---- Chapter 13 After a week of self-destruction, Ethan finally pulled himself together. He showered, shaved, and put on a clean suit. He looked in the mirror and saw a stranger, a haunted man with dead eyes. He drove to Ilene's apartment. He was going to end it. Today. As he approached her door, he heard noises from inside. Laughter. A man's voice, rough and familiar. The door was slightly ajar. He peered through the crack. The scene inside made his blood run cold. Ilene was perched on the lap of a man, her arms wrapped around his neck. She was wearing a slinky, red dress, laughing a throaty, seductive laugh he had never heard before The man was Leo Vance, Ethan' s biggest business rival. The man who had tried to sabotage his company. The man who had cornered Aurora at a party once, whispering vile things in her ear until Ethan had intervened. There were other men there too, all of them Leo's cronies. The air was thick with smoke and the clink of glasses. ---- "So, do you think he's going crazy looking for her?" Ilene purred, tracing a finger along Leo's jaw. Leo grinned. "He should be thanking us. We got rid of that stubborn bitch for him." He took a long drag from his cigar. "She was a fighter, I'll give her that. Didn't even cry when my boys were having their fun with her." Ilene laughed, a sound that was suddenly ugly and cruel. "He was So easy to manipulate. All | had to do was cry, and he'd leave his precious Aurora to come running. He didn't even come home for days after | sent her that little 'parting gift'. A cold, deadly rage started to build in Ethan's chest. "We should have just killed her," Leo said, his voice casual. "Tied up the loose ends." Something inside Ethan snapped. The world went red. He heard the conversation continue, but it was a distant buzz. He was remembering all the times Aurora had come to him, bruised and scared, after a run-in with Leo' s men. He remembered her begging him to be careful. He had dismissed her fears, blinded by his guilt over Ilene. He had let this monster torment his wife. He had chosen to believe the lies of the woman sitting in his enemy's lap. He saw Leo pull out a laptop. He clicked open a video file. ---- It was security footage from the back of a van. He saw Aurora, her dress torn, fighting for her life. He saw the terror in her eyes. He saw her bite one of the men's hands, a feral, desperate act of defiance. He saw her leap from the moving vehicle, a flash of white in the rainy darkness. "Fucking bitch got away," Leo grumbled, snapping the laptop shut. "Ilene, your plan was sloppy." Ethan's heart felt like it was being squeezed by an icy fist. He was going to be sick. The pain was quickly consumed by a white-hot, all-consuming fury. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!