Untitled Part 22
I bolted, only to run a few steps before slamming into someone's chest.
Amberwood. That familiar scent belonged to Ethan alone.
His hands came down on my shoulders. He looked me over from head to toe, and his expression turned instantly cold.
"Brooks again?"
"What did he do to you?"
The moment the question left his mouth, his gaze cut past me to Manager Brooks, who was stumbling after us.
I had never seen Ethan like that before.
He looked savage, violent, completely stripped of reason.
Within seconds, people were crowding around the sink area, but no one dared step in and pull him off.
Vanessa arrived too, and even she looked shocked by what she saw.
Then she turned to me and hissed under her breath,
"This is all your fault."
Ethan shoved Manager Brooks's head into the mirror again.
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
"I warned you last time to stay away from her."
Manager Brooks barely had the strength to resist anymore.
He was half-conscious, gasping.
"So it was you..." he wheezed. "You were the one in the parking garage last time..."
I didn't know how many times Ethan hit him after that.
Everyone around us wore different expressions—shock, fear, curiosity—but all of them were watching.
"Ethan, stop," I said.
He didn't react.
I had no choice but to walk over and grab his arm.
As if afraid of hurting me, he stopped just short.
I tried to pull him away, but he wouldn't move.
Instead, he yanked me back in front of him.
"I'm firing him."
"I have nothing to do with Vanessa anymore. I already made that clear at the company."
There were streaks of blood on his face now.
The shattered glass from the mirror had cut him.
He lowered his eyes and looked at me through that dark, stormy gaze.
"What else are you unhappy about? Say it."
"I'll fix it. One thing at a time. I'll keep fixing it until you're satisfied."
"Until you stop wanting to divorce me."
A stunned uproar broke out around us.
Vanessa bit down hard on her lower lip, her eyes reddening.
Before the tears could fall, she turned and walked away in her heels, back straight and steady.
I tried to pull my hand free.
"This is not the time to talk about this."
"But it's the only thing I want to talk about."
We struggled back and forth for a few moments more.
Then Ethan finally let go of me.
Because under that extreme strain, he passed out.
Ethan was taken to the hospital.
I went to the police station to file a report and give my statement.
While I was there, two other women came forward and said Manager Brooks had harassed them too.
They went with me to make official reports.
After that, Ethan's lawyer took over the follow-up.
He told me not to worry.
"Mr. Sterling made it clear," he said. "He intends to see Brooks behind bars."