---- Chapter 7 Ilene was putting on the performance of a lifetime. "She's lying!" she shrieked, burying her face in Ethan's chest. "She's always been jealous of me! She did this to hurt me! To remind me of what | lost because of her!" The party guests crowded around, their faces a mixture of shock and disgust. They saw the photos. They saw the victim, crying in the arms of her protector. And they saw me, the villain. Their whispers turned into a chorus of condemnation. "How could she be so cruel?" "That woman is a monster." My entire body was shaking. | tried to speak, to defend myself, but the words wouldn't come. Ethan pulled away from Ilene. He walked over to where | stood, his face a mask of cold fury. He picked up one of the photos. And then he threw it at me. The sharp corner of the photograph cut the skin just above my eyebrow. A single drop of blood trickled down my face. ---- "| told you," he said, his voice a low, chilling whisper that cut deeper than any physical blow. "I told you we were paying a debt. | told you to be patient. | told you | would make it up to you once she was better." His eyes were filled with a terrifying mix of pain and rage. "But you couldn't wait, could you? You had to do this. You had to push her, to torture her. Are you happy now? Do you want to see her dead?" The injustice of it all, the sheer, crushing weight of his blame, finally broke me. "It wasn't me!" | cried, the tears | had held back for so long finally falling. "| would never! We can check the fingerprints on the box! It was her!" | looked at him, my heart pleading for him to see the truth. "Ethan, | loved you. | swear, the biggest regret of my life is saying yes to you that day." My words seemed to hit him. He froze, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. For a second, the rage subsided, and he looked like the man | used to know. He looked lost. He took a step toward me. But Ilene saw her control slipping. "| can't take it anymore!" she screamed, breaking away from the crowd. She ran out of the ballroom, out into the night. "I'm going to kill myself!" ---- Ethan didn't hesitate. He didn't even look at me. He just ran after her. The guests stared at me, their faces cold and unforgiving. | was tried and convicted in the court of their opinion. | didn't have the strength to argue anymore. | was so tired. | turned and walked away, leaving the whispers and the judgment behind me. Outside, the air was cool. | saw them by the side of the road. Ilene was standing on the curb, looking like she was about to step into the busy street. Acar sped toward her. Ethan shouted her name and lunged, pulling her back from the edge just in time. He held her tight in his arms. She collapsed against him, sobbing. "I'm so dirty, Ethan. | just want to die. Let me die." He held her face in his hands, his thumbs gently wiping away her tears. His voice was thick with emotion. "You're not dirty, Ilene," he said, his voice a tender caress. "In my heart, you will always be the purest, most perfect girl." She looked up at him, her eyes wide and searching. "Do you mean it?" "| mean it," he said, his voice firm. ---- She rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. He hesitated for a fraction of a second. His eyes flickered, just for a moment, in my direction. He saw me standing there, watching. Then he closed his eyes and kissed her back. It wasn't a kiss of comfort. It was a kiss of passion, of desperation, of a choice finally made. He deepened the kiss, his hands moving to her waist, pulling her flush against him. They stood there, locked in an embrace under the streetlights, a perfect silhouette of betrayal. | stood across the street, watching it all. The world went silent. | couldn't feel the cut on my forehead. | couldn't feel the cool night air. | couldn't feel my own heartbeat. All| could feel was a vast, echoing emptiness. | finally understood. | had lost. | had lost him years ago. | was just the last one to know. | put a hand over my eyes, but it was too late. The image was burned into my mind forever. My fingertips were ice cold. A single, silent tear slid down my cheek and fell to the ---- pavement. It was the last tear | would ever shed for Ethan Bruce. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!