Chapter 3 - THE GHOST OF THE PASTThe mansion, once cold and empty, was now a battlefield of suppressed trauma. Ethan moved into his private office, pacing, while Rosa sat in the kitchen, Lily sleeping in her lap.
He didn't just want an apology; he wanted to understand. How had he not known? He had spent the last three years in a haze of corporate expansion, dating women like Victoria because they were predictable, safe, and devoid of the chaotic, soul-shaking fire he had felt with Rosa.
He walked into the kitchen, his suit jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up. "Why?" he asked, not looking at Rosa, but at the sleeping child. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Rosa stood up, her posture rigid, a protective barrier of rage and grief. "You left, Ethan. You didn't ask for a partner; you asked for a secret. You treated me like a summer storm—exciting, intense, and then you just evaporated when the 'real world' called. I wasn't going to raise my daughter to be an accessory to your empire."
"I was in the middle of a takeover," he countered, though his voice lacked conviction.
"You were in the middle of choosing yourself," she snapped. "And now? Now you want to play father? Now that the timing is convenient?"
May you like
Ethan approached her, his face inches from hers. The tension was electric, a decade’s worth of unspoken words vibrating in the air. "I never stopped looking, Rosa. I didn't know where you went. Your university records were wiped. You vanished."
"I survived," she corrected. "And I don't need you now."
