Chapter 14
ETHAN
Could I be considered a stalker? Probably.
Would she have a solid case for a restraining order? Definitely. But that’s only if I get caught.
Look, it wasn’t my proudest moment to follow Alicia to her “business meeting”. But I had to make sure she was safe.
There was an innate pressure building inside me, telling me to take note and heed the warnings.
Something sinister was approaching, and I wanted to be prepared to ensure nothing ever touched Alicia again—even if that included me.
When am I going to stop fucking it up with her?
We had always been sexually compatible, and I thought I would use that to my advantage. However, she didn’t react the way I expected. She never did these days.
My dad’s words relayed back to me.
“Tell the truth. Be vulnerable. If Alicia’s everything you say she is, fight for her, Ethan.”
And that’s what I did. I told her the truth and was the most vulnerable I had ever been in my life. Those statements weren’t just meaningless whispers; they were groundbreaking and fucking hard to admit.
“I can’t live without you.”
I meant them. I had never said those words to anyone nor pledged myself so blatantly. But we were obviously speaking separate languages that the other couldn’t understand.
Alicia said I wasn’t listening when that’s all I wanted to do.
Tell me what you want, baby, and I’ll give it to you. I’ll give you the world.
The waiter ushered me forward, inconspicuously leading me to the vacant table beside Alicia and Jake, a thick partition obscuring them from knowing of my presence.
I slipped the waiter a thick wad of cash for the assist, and he gave a subtle nod and left.
The restaurant was high-end and built for confidentiality. Wide booths with secluding decorative panels created the perfect atmosphere for private business.
Unfortunately for them, I was a frequent attendant due to my own business meetings with Alicia in the past, so I knew which compartments didn’t hold sound as well.
Hence Jake’s nauseating voice that carried over. “Do you want a glass of champagne, darling?”
“What do I look like to you?” Alicia snapped.
“Well, I’m glad you—”
“It was a rhetorical question, fool. If your answer is anything other than your financial advisor , the answer is wrong.”
Strained silence followed, and I fought with my gut to keep down the chuckle bubbling beneath.
Jake didn’t seem to have the same sentiment. “But. You checked on me straight after Ethan attacked me. I thought—I thought you cared.”
“Yeah, about that. Why did you get into an altercation in the first place? I don’t think you understand you’re a commodity now, Jake. Your face is well-built and pretty enough to get endorsements. I do care. I was worried…”
Hmm. I didn’t like the sound of that.
“…because you have a photoshoot in two days. I wanted to make sure you didn’t fuck up your face and lose your first major deal because you’re an idiot.”
Oh my god. I was fighting with myself not to break out in full-bellied laughter.
I kind of felt sorry for the guy. Alicia cut him down so quickly he stammered like a schoolboy. I knew that place all too well—except I kind of liked it.
“No alcohol, no pet names. Nothing except business. Capiche?” Alicia said.
I held back a snigger when my phone started ringing. Shit!
I rejected the call. I really must get a new number… but then how will Alicia get in touch with me if she needs to?
My mother had been blowing up my phone for the past couple of months, her demands progressively getting more aggressive.
No matter how many times I blocked her, she managed to contact me somehow.
My dad told me to charge her with harassment, but I couldn’t push myself to do it. Some sick sense of loyalty still lingering for the woman who never gave a damn about me.
Another dial rang through, which I hastily denied. And that’s when I saw the countless notifications from random numbers and accounts online—all with the same premise.
“Stop brooding and answer your phone.”
“It’s urgent. Don’t ignore me.”
“Why aren’t you calling me back?”
“Baby boy, you’re going to regret it if you don’t answer me!”
A strong sense of foreboding took over as I read message after message. They were a mirrored version of what I had sent Alicia after we separated.
Wow. I had now turned into my mother, and the stark realisation had me gasping for air.
The entitlement. The sheer audacity. I had turned into the monster I had been running from for years.
Shame was all I felt as I made the snap decision to leave the restaurant.
I slinked away like a stealthy ninja, but as I was leaving, I paused at a surge of laughter that came from the entrance foyer.
It was the type of obnoxious laughter from someone who wanted to be heard, seen .
And in the middle of an adoring crowd was the she-devil influencer who recorded and blasted my undoing online. Katy—the same one who voiced her strong opinion to the masses and created the Runaway Girl hashtag.
Sure, everything she had said was true. But she also pushed that narrative hard and profited handsomely from the deals and partnerships she received from that video.
I wasn’t about to accept anyone monetising off Alicia’s pain and hurt. Fucking no one.
I remained in the corner, contemplating my next move. How beneficial would it be if I called that snake out in front of her band of followers? Yeah, it would probably be a disaster.
But before I could decide further, another notification hit my phone, the message bringing forth a distinct sense of impending doom.
“ You left me no choice, baby boy.”