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Chapter 70
Shadows of AllianceThe silence in the Sterling penthouse was not the silence of peace. It was the kind of silence that pressed down like a weight, full of unspoken words and sharp edges. Clara sat by the long glass windows, arms folded tightly across her chest, her eyes following the city lights below. Ethan stood near the bar counter, pouring himself a drink he wouldn’t taste. Both were in the same room, yet they felt worlds apart.And yet, despite the wreckage of the last forty-eight hours—the shouting, the accusations, the revelations—they were still here. Together.The decision to form an alliance hadn’t come easily. Ethan had resisted it until the very last moment, his pride wounded by Clara’s accusations and his own guilt gnawing at him for failing to protect her. Clara had hesitated too, wary of giving her trust to a man who seemed determined to keep her at arm’s length. But Kane had made sure they had no other choice. His moves were tightening around them like a noose.Now,
Chapter 69
Shattered WallsThe silence between them had grown unbearable. Clara could feel it, like a storm cloud that had settled into the penthouse and refused to move. Days of Ethan’s clipped words and sharp looks had stretched on, punctuated only by the long absences when he left for the office before dawn and returned after midnight.And yet, despite the distance, Clara still felt Kane’s presence, prowling in the shadows. She had caught glimpses of that tattooed guard twice more, always watching her, always too still. She felt him everywhere, even in the hollow corridors of their building.This morning, though, she wasn’t willing to let the silence stretch further. She stood in the kitchen, her hands wrapped tightly around a mug of coffee, when Ethan walked in. He looked as polished as ever, his suit sharp, his tie perfectly knotted, his hair immaculately combed.But his eyes… his eyes were tired, bloodshot from nights of little sleep.“Ethan,” she said carefully, her voice soft but determi
Chapter 68
Splinters of SilenceClara didn’t sleep that night. She couldn’t. The echo of Ethan’s words — “I don’t know if I can forgive this” — kept replaying in her head like a cruel melody. She lay awake in her bed, staring at the ceiling while Ethan remained in his study, the door closed, his presence a ghost in the penthouse.When dawn broke, the tension was still thick enough to choke on. Ethan emerged, perfectly dressed, crisp suit, immaculate tie, as if the night had left no mark on him. His eyes flicked toward Clara once — cold, unreadable — before he grabbed his briefcase.“You’re leaving without saying anything?” Clara whispered, her voice hoarse from silence.He paused at the door, his back to her. “There’s nothing left to say right now.”Her heart crumbled at the finality in his tone. “Ethan—”“Don’t.” He didn’t raise his voice, but the weight of that single word slammed into her chest like a hammer. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”And then he was gone.The sound of the
Chapter 67
Fractured TrustThe silence in the penthouse was heavier than any argument they had ever endured. Ethan sat in the armchair near the window, his jaw tight, his gaze fixed on the city lights below. Clara stood by the closed door, her hands still trembling from the confrontation. The air was sharp, filled with words unsaid, questions unasked.For a long moment, she couldn’t breathe. His silence was worse than any explosion of anger. Ethan Sterling was not a man who fumed or shouted — when he went quiet, it was like a blade pressed to the throat.“Say something,” Clara finally whispered, her voice cracking.Ethan’s gaze slid toward her, his eyes dark and unyielding. “What do you want me to say, Clara? That I didn’t see what I saw? That the woman I married isn’t sneaking around behind my back in my own home?”Clara flinched as if he’d struck her. “It’s not what you think. I wasn’t—”“Wasn’t what?” His voice cut through her like ice. “You weren’t spying? You weren’t following a thread you
Chapter 66
The FalloutClara’s footsteps echoed faintly in the corridor as Ethan steered her away from the locked room, his grip on her elbow firm but not rough. She fought the urge to wrench free, her whole body trembling from what she’d seen—the photos, the ledger, the locket now burning like fire in her pocket.Her chest heaved as she finally tore herself away once they reached the main hall. “Stop touching me!” she snapped, her voice cracking.Ethan froze, his jaw tightening, but he let go. For a long moment, they stood staring at each other in the dim light, silence stretching heavy and unbearable.Her eyes blazed with fury. “You’ve been spying on me. Watching me. For years. Was any of this real, Ethan? Was it all some kind of setup?”He didn’t flinch at her words, but something in his expression wavered—a flash of pain quickly hidden behind his usual steel. “It’s not what you think.”She laughed bitterly, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Not what I think? Do you have any idea how that sou
Chapter 65
Secrets behind closed doors The key felt like it had grown heavier overnight. Clara kept it hidden in the pocket of her robe as though someone might steal it if they caught even a glint of its tarnished surface. Every time she slipped her hand into the pocket, her pulse jumped, her chest tightening with anticipation and fear.She knew she should wait. She knew opening that door meant crossing a line Ethan had drawn, a line he had reinforced with every clipped word, every half-truth, every silence that hung between them. But the more he locked her out, the more the mystery gnawed at her.It wasn’t just Kane’s warning anymore. It was her own instincts screaming that the man she loved, the man she had agreed to build a life with, was hiding something monumental.And secrets didn’t stay buried forever.The opportunity came late at night. Ethan had been called out unexpectedly—something urgent at Sterling Enterprises that couldn’t wait until morning. Clara had watched from the balcony as
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