LOGINEthan's POV
I leaned back, I couldn't help but to be bothered by what grandma had just said. I couldn't take over as he head of the country without listening to her.
A faint sound broke through my thoughts and I realized it was the news station. I hadn’t turned it on. Which meant... Of course.
I pushed myself up without thinking, crossing the room in a few slow steps before reaching for the remote resting
Eva's POVI had just finished going through my notes again, trying to keep my mind occupied with something practical. My phone buzzed lightly against the table, drawing my attention without urgency, but the moment I saw his name, something in me stilled.It was a message from Ethan.Ethan: I want to see you. Tonight.I stared at the screen for a few seconds longer than necessary, my fingers hovering just above it as I considered the simplest truth of it. To everyone else, we weren’t just two people who had made a calculated agreement. We were a couple. And more than tha, we were engaged.The thought still felt strange when I framed it like that, even though I had been the one to accept it, even though I understood exactly why it existed and what it was meant to achieve. It wasn’t real, not in the way people believed, but appearances didn’t care about reality.
Ethan's POVI was in the office, looking at some files when I heard a knock on my door. I didn’t look up immediately, finishing the line I was reviewing before setting the document aside with deliberate precision. Only then did I allow my gaze to shift toward the door, my tone even.“Come in.” I said calmly.The door opened just enough for Miss Wendy to step in, her posture as composed as always.“Sir,” she began, closing the door quietly behind her, “there’s someone here to see you.”I leaned back slightly in my chair, watching her more closely now. “At this hour?” I asked, my voice calm, though there was a faint edge of curiosity beneath it. “You know I don’t entertain unplanned visits.”“I’m aware,” she nodded once, unfazed. “That’s why I came in personally.”That narrowed it down. “Who is it?” I asked, my fingers resting lightly against the armrest as I studied her expression.She hesitated, just briefly, before answering. “Stone Face is here.” she said. That got my attention. Not
Eva's POVThat night, I couldn't sleepI lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. Everything was still, but my mind refused to follow. It kept circling back, again and again, to something I hadn’t allowed myself to think about in a long time.I couldn't help but think about prison. The people I had left behind in my previous life. I remembered I promised to get Matteo out. I wondered if he was still there and what he was doing now.I shifted slightly, turning onto my side, but it didn’t help. If anything, the memories grew clearer, sharper, like they had been waiting for a moment like this to rise back to the surface. I could still see the narrow corridor, the dull echo of footsteps, the faint metallic scent that never really left the air. I could still hear the low murmurs at night, voices that tried to stay quiet but carried anyway because silence in that place was too heavy to hold.And among all of it, I couldn't forget the doctor who had impacted me with so much knowledge. A woman n
Eva's POVFor a moment after my last words settled between us, neither of us moved. I could see it in the way Ethan held himself, in the precision of his stillness, like every reaction had been pulled inward and locked behind something stronger than habit.He hadn’t denied it. That alone was enough.I let out a slow breath “Then let’s stop circling around it.” I said quietly. “I know about your illness.” I continued, not dressing it up, not softening it. “Not in detail, not in ways that would satisfy you, but enough to understand that it’s not something you’ve been able to fix.”That landed again, though this time he didn’t react the same way. The initial surprise had passed. What remained now was something more controlled, more guarded.“You’re very confident in your understanding.” He said calmly.“I’m confident in what I’ve seen.” I corrected, holding his gaze without wavering. “And I’m confident in what you haven’t been able to change.”I took a step closer, closing the distance s
Eva's POV“You’re quiet.” He said after a while of me being quiet.“I’m thinking.” I answered simply.“That’s dangerous.” He remarked lightly.That almost made me smile. “Only for people who prefer blind decisions.” I replied, finally turning my head slightly to look at him.He met my gaze easily, like he had been waiting for it. “Are you implying I didn’t think this through?” His brow lifted just slightly, though there was no real offense in his expression.“I’m implying you made a decision that affects both of us without asking me first.” I corrected calmly. “That’s not the same thing.”He didn’t argue or defend himself. If anything, there was the faintest hint of acknowledgment in the way his gaze shifted, like he accepted that point without needing to say it out loud. “That’s fair.” He admitted, his tone even. “But if I had asked, would you have agreed?”“No.” I said after a moment, my voice steady.“Exactly.” He nodded once, like that confirmed something for him. I exhaled quietl
Eva's POVMom and Dad left the room after Livia had been forced to leave. The judges also left, with the one who Livia had bribed looking embarrassed.Ethan stood beside me as if everything that had just happened had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience, his posture relaxed, his expression composed, like he hadn’t just altered the course of everything with a few well-placed words. That calmness irritated me more than anything else, not because it was unearned, but because it made it harder to read him. And I didn’t like not knowing.Before I could decide whether to confront him immediately or wait until we were out of the room, his grandmother stepped forward again, drawing my attention back to her with that same quiet authority she carried so effortlessly.“You’ll come and see me.” Her tone wasn’t a question, but it wasn’t a command either. I b







