Chapter 51 Ethan
Ethan
Wind cuts across the rooftop.
Cold.
Sharp.
It doesn’t touch him.
Hayes stands at the edge like he owns the night.
Like none of this ever slipped from his control.
“Ethan,” he says again, almost bored. “Took you long enough.”
I don’t lower my weapon.
“Step away from the edge.”
He smiles.
Slow.
Measured.
“You always did follow orders well.”
“Not yours.”
Something flickers in his expression.
Gone just as fast.
“Pity,” he murmurs. “You could’ve been useful.”
“I’m here to end this.”
“Are you?”
His head tilts slightly.
“Or are you here because of her?”
My jaw tightens.
“Ava’s not yours anymore.”
That earns a laugh.
Real.
Sharp.
“You still don’t understand.”
“Then explain it.”
His eyes sharpen.
“Everything she is… we made that possible.”
“No,” I cut in. “You took that from her.”
“We refined it.”
Rage burns steady in my chest.
“You experimented on her.”
“We perfected her.”
My finger tightens on the trigger—
“One more step,” he says calmly, “and you lose her.”
I stop.
Not because of him.
Because I believe him.
“How?”
His smile widens.
Colder now.
“Ask her.”