CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Lauren!" Ethan called out, his voice thick with urgency.

Tears streamed down Lauren’s face as she backed away from them. "How long?" she choked. "How long will you all keep doing this to me? Lying to me. Hiding things from me!"

Amy’s eyes welled up. "Lauren, please... I’m so sorry."

Lauren let out a hollow laugh, full of disbelief. "Sorry? Amy, we’ve been best friends for ten years. Ten years! I told you everything — even the darkest parts of me, even the mess with Caleb. And you—" Her voice cracked. "You kept this from me?"

Amy’s voice was barely a whisper. "I saw them... the men who started the fire. I saw their faces. And they saw me too."

Lauren’s expression twisted in confusion, trying to piece together the horror unraveling in front of her.

Ethan stepped forward, his voice low but steady. "Amy was the one who pulled me and my father out of that fire. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t be alive."

The words hit Lauren like a blow to the chest.

Her breath caught. Her knees wobbled as fresh tears gathered in her eyes. She staggered back a step, as if the truth had stolen the ground beneath her feet.

Flashback Scene: Amy Witnesses the Fire Setup at Raymond’s Tech Facility

Amy Grant’s POV

It was a quiet Friday evening in Los Angeles. The city lights glimmered across the horizon as Amy Grant, still in her navy-blue suit, drove out of her client’s estate near Century City.

Her mind drifted to the legal case she had just handled—until something unusual caught her eye near the industrial district.

A tall man had just stepped into the gated entrance of Raymond Whitmore’s Tech Point.

Her eyes widened.

“Wait... Ethan?” she whispered, stunned.

Amy had always thought of Ethan Whitmore as family — not just Lauren’s husband, but like a brother.

So when she saw him unexpectedly at Raymond Whitmore’s tech facility in Los Angeles, curiosity pulled her closer.

She was driving nearby when she spotted him walking through the heavy gates of the massive compound.

She didn’t know about his biological father, Raymond Whitmore — no one did.

To Amy, Ethan was just her best friend’s husband, alive and real, standing where no one expected.

Without hesitation, Amy parked her car in the shadows and hurried toward the entrance.

She wanted to call out to him, to ask why he was here, but just as she stepped forward, something stopped her cold.

From the back of the building, three masked men slipped silently through a hidden gate. They moved like shadows, careful and deliberate. One glanced toward Amy’s direction.

Her heart hammered, but she stayed still, blending into the darkness.

They carried small bags filled with strange devices, tools that didn’t belong in a tech facility.

Amy’s mind raced. This wasn’t normal.

She slipped through a nearby door, just as they disabled the security system and entered the building.

Quiet and careful, she followed, hiding behind crates and corners, watching everything.

Then the masked men stopped near the main control room.

Two of them removed their masks, revealing faces she would never forget — cold and determined.

Amy forced herself to stay silent, pretending to be asleep on the cold floor when one of the men glanced her way.

He hesitated but walked on.

Seconds later, explosions rocked the building.

Smoke filled the hallways.

Amy found Ethan and Raymond lying unconscious, victims of the attack.

The workers had already fled, leaving the place eerily empty.

Without a second thought, Amy dragged them both toward the back exit she had spotted earlier.

Through smoke and chaos, she carried Ethan’s weight, helping Raymond stumble beside her.

They slipped out unseen, escaping the flames that swallowed the building behind them.

The world would never know.

But Amy did.

And from that night on, she kept the secret — the truth about Ethan’s survival, the masked men’s attack, and the night she saved them both.

THE PRESENT - LARIS RESTAURANT

Tears shimmered in Lauren’s eyes. Her voice was barely audible.

“I’m sorry... So you didn’t tell me because... you think those masked men saw your face?”

Amy nodded slowly, her own eyes brimming.

“Everything I did—everything we did—was to protect you. I would never take what belongs to you, Lauren.”

She stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

Ethan exhaled beside them, giving them space.

“I’ll wait in the car,” he said gently, before slipping out.

Lauren looked back at Amy.

“Is that why you never encouraged me whenever I talked about Caleb Monroe?”

Amy nodded.

“Yes. Every time you called, so full of excitement about him, I wasn’t being distant. I was just... hoping you’d wait a little longer. I didn’t want you hurt again.”

Lauren’s voice cracked.

“Thank you for saving Ethan. If it hadn’t been for you...”

Amy gave a soft smile.

“You’d have done the same for me if I were married.”

Lauren lowered her gaze.

“I caught Caleb in bed with someone else. That’s why I jumped so quickly to suspect Ethan. I’m... deeply sorry.”

Amy shook her head gently.

“Lauren, I’ve been living in Beverly Hills for three years without telling you. That alone is enough reason for your suspicion. I understand completely.” She reached up, brushing a strand of hair from Lauren’s cheek.

“You’ve put on healthy weight.”

