Chapter Three.

"Fuck…” the profanity slipped out like a tired sigh.

Ethan sat behind the wheel of his car, his posture rigid in his seat as he fought the strong urge to run back into the house and hold his wife until both their broken pieces felt whole again.

The look on her face when he suggested the separation would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he had wanted so badly to take back his words, but he knew that separation was the right decision. Not because he wanted it, far from that actually, but because he had run out of ideas.

Every attempt to comfort her had somehow backfired- used against him like a weapon in a war he never wanted to fight. It felt like he was trying to debug a program blindly, and the original coder was adamant about leaving it the way it was.

‘If only…’ he thought to himself as he spared one last longing look towards the house before driving off.

…

Driving at breakneck speed, he arrived at the office in record time. He parked his car in his private underground parking before taking the elevator to the 20th floor, where his office was located.

Before the elevator opened, his expression had already been schooled to his emotionless mask. His assistant, Fitz was waiting for him immediately he stepped out of the elevator, iPad in hand.

“Is the jet ready?” Ethan asked, making his way towards his office, Fitz following one step behind.

“Yes, sir, we are scheduled to be on board in approximately 37 minutes.” Came Fitz’s response as they entered his office.

“Good. What’s the update on the information I asked you about the board?”

He made a few taps on the iPad before passing it to Ethan, who was now sitting behind his desk.

“You were right in your suspicions. Mr. Thorne and Ms. Desai are leveraging the scandal, and they're framing the instability as a 'risk factor' ahead of the Q3 projections, suggesting your personal life is creating a lack of focus at the helm.” Fitz said as Ethan looked through the information on the pad.

“Send out a memo to move the emergency meeting time to 10 am tomorrow, and prepare the files for the Q3 projections.” Passing the phone back to Fitz, he stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

“What’s the PR status on the interview?”

“They’re still working on it, but it seems like someone else is trying to push the story forward, and the interview is a big scandal. It’s ‘the cracks in the perfect façade,’ as the media calls it, and netizens are eating it up.”

The phrase- cracks in the perfect façade – hit Ethan hard as it echoed the destructive headlines from years ago. He felt the familiar feeling of incompetence, a cold knot of dread tightening in his stomach, the exact sensation he’d experienced the first time Nora’s career had been threatened by outside forces and he hadn’t been able to do much to help.

The fissure had happened about five years ago. The Unread Letter – Nora’s second novel, the one that had established her as a force – was celebrating its peak success, having become a New York Times Bestseller and a global bestseller.

Other established authors praised the book, news outlets were talking about it, and the internet was buzzing with excitement, with everyone wondering who the brilliant author was. Her agent, Carmen, efficient as ever, had quickly organized a book tour and other promotional activities, which had efficiently leveraged the opportunity.

Since it was Nora’s first tour and it had been impromptu, Carmen had been considerate enough not to include too many places and activities at a time so as not overwhelm Nora, and everything was going smoothly. Fans were happy, and Nora had been ecstatic, flying high on the praise, confident and brilliant, in her element.

The final book tour stop was a large reading near her hometown in Pittsburgh, with a section of the local library reserved for the occasion. It was an open space within the semi-secluded part of the library with a desk set up at the front for Nora and chairs set up for fans and the press who had been invited. Since they had not booked the entire library, other members of the public wandered by occasionally, but security was available to stop just anyone from coming too close.

As usual, under Carmen's watch, everything was going smoothly. Until the meet-and-greet line.

Ethan had stood to the side, full of pride as he watched his wife sign copies of her book with an unending smile on her face.

Then the commotion ensued. Since it was an open space, they could see what was going on, and they watched as security tried to hold back an older woman who was struggling to get in.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but this is a private event,” an officer said, blocking her path.

“And I’m telling you, I want to see my daughter!” Her voice fully conveyed her irritation and anger at being stopped.

Carmen rushed toward the scene as the hall erupted in murmurs, but Ethan moved closer to Nora, ready to protect her if the need arose. And then he noticed her expression, just as he was about to ask her what was wrong, the woman spoke again.

“I said my daughter is here!” the woman shrieked, pointing a trembling finger toward the front of the room. “She’s the author! She’s Nora!”

The hall went deathly silent. Ethan was shocked, and he looked to Nora for confirmation; her pale complexion told him there was truth to the woman's claims. The reporters and fans realized what they were witnessing.

Chaos didn't just ensue; it exploded.

Reporters rushed to the woman as she continued to scream about how Nora was her daughter and she had abandoned her after she gained fame. While the attention remained on the woman, Ethan rushed to Nora’s side, who still sat frozen and tried to discreetly get her out of the venue, but the woman had seen them and began to rush in their direction before being held off and taken away by security.

It had been difficult getting away from the reporters and fans, but with Carmen’s help and the security team, they had finally made it out and into the waiting van.

They had only known each other for about nine months total and had been married for about five months, and in that entire time, Nora had barely talked about her mother or her stepfather, only mentioning nonchalantly that she’d cut them off when he’d asked, so it wasn’t a wonder that he hadn’t known what her mother looked like.

The entire ride back to the hotel, his mind had raced, trying to think of a way to handle the coming media fiasco while he comforted Nora. And he could never forget the feeling of incompetence that had come with the realization that there was little he could do because he had not had the resources or power.

Later that night, as they lay in bed, holding each other, Nora would give him a glimpse of her past.

“Before I finally left home…” Nora started, her voice barely a whisper in the dark, staring at the ceiling as if the shadows were a screen playing back the past. “I actually begged her to come with me. Even after the years she spent ignoring me, even after she let him treat me like an interloper in my own house... I still tried to save her. I told her we could leave Pittsburgh behind, start over, just the two of us.”

Ethan shifted, his chest tightening as he held her closer,

“And what did she do?” he asked softly.

“She laughed. Not a happy laugh—it was mean, full of this bitter spite. She told me I was a fool for thinking I was different. She said, ‘Go then. Run off and pretend you’re something special. But you’ll find out soon enough that you’re just a cheap copy of something real. The second those fancy people see through your act, they’ll throw you away just like everyone else has. You’ll be back, Nora. People like us don't get to leave; we just get tossed.’”

Nora turned her head to look at Ethan, her eyes shimmering with a cold, old pain.

“She stayed because she was too afraid to try. And she hated me because I wasn't. Today... when she screamed in that library... it was because she wanted to make sure everyone knew I was still just that girl she tried to keep in the dark.”

Ethan had never felt so much hate for someone he’d barely met. He had pulled her against him then, vowing to silence those voices for her.

Turning back to face Fitz in the present day, Ethan’s jaw tightened at the memory. History was repeating itself, and he wouldn't fail her this time.

“Whatever happens,” Ethan said, his voice cold and final, “make sure Nora doesn’t come out of this scathed. Understood?”

Fitz gave a firm nod.

“Good, let’s go, we have a flight to catch.” Without waiting, he walked out of the office.