Chapter twenty-five
~ADRIAN~
“Get the fuck away from her.” Ethan storms over to me, his fists clenched at his sides.
“Ethan, I—” My world spins as Ethan’s fist connects with my jaw. Shit! The force of the blow sends me staggering backward, my head swimming with shock and pain. I try to steady myself, but before I can regain my balance, Ethan is on me, raining down blows with a ferocity that takes me by surprise.
“Ethan, no!” I hear Elana’s scream as Ethan delivers another blow.
All instinct urges me to fight back, to defend myself against the onslaught. But my love holds me back, a deep-rooted reluctance to hurt my best friend, my brother.
And that’s exactly what you did. You fucking deserve this. Despite the pain coursing through my forearms from blocking his blows, I refuse to retaliate. I can’t hurt Ethan. I would never hurt him.
With each strike, I feel the weight of Ethan’s anger, my heart breaking at the sight of him lashing out with such fury.
“How could you? You, out of all people? How fucking could you lay a hand on her? How could you do this to her?” Ethan’s voice is filled with anguish, tears of rage streaming down his face. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“It’s not what you think!” Elana tries to protest, but her words are lost amidst the chaos of our brawl.
“How could you do this to her?” I can see more tears streaming down Ethan’s face. I can hear the crack in his voice as he screams accusations and curses.
“Ethan, I didn’t—”
“You were my brother,” Ethan cries out, his voice breaking on the last word. “I loved you like a fucking brother, and you took advantage of her.”
The accusations pierce my heart like daggers, each word a painful twist of the knife. Brother. This is my brother. Despite the pain coursing through my body, I refuse to fight back, my only goal being to weather the storm of Ethan’s fury until I can explain everything.
As the brawl continues, my thoughts drift to Elana, my heart aching knowing that she is witnessing this. I want to protect her, to shield her from the ugliness of it all. I have to give Ethan time to get it all out. Once he does, he’ll calm down, and I can explain.
And so, with every blow, I brace myself, enduring the pain in silence as I wait for the storm to pass, praying that after it’s over, Ethan will understand the truth—that I would never, could never, hurt Elana or him.
But he shows no signs of stopping. I don’t want to hurt him, but this has to stop. I twist and quickly pin him to the floor, his arms locked behind his back as he struggles under me.
“Let go of me, you piece of shit!” Ethan barks out from under me as I pant, careful not to press too hard nor let him slip away. As I pin Ethan beneath me, his struggles grow more frantic.
“Ethan, listen to me,” I plead, trying to steady my breathing.
“Fuck you!” he spits out and uses his whole weight to twist away.
I try to maintain my grip, to hold him back and quell the storm of his fury, but his thrashing only intensifies, pushing me to my limits.
He’s always been the only person who can match my strength in a friendly brawl, but this? This is completely different.
“Ethan, I love him!” Elana’s voice slices through the air like a beacon of clarity, her words stopping us both in our tracks.
I freeze, disbelief washing over me as I meet Elana’s gaze. She loves me. Elana’s eyes meet mine in a silent confirmation. The realization hits me like a bolt of lightning. She loves me.
Distracted by her confession, I loosen my hold on Ethan, allowing him to break free and lunge at me with renewed ferocity. Fuck!
“What the fuck did you do to her to make her say this, huh? What did you do to her?” I block his fists with my forearms. His words hurt more than the blows he throws my way.
But then Elana speaks again, her voice filled with desperation and pleading. “He didn’t force me to do anything,” she insists and rushes to Ethan to pull him back.
I lock eyes with Ethan, who pauses for a moment and looks up at Elana.
“It’s not what you think at all,” she pleads with her hands on his. “Adrian did nothing wrong. Please, just let us explain.”
Adrenaline courses through my veins as Ethan’s gaze shifts between Elana and me, his expression torn between anger and uncertainty.
I keep my mouth shut, knowing that whatever I say in this moment will just make matters worse.
I brace myself for his next move, prepared for the worst but hoping for a glimmer of understanding.
“Elana, stop defending him.” Ethan’s voice is strained. “I know what I saw.” His head whips back to me. “I saw what you did to her.”
“I would never, ever hurt either of you,” I finally say as I release the hold on Ethan’s wrists. He’s still holding onto the lapels of my blazer, eyes wild with rage.
“What you saw is taken completely out of context, Ethan.” The desperation in Elana’s voice makes Ethan look back at her. “If someone had taken a photo of you calming me down while I cry, it would look the same. That’s what Adrian was doing.”
I hold my breath, waiting for Ethan’s response, my muscles tensed and ready for whatever comes next and my hands prepared to block his.
It won’t take much to pin him down again, but it’s like trying to tame a wild beast. Each movement might be the wrong one, and angering him further is not what I aim to do.
“And the video? You were pushing him away. He forced you into the car.”
“That was entirely my fault. I ran out in the rain alone. Carson had been following me, and Adrian came before he could… I was upset, and Adrian was just trying to get me to come back home.”
For a moment, Ethan’s anger wavers, a flicker of doubt crossing his features as he looks back at me.
“I would never hurt her. I would never hurt you,” I repeat, hoping that this time he’ll truly listen.
Then, with a heavy sigh, Ethan releases his hold on me and pushes himself upright. Relief washes over me as I rise to my feet. Elana rushes to my side, her hands scanning me for injuries.