Lauren touched her own face, half-smiling through her tears.

“And you... you’ve been living in fear, carrying the weight of my husband’s secret. I’m so sorry, Amy.”

She sobbed quietly.

Amy reached out and wiped her tears with her finger. That’s when Lauren noticed the ring.

Her eyes widened.

“You got married?”

Amy nodded.

“Married for twenty-three months ago. It’s over now. We’re divorced.”

Lauren gasped.

“You were married and didn’t tell me? Amy, you should have—”

“My ex-husband... he was connected to the Whitmores.”

Lauren frowned.

“How exactly?”

Amy hesitated.

“He was their family doctor.”

Lauren’s jaw dropped.

“Wait—Doctor Harris was your husband? That Doctor Harris? Why did you two break up?”

Amy gave her a sad smile and pulled her into a gentle hug.

“I’ll tell you that later, my dear friend.”

But Lauren pulled back, locking eyes with her.

“No. You never tell me anything. Just this once, please... tell me the truth.”

Tears welled in Amy’s eyes again.

“I can’t.”

“Amy, trust me. I won’t say a word. I just need the truth. Just this once.”

Amy took a shaky breath.

“After I saved Ethan and his father, Raymond Whitmore demanded I marry Ethan. He was dead serious about it. Then Charlotte—his personal manager—called me. She warned me not to tell you that Ethan was alive. She said the only way to protect you and myself was to agree to a contract marriage with Harris. When I told Raymond I was engaged to someone else, he backed off... but he was furious.”

Lauren took a step back, her face pale with shock. The world around her seemed to spin.

Amy reached for her hand.

“Please, Lauren. I never loved Ethan. I never saw him that way. Everything I did... was out of loyalty and goodwill. You were already with Ethan before I came into the picture. Don’t forget that.”

She paused.

“Remember how we became friends? How Madeline Carter and her gang used to bully us?”

Lauren's eyes shimmered with the weight of shared memory.

“I remember. We cried together. Bonded over loss. My parents died in a snowy car accident. Yours were hit by a truck right after dropping you at school.”

Amy gently guided her to a seat, holding her hand tightly.

“Every time we were beaten up, we cried not just from pain—but because we had no parents to run to.”

They both laughed softly through the tears, a bitter nostalgia folding between them.

Their grip tightened. Time hadn’t erased their connection.

Lauren studied her quietly.

“Did you ever love Doctor Harris?You are still wearing his ring after the divorce. That is why I am asking”

Amy blinked, caught off guard. She looked away and smiled faintly.

“Raymond Whitmore doesn't know that we are divorced yet. I am still putting up a show. Besides, It was just a contract marriage. No strings attached. We didn’t even hug.”

Lauren leaned in.

“You didn’t answer the first question, Amy.”

Amy met her gaze then, eyes glistening.

“What’s the point? He was in love with someone else.”

Lauren gasped.

“You’re serious?”

Amy nodded.

“He was—before our fake marriage. We explained everything to her. That’s part of why we kept it professional.” She paused...then continued...

“Her name was Danielle Clevers. She’s also a doctor. Sweet woman. We lived under the same roof... in separate rooms.”

Lauren pulled her into a tight embrace, overwhelmed by everything—by pain, by memory, by love.

She had missed her friend more than words could say.

Any Grant had sacrificed so much for her.

Her life, her freedom, her marriage.

***

After parting ways with Amy, Lauren spotted Ethan’s car still parked by the curb.

Without hesitation, she walked over and slid into the passenger seat.

He had headphones on, lost in thought. The moment he saw her, he took them off and turned to her with a questioning gaze.

“Do you know anyone named Edith Penrose?” he asked, his voice low and careful.

The name meant nothing to her. She frowned. “Why? Did someone with that name reach out to you?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he unlocked his phone and turned the screen toward her.

Her breath caught.

It was the same picture Madeline Carter had sent her weeks ago — the one of Caleb Monroe asleep in bed, tangled with a mysterious woman. A scandalous image.

Lauren’s heart dropped. That was Madeline. Madeline using another name. And if she was already reaching Ethan, that could only mean one thing—she was planning to tell him about the baby.

She lunged for the phone, trying to delete it, but Ethan stopped her gently, his grip firm.

“How long have you known about Caleb's affair?” he asked quietly, his eyes searching hers — not with anger, but with something softer. Sadder.

Lauren looked away and exhaled shakily. “Can we talk about this when we get home?”

A silence fell. Then he reached into the center console and pulled out a familiar envelope.

“There’s no point waiting,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Madeline Carter has been arrested. The authorities are returning the fashion company to you.”

He placed the divorce papers between them.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you? This is the document you wanted me to sign. So you could go back to Caleb Monroe. I’m ready now.”

Lauren stared at the envelope, her chest tightening as the weight of everything crashed into her.