Chapter 85

"W-what?" I stammer, staring at Ethan in utter disbelief.

There was no way I'd heard him right. The Ethan I knew would have moved heaven and earth for Isabella. He would have sacrificed me without hesitation.

My pulse races as I search his expression for any sign of deception.

"You heard me, Sophia," he repeats, his voice steady. "If it came down to it, I would have let her die to save you."

At first, I assumed he was lying to spare my feelings. Who wants to hear that the man they loved for nearly a decade would choose another woman over them?

I thought it was just empty comfort. But the raw honesty in his eyes told a different story. Since when had Ethan ever softened the truth for my sake? He'd never hesitated to remind me of my place before.

I exhale sharply and pull my hands from his grasp. The warmth of his touch was too much—too confusing. My mind was already spinning. I didn’t need his fingers tangled with mine making it worse.

"You don’t mean that," I say after a tense silence. "Isabella is the woman you've loved since you first understood what love was. You’ve been obsessed with her for years. How can you stand there and claim you’d sacrifice her for me?"

His jaw tightens. He opens his mouth to argue, but I cut him off.

"I’ve never meant anything to you. Remember? You hate me, Ethan. You’ve hated me for years. So what’s changed? How do you wake up one day and decide I matter more than your precious Isabella? None of this makes sense. You can’t just flip a switch and stop hating me."

I sink back against the pillow, exhausted. Every word I’d spoken was the truth. A decade of bitterness doesn’t vanish overnight.

People don’t change that easily. Not when the emotions run this deep. I knew that better than anyone. Hadn’t I spent years trying to suffocate my love for him? It didn’t just disappear.

He starts to speak, but I’m done. I don’t want to hear it. No pretty lies. No sudden revelations. I just want things to go back to the way they were—when their contempt was predictable.

Some might wonder why I’d prefer that. Isn’t this what I wanted? For them to realize their mistakes? To beg for forgiveness?

The truth is, I don’t know how to handle this version of them. Part of me wants to let go. The other part doesn’t trust it. Maybe it’s the years of rejection, but I can’t shake the feeling that this is another game—that the rug will be pulled out from under me any second.

"No, Ethan," I interrupt. "Thank you for saving me. But leave. Go to Isabella. That’s where you belong. You’ve waited years to be with her—don’t throw it away now. What we had meant nothing. It was a mistake. We made each other miserable for nine years. It’s time we both moved on. Your happiness has always been with her. And mine… mine is with my children now."

His stormy eyes darken, a silent argument brewing. I brace myself for his anger, but it never comes.

Instead, he exhales and leans back in the chair. "Fine. I’ll leave you alone… for now." His voice is rough as he stands.

I expect him to walk out, but he surprises me. He bends down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before I can react. Then he’s gone, the door clicking shut behind him.

I stare after him, stunned.

It’s not that I’m not relieved he left. I am. But Ethan never backs down. He does what he wants, when he wants. Yet he walked away because I asked—even when every line of his body screamed resistance.

As my strength returns, I replay his words. Believing him is impossible. This is Ethan. The same man who told me I’d never compare to Isabella. The same man who made sure I knew my place in his life.

How does he expect me to trust this sudden change?

For nine years, he—along with everyone else—made sure I knew I was nothing to him. Now he expects me to believe I matter?

The questions gnaw at me, but I push them aside. Whatever’s going on in his head isn’t my problem. We’re done. I don’t owe him my confusion.

Exhaustion pulls me under before I can dwell on it further.

When I wake, my parents are there, each holding one of my hands. The sight of them—their love so tangible—sends emotion surging through me.

This was what I’d craved from Ethan and the Sterlings. And now that I had it, the weight of it nearly undoes me.

"Ava," Mom whispers, her voice thick. "How are you feeling?"

Tears well up before I can stop them. "I love you both so much. Thank you… for being everything I ever needed."

Mom’s eyes shimmer. "Oh, darling. You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that."

"We love you, sweetheart," Dad murmurs. "More than you’ll ever know."

I let the tears fall, soaking in their embrace.

The nurse enters soon after, smiling. "Ready to be discharged, Sophia?"

Relief floods me. My baby was safe. The drugs hadn’t harmed them.

"Yes. I need to see my son," I say, my voice breaking.

Ethan had told me Liam was with his parents. I’d pick him up on the way home. The thought of holding him again makes my chest ache. Today could have ended so differently.

Once the nurse leaves, Mom helps me change. Dad insists on handling the paperwork, refusing to let me lift a finger.

As I wait, I spot the Sterlings—Nathan, Victoria, Sebastian… and Ethan.

Drawing a steadying breath, I approach them. It feels like high school all over again—the outcast walking toward the elite.

"I just wanted to ask about Isabella," I say, shifting uneasily.

Silence. Then Victoria stands and pulls me into a hug.

I freeze.

She’s never hugged me before. It’s so foreign that my arms stay stiff at my sides.

"She’s okay," Nathan says quietly. "Just out of surgery."

I nod, unsure what else to say.

Victoria releases me when she realizes I’m not reciprocating. Her eyes are wet as she reaches for my face, but I step back.

"I’m so glad you’re safe, Sophia. So grateful both my girls are okay," she whispers.

The words sting. I’m not your girl. But before I can say it—

"Darling?" Mom’s gentle voice calls from behind. "It’s time to go home."

Victoria flinches, but I don’t have the energy to care.

My gaze sweeps over them before landing on Ethan. I look away just as fast.

"Tell Isabella thank you… for what she did."

Then I turn and walk to my parents. Dad’s arm wraps around me, Mom’s hand slipping into mine.

I feel eyes burning into my back as we leave. I don’t need to guess whose they are.

My mind churns, but I refuse to look back. I won’t analyze the emotion I’d seen in Ethan’s gaze—the one that looked dangerously like love.

Because that’s impossible.

Ethan only loves one woman.

And her name is Isabella.