“Are you okay?” she asks me as she straightens my blazer before cupping my face with both hands.
“I’m fine.” I nod and squeeze her shoulder. She throws her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. She releases me and turns to Ethan, who’s looking at us, his mind quickly connecting the dots.
“When did this happen?” he asks, his brows furrowing in confusion. “How did this happen?” he raises his voice.
Elana’s finger jabs accusingly in his direction. “Don’t you dare raise your voice at him.”
“It’s okay, Elana,” I interject gently, lowering her hand and meeting Ethan’s gaze. “He has a right to be angry.”
“He doesn’t.” She turns to me, then back to Ethan.
“You could have called me, asked me, asked Adrian. He’s your best friend.
Do you really think he would do something like that to me?
To both of us? You should be ashamed of yourself, Ethan.
And you’re a fool for ever doubting Adrian.
I can’t believe you flew all the way back just to embarrass yourself like this. ”
Ethan’s eyes meet mine before going back to Elana’s. I fight the urge to step in, to say what’s on my mind, forcing myself to stay silent. Elana knows what to do. Whatever I say might anger him further.
“You… You love him?” Ethan’s eyes clear up, the rage no longer possessing them.
Elana looks up at me for a moment, and I catch myself holding my breath. Does she?
“I love him.” She looks back at Ethan with determination.
“And I know you love him, too. You wouldn’t be this upset if you didn’t.
But if you’re planning on throwing another tantrum, I suggest you do it on the plane back to LA because I hate seeing this side of you, and I don’t want to witness it again.
Adrian has done nothing but protect me, even when I didn’t know I needed it, even when I pushed him away.
That video you saw was me at my lowest, Ethan, and Adrian didn’t leave me.
He went out looking for me and put himself in danger because of me, and he’s done it more than once.
So, I will not let you blame him for something he didn’t do.
Do you understand? Because I love him, and I know you do, too. ”
I stare at the woman in front of me, completely dumbfounded. She loves me.
“I—” Ethan rubs his face with both hands, his knuckles raw. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You might want to start by apologizing to your best friend.” Elana lifts her chin.
“He doesn’t have to. I’m the one who should be apologizing.” I step forward, gathering my thoughts. “I gave you my word that I would protect your sister, and—”
“And that’s exactly what you’ve done,” Ethan interrupts me, catching me off-guard. “I’m so sorry.” Ethan’s eyes go wide with remorse. “When I saw that video… fuck, I can’t even explain what came over me.” He takes one step towards me and pauses. “Are you okay?”
“Taking my dying breath,” I reply with a raised brow.
Ethan huffs out a chuckle before his face drops again. “I’m so sorry, brother. Fuck, I feel disgusting.”
Elana walks over to him and wraps her arms around him. “You’re an idiot, Ethan,” she murmurs against his chest as he returns the hug.
“I’m so sorry,” is all Ethan keeps repeating as the two of them hold each other.
I move my jaw around, trying to ease the pain while watching them. It’s the only hit he landed without me blocking it, but he sure as hell made it count. Damn, I haven’t got a beating like that from him in a while.
Elana steps away from Ethan, who locks eyes with me. He slowly takes a few steps towards me until we’re eye to eye. Suddenly, he pulls me into a tight bear hug. I wrap my arms around him and look up at Elana, who gives me a tight smile. She loves me.
“Forgive me,” he chokes out.
“Getting into a brawl with you definitely wasn’t on my bingo card for today.
” I chuckle, hoping that this will be enough to lighten the mood a bit.
Ethan’s body trembles with what I hope is a quiet laugh, his arms squeezing me even tighter.
He pulls away and scans us both. “Wait, so,” pausing, he furrows his brows, and his fingers swings back and forth between Elana and me, “you two…”
I look at Elana, who gives Ethan a smile that’s half-apologetic, half-smug.
“Wow, I think I need a drink.”
So, that’s exactly what we do. I whisk them away to one of my favorite sky bars in town.
Elana and I take turns explaining everything to Ethan, laying out the entire story with a few carefully chosen omissions.
He doesn’t need to hear about those, and I certainly don’t need more punches to the jaw.
By the time we’re onto our second glass of brandy, Ethan’s already laughing at one of Elana’s jokes.
Elana throws her head back, her hand clutching her belly as she lets out a laugh.
That’s my girl. A swell of pride fills my chest as I reach to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
She turns to me then, her smile radiant enough to light up the entire city below us. They’re both happy—the two people I love. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks, and I have to blink back at the sudden rush of emotion. Love. Yes, that’s exactly what this is.
“What’s that face?” She giggles, leaning in closer. “What’s on your mind?”
“I love you.” The words spill from my lips, loud enough for both of them to hear. My heart pounds in my chest from the confession.
I love you, little duck. I look up at Ethan, who’s suddenly quiet, watching us with a smile. I love you both. Elana watches me with wide eyes before giving me the brightest smile I’ve seen on her face.
Ethan clears his throat. “Well…” He raises his glass for a toast. “Here’s to Adrian Morgan becoming Adrian Turner.”
“Turner Investments,” I muse. “I’m not sure people would be happy with me rebranding.”
“Trust me, once I become CEO of CBK Media, you’ll start singing a different song. You’ll be honored to carry our name.” Ethan laughs and dings my glass.
“Oh, I’m sure I will.” With a wink, I raise my glass in return.