บททั้งหมดของ The Billionaire's Forgotten Bride : บทที่ 31 - บทที่ 40

Chapter 31The underground parking garage of the Cole Enterprises headquarters was a fortress of concrete and steel, strictly off-limits to everyone except executive board members and elite security.When Ethan’s black SUV screeched to a halt in his reserved spot, he didn't immediately get out.He sat in the backseat, his head resting against the tinted glass, his entire body locked in a violent, uncontrollable tremor."Boss," Marcus said from the driver's seat, his rough voice laced with a rare thread of concern. "You shouldn't be here.You need a secure medical facility. If you quit a five-year regimen of synthetic neuro-inhibitors cold turkey, your central nervous system is going to short-circuit."No doctors," Ethan rasped, his teeth chattering despite the stifling heat of the car’s heater.A cold sweat plastered his hair to his forehead. "Victor owns half the medical board in this city. If I check into a clinic, I won't wake up."He pushed the car door open, his legs feeling like

Chapter 33The penthouse was utterly silent, save for the ragged, agonized gasps coming from the master bedroom.Ethan was lying on the floor. He had stripped off his shirt hours ago, his torso slick with cold sweat.The bed had felt too soft, too suffocating. He needed the hard, grounding reality of the hardwood floor to keep from losing his mind entirely.The withdrawal was peaking. It was a torment unlike anything he had ever experienced. His muscles seized violently,cramping so hard he let out choked groans. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the psychological warfare happening in his brain.Without the neuro-inhibitors suppressing his synapses, five years of blocked memories were crashing into his consciousness all at once. It wasn't a trickle; it was a flood.Flash. Zara, sitting on the kitchen counter of his old apartment, eating strawberries. Her laugh echoing off the walls as he kissed the sticky juice from her lips.Flash. Standing in a jewelry store. Holding up

Chapter 35The shattered glass from the skylight caught the erratic beam of the rolling flashlight, scattering fractured prisms across the darkened exhibit hall.To Zara, time seemed to slow to a terrifying crawl. She felt the heavy, frantic thumping of Leo’s heart against her spine.But her eyes were locked entirely on the man who had just dropped from the storm above.Ethan Cole didn't look like a CEO. He didn't look like the polished, untouchable billionaire who graced the covers of Forbes.He looked like a god of war wild, lethal, and entirely consumed by a violent, protective rage.The two remaining gunmen recovered from the shock of the breach a fraction of a second too late.The man on the left raised his suppressed weapon. Ethan didn't even flinch. Moving with a speed born of pure adrenaline and desperate terror, he lunged forward, closing the distance before the man could pull the trigger.Ethan gripped the barrel of the gun, forcing it sharply upward. The suppressed shot cou

Chapter 37:"His pulse is thready! Marcus, drive faster!" Zara yelled, her hands slick with Ethan’s blood."I'm maxed out, Ms. Frost! If I push it any harder, we'll hydroplane," Marcus gritted out, expertly weaving the massive armored SUV through the rain-slicked industrial district. "We're two minutes from Doc's.""We can't go to a back-alley doctor!" Zara argued, absolute panic tightening her throat. "He needs a Level 1 Trauma Center! He needs a transfusion!"If I take him to Seattle General, Victor Vance will know within thirty seconds," Marcus shot back, glancing in the rearview mirror. "Victor owns the hospital board.The moment Ethan is under anesthesia, a nurse on Vance's payroll will push a fatal air bubble into his IV, and they'll call it a tragic complication. Doc is the only one we can trust.Zara looked down at Ethan’s ghostly pale face. His breathing was so shallow his chest barely moved.She pressed her forehead against his, her tears mixing with the rain on his skin. Yo

Chapter 39The fluorescent lights of the underground bunker seemed to flicker, casting harsh, jagged shadows against the concrete walls.Zara didn’t blink. She couldn't. She stared at the man bleeding on the cot, the man whose hand had just felt so warm, so right, in hers.The television screen in the background continued to roll, the female anchor analyzing the devastating implications of Chloe Sterling’s pregnancy announcement."Zara," Ethan’s voice was a ragged, desperate plea. He gripped the edge of the mattress, his knuckles turning white as he attempted to push himself up."Don't move," Zara commanded, her voice dropping to a terrifying, absolute zero. It wasn't the voice of a lover.It was the voice of a CEO addressing a hostile threat. "I asked you a question, Ethan. Did you sleep with her?""No!" Ethan shouted, the force of his denial tearing at the fresh sutures in his shoulder.A fresh blossom of red seeped through the white bandages, but he didn't care. "God, no, Zara, loo