ログインSCARLETTI thought I could trust Ryder when he said everything would be okay. I really tried. But deep down I knew Ethan too well. He would never let me go that easily. The fear kept growing inside me until I couldn’t sit still anymore. I needed to face this myself and end it once and for all.So I left the safe house without telling Ryder.The drive to Ethan’s parents’ house felt endless. My hands shook on the steering wheel the whole way. When I finally arrived, Ethan’s father was already standing at the front door, cigarette in hand, like he had been waiting for me.“Dad…” I said quietly.He crushed the cigarette under his shoe without a word and nodded toward the house. “Come inside.”I followed him in, my stomach twisting with nerves. The familiar smell of the house brought back so many memories — good ones and painful ones. We sat in the living room. He looked at me with cold eyes.“Sit down. Ethan will be here soon. You two need to fix this now. I won’t let you destroy our fami
SCARLETT Ethan’s cold words still echoed in my head long after the call ended. I sat on the edge of the bed, phone clutched tightly in my shaking hands, tears streaming down my face. He was really going to do it. He was going to tell everyone I was a cheating whore who had trapped him with another man’s baby. My name, my reputation, everything I had built for five years — he would burn it to the ground unless I went back and played the perfect wife again. A sob broke free from my throat. I tried to hold it in, but another one followed, louder this time. My shoulders shook as I cried, one hand pressed protectively over my belly. How had my life come to this? How had the man I once loved turned into someone who wanted to destroy me so completely? “Scarlett,” he said gently, his voice steady and warm. He cupped my face with both hands, thumbs carefully wiping away my tears. “Hey… look at me. Breathe, baby. Just breathe.” I shook my head, another sob escaping. “He knows. Ethan know
SCARLETTI woke up the next morning in a bed that wasn’t mine, wrapped in Ryder’s oversized white shirt. The fabric smelled like him — clean, warm, with a hint of his cologne. For a moment I just lay there, heart racing as the memories from last night flooded back. Ethan’s hands around my throat, the sharp pain in my stomach, the blood, and then Ryder carrying me out of that nightmare and bringing me here.I sat up slowly, one hand instinctively going to my belly. The baby. Was the baby okay? The fear from yesterday still sat heavy in my chest.The bedroom door opened quietly. Ryder walked in carrying a tray with breakfast — fresh fruit, toast, scrambled eggs, and a tall glass of orange juice. He looked calm and handsome in a simple black shirt and pants, his hair still slightly messy from sleep. When his eyes met mine, they softened immediately.“Good morning, Scarlett,” he said in that low, steady voice that always seemed to calm me. He set the tray on the bedside table and sat on t
SCARLETTI stood in the middle of Ryder’s living room, my arms wrapped tightly around myself, still trying to process everything that had happened in the last few hours.The penthouse felt like a distant nightmare now. Ethan’s rage, the slap, the choking, the blood — it all played on repeat in my head. I had almost lost the baby because of him. I had almost lost everything.Ryder had brought me here without asking. He said I couldn’t stay in that place anymore. Not after what Ethan had done.“You don’t have to do that,” I said, my voice shaky. “What if Ethan gets angry and tries to harm you?”Ryder stood by the large window, a glass of wine in his hand, looking out at the city lights. He turned slightly, his expression calm but his eyes serious.“You’re starting to worry about me,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “And I’m quite happy about that.”I sat down on the leather sofa, my legs still unsteady.“I’m serious,” I said, my voice cracking. “I just don’t want anyone to g
RYDERI walked into Ethan Reed’s office building with Leo at my side, my steps deliberate and unhurried. The assertive rhythm of my shoes on the polished marble floor drew every eye in the lobby. People stopped mid-conversation, heads turning, whispers spreading like ripples. I didn’t care. Let them stare. Let them wonder why Ryder Voss, the man who rarely showed his face in these corporate halls, was here today.We reached the executive floor. Ethan’s secretary, a polished woman in her thirties, stepped in front of us the moment we approached his office door.“Excuse me, Mr. Ryder,” she said politely but firmly, “but you don’t have an appointment to see Mr. Ethan. He’s very busy today and—”“Move aside,” I said coldly, my voice low and final.She hesitated for half a second, then stepped back without another word.I didn’t knock.I pushed the door open and walked in, Leo following silently behind me.Ethan was on the phone, leaning back in his leather chair, looking every bit the su
SCARLETTThe hospital room felt too bright, too sterile, as I lay on the examination bed, my hand still trembling on my stomach.The doctor finished the ultrasound, wiped the gel from my skin, and gave me a gentle smile.“Mrs. Scarlett, the pregnancy is fine,” she said, her voice calm and reassuring. “The bleeding was light and didn’t affect the baby. It looks like it was caused by stress or exhaustion. You need to rest more, eat properly, and avoid anything that raises your stress levels. The baby is strong, but it needs you to stay calm.”I nodded, relief washing over me in a warm wave. My baby was okay. That was the only thing that mattered right now.The doctor glanced at Ryder, who was standing beside the bed, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder. She had known me for years — she had been the one who delivered all the bad news during the five years of negative tests. Seeing another man with me instead of Ethan clearly confused her. She kept looking between us, her expression p
RYDERThe ice in my glass had melted into a thin, useless puddle.I swirled the whiskey anyway—slow circles, watching the amber liquid catch the low bar lights. I hadn't taken a single sip. Didn't want it. Didn't need it. What I needed was answers, and the woman who'd left me with nothing but cash
SCARLETT "Ohhh fuckk-Ryder... I want to come," "Not yet, Scarlett. You have to learn to beg harder." Ryder's voice was low, rough, and full of dark promise as his fingers curled deep inside me, pressing against that perfect spot that made my whole body light up. He held me pinned against the s
SCARLETTThe elevator doors slid open on the top floor, and the first thing that hit me was the silence.It was too big. Too clean. Too empty.Ethan walked ahead of me, carrying my small suitcase like it weighed nothing, while the maid he’d hired trailed behind with the rest of my things. The pent
RYDERThe apartment was too quiet tonight.City lights bled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting long silver stripes across the dark hardwood floor. The only sound was the low hum of the air conditioner and the faint tick of the clock on the wall. I sat on the leather sofa, legs stretche