All Chapters of Between Desire and Ruin: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The first headline appeared three days after Ethan’s father finally opened his eyes.Dante was in his office, staring at a half-finished proposal he couldn’t focus on, when his assistant knocked and slid a tablet onto his desk with a careful, almost apologetic look.“You should see this,” she said.Dante glanced down.Rising Star or Favoritism? Inside the Unusual Alliance of Dante Hart and Ethan Mathews.His stomach tightened.He tapped the screen, scrolling through a blur of photos—himself and Ethan walking out of Saint Mark’s Hospital, Ethan leaning slightly into him, Dante’s hand resting too familiarly on Ethan’s back. In one shot, Ethan was laughing softly at something Dante had said, eyes crinkled with a warmth that no longer felt easy to hide.They had been careless; No, Dante corrected himself. They had been human.The article was worse than the photos. It didn’t outright accuse them of anything, but it didn’t have to. It spoke of “blurred professional boundaries,” of special

Dante found out about the board meeting from an email marked URGENT.It arrived at 6:47 a.m., just as gray light began to creep through the tall windows of his penthouse. He hadn’t slept. Not really. Ethan’s words from the night before—”I don’t want to lose myself”—had played in his mind on an endless loop.The email was cold and formal.The Architectural Ethics Review Board has requested your presence today at 11:00 a.m. to discuss recent concerns regarding professional conduct and potential conflicts of interest.Dante stared at the screen for a long moment, then slowly closed his laptop.By the time he arrived at the boardroom, his expression was composed, but inside something raw and furious was coiling tight. Six people sat around the long table—three senior architects, two legal advisors, and one man Dante had once considered a close friend.Martin Delgado wouldn’t meet his eyes.Dante, the chairwoman began, her voice smooth and distant, thank you for coming on such short notic

The city outside the glass walls was glowing with early evening light, the kind that made everything look softer than it really was. He had spent the entire day watching Ethan from a distance—how he barely looked up when people spoke to him, how his shoulders stayed tight, how he kept working long after everyone else had gone. Enough was enough. He waited until the office was nearly empty.Dante knocked lightly on the open door to Ethan’s studio. “Do you have a minute?”Ethan didn’t look up from his screen. I’m in the middle of something.I know, Dante said. That’s kind of the problem.Ethan sighed and swiveled his chair around. What do you want, Dante?The words were sharper than Dante expected.I want to talk, Dante replied. Really talk. Not this… the polite distance we’ve been pretending is fine.Ethan crossed his arms. About what?About you, Dante said. About us. About the way you’ve been pushing yourself like you’re trying to outrun something.Ethan’s eyes flickered. I’m just do

Within days, Martin started appearing everywhere Ethan was. He showed up at critiques. At workshops. At networking dinners. He always had something to say about Ethan’s designs, something flattering, something that made Ethan feel seen in a way he hadn’t in weeks.You have a natural instinct for negative space, Martin told him one evening. Most people learn that.Ethan flushed. Thanks.You don’t need to thank me, Martin said smoothly. You just need to stop letting people box you in.Dante watched these interactions from a distance, his gut twisting.He couldn’t confront Martin. Not publicly. Not without feeding the narrative that he was a jealous, controlling mentor. And he couldn’t warn Ethan too aggressively without pushing him further into Martin’s orbit. So he waited and it was agony.One afternoon, Dante overheard Martin speaking to a group of designers, Ethan among them.Some people build their careers on collaboration, Martin said casually. Others build them on control. There’s

The firm felt different after that night. Dante noticed it the moment he stepped off the elevator the next morning. Conversations stalled when he passed. Eyes dropped too quickly. Phones were suddenly very interesting. The Riverline Project floor buzzed with a nervous energy that prickled under his skin, and he knew that if he followed the thread far enough, it would lead back to Ethan.Ethan hadn’t answered his text from the night before. That alone twisted something ugly in Dante’s chest. By noon, Dante had had enough.He found Ethan in one of the smaller conference rooms, standing by the window with his arms crossed, staring out at the city. His jacket was still on. His bag sat at his feet, unopened.“You’re avoiding me,” Dante said, closing the door behind him.Ethan didn’t turn. “I’m working.”“Bullshit.”Ethan laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. “Is that how we’re doing this now? You, barging in and deciding what’s true?”Dante’s patience snapped tighter. “You didn’