."Give me thirty days," she said.The room went quiet."Thirty days?" Diane repeated."Thirty days to