004: Accusations

Adriana's POV 

  I was still floating on clouds when I entered the building and my heart was so full of joy I thought it might burst. Tonight was going to be perfect. I would tell Ethan about the baby, watch his face light up with wonder, and tomorrow we start planning our incredible future with my father's blessing.

  I smoothed my dress and checked my reflection in the glass doors, wanting to look perfect when I found my husband.

  "Adriana."

  The sound of my name spoken like a curse made me freeze. I turned to find Ethan striding toward me, his face darker than I ever saw it. Gone was the golden boy athlete who charmed the reporters. This man looked like he wanted to destroy something.

  "Ethan? What's wrong?" I reached for him instinctively, but he jerked away from my touch as if I burned him.

  "Don't." His voice was low and dangerous. "Don't you dare act innocent with me."

  My stomach clenched. "I don't understand. What happened?"

  Instead of answering, he pulled out a phone and shoved it in my face. The screen showed a photo of me in Nicholas's arms, both of us laughing as he spun me around.

  I became very confused. "Where did you get this?"

  "Does it matter where I got it?" Ethan's golden brown eyes were hard as stone. "The question is, who the hell is he?"

  "He's my—"

  "Your what? Your sugar daddy? Your backup plan?" Ethan's voice rose, echoing in the empty lobby. "God, I should have seen this coming. You've been acting so strange lately, so distant. Now I know why."

  "Ethan, you're not listening to me." I tried to keep my voice calm, but panic was starting to creep in. "That's Nicholas. My brother Nicholas."

  He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Your brother? Really? That's the best lie you can come up with?"

  "It's not a lie!" The words came out sharper than I intended. "Why would I lie about my own brother?"

  "Because you've been lying about everything else!" Ethan stepped closer, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "You think I'm stupid? You think I don't know what I'm looking at?"

  I stared at him, genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?"

  "The way he's holding you. The way you're looking at him." Ethan swiped to another photo, this one showing Nicholas cupping my face. "This isn't how siblings act, Adriana. This is how lovers act."

  My mouth fell open. "That's disgusting! He's my brother!"

  "Stop lying to me!" Ethan's voice exploded through the lobby. "I trusted you! I believed in you! And while I was in there announcing the biggest moment of my career, you were out here with some rich asshole!"

  "Rich asshole?" The words hit me like a slap. "Ethan, please, just listen to me for one second—"

  "I should have known," he continued, his words cutting deeper into me. "A woman like you, settling for a hockey player? I should have known you find someone with more money the second you got the chance."

  "A woman like me?" My voice cracked. "What does that mean?"

  "It means I was an idiot to think you actually loved me." Ethan's face was twisted with pain and rage. "You were just waiting for someone better to come along."

  Tears burned my eyes. This was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives. I was supposed to tell him about our baby, about my father's offer, about our perfect future. Instead, my world was crumbling around me.

  "Ethan, please." I reached for his hand, desperate to make him understand. "That man is my brother Nicholas. I can prove it. I can call him right now. I…"

  "Save it." He yanked his hand away. "I don't want to hear any more lies."

  "They're not lies!"

  "We're leaving." Ethan turned toward the exit, his shoulders rigid with anger. "And we're going to have a very long conversation when we get home."

  I followed him on shaking legs, my mind racing. How did this happen? How did a photo of me with my own brother turn into this nightmare?

  Ethan walked toward our car with sharp and violent strides. I was still trying to process what had just happened when a familiar voice called out.

  "Ethan! Wait up!"

  Vivienne hurried toward us, her heels clicking against the pavement. She looked perfectly put together despite the long day, her blonde hair still smooth, her dress still wrinkle-free.

  "I don't mean to be a bother," she said, slightly out of breath. "But I don't have my car here. My assistant dropped me off this morning, and she's not answering her phone. Could I possibly get a ride? I know it's an imposition..."

  Ethan's expression softened immediately when he looked at her. "Of course. No problem at all."

  I blinked in surprise. Thirty seconds ago, he was screaming at me in a public lobby. Now he was being a perfect gentleman to another woman.

  "You're a lifesaver," Vivienne said, touching his arm briefly. "I really appreciate this."

  Ethan unlocked the car, and Vivienne immediately moved toward the front passenger seat. I was about to get in beside my husband when she paused, one hand on the door handle.

  "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said, looking directly at me for the first time. "I can't sit in the back because I have this terrible back injury from a skiing accident last year. Sitting in the back seat for more than a few minutes is agony. I know you won't mind."

  The request was not even polite. There was a satisfaction there, a smugness that said it was her right to sit in front of my husband's car.

  "I..." I started to say it was not fine, that her reason didn't hold water, but Ethan cut me off.

  "Vivienne shouldn't be in pain," he yelled at me. "Get in the back, Adriana."

  The dismissive way he spoke to me, like I was an inconvenience, made my chest tight again. "Ethan…"

  "Get in the back, or I'll leave you here." His voice was flat and final. "Your choice."

  I stared at him, this man I loved for six years, this man whose child I was carrying. He was looking at me like I was a stranger, as if I was nothing.

  Vivienne slid into the front seat with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much Ethan. You're very understanding."

  I got into the back seat without another word. I was really in shock and confused why he was acting like that towards me and suddenly I felt very alone despite being surrounded by two other people.

  Ethan started the engine, and we pulled out of the parking lot in suffocating silence. I sat directly behind him, staring at the back of his head, trying to figure out how everything had gone so wrong so quickly.

  Through the side mirror, I could see Vivienne's perfect profile, her hands folded gracefully in her lap. She looked content, like she was exactly where she wanted to be.

  We stopped at a red light, and Ethan drummed his fingers against the steering wheel impatiently. The tension in the car was so thick I could barely breathe.

  "The light's green," Vivienne said softly.

  Ethan pressed the gas, and we moved forward into the intersection. No one would have expected the next thing that happened.

  A dark sedan sped toward us from the left, running the red light at full speed.

  Time slowed to a crawl as he ran into us, sending me flying to the other side of the car, glass shattering all around me.