Chapter 7 - The Final Sacrifice
Ethan pulled a sleek leather folder from inside his coat and handed it to Camila.
She opened it with trembling fingers. Inside were legal documents transferring the deed of her family's old home back to her name, along with a bank draft for one million dollars.
Camila gasped, looking up at him in shock. "Ethan... you're... you're giving this back to us?"
"I am," Ethan replied, his face expressionless. "The house, the money. It's enough for your family to live comfortably for the rest of your lives."
"Why?" Camila wept, stepping closer to him. "If you hate me so much, why are you doing this?"
"Because when I was poor, I promised to give you a comfortable life," Ethan said softly, his voice carrying a trace of lingering sadness. "I keep my promises. Even when you break yours."
Camila covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably. The weight of her regret hit her harder than any punishment Ethan could have devised. He wasn't a monster. He had loved her completely, unconditionally. And she had traded that love for superficial greed.
"Ethan... please," she begged, dropping the folder to the ground and reaching for his hands. "Take the money back! Take the house back! I don't want it! I just want you! Let me prove that I can love you without the fortune!"
Ethan pulled his hands away gently, but firmly.
"You can't, Camila," Ethan said quietly. "Because if I were to lose everything tomorrow—if SV Global burned to the ground and I became a broke architect again... you would leave me all over again. You don't love me. You love the peace of mind my money gives you."
"That's not true!" she screamed into the wind.
"It is true," Ethan said. "And deep down, you know it."
Ethan turned his back on her and walked toward the waiting helicopter, its blades beginning to spin, creating a deafening roar.
"Keep the house, Camila," Ethan called over his shoulder. "Consider it payment for the three years you gave me. But from this night on... you and I are complete strangers."
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"Ethan! No! Don't leave me!" Camila ran toward him, but two security guards stepped between them, gently blocking her path.
She fell to her knees on the cold, wet concrete of the helipad, clutching the leather folder to her chest as the helicopter lifted into the dark sky, taking Ethan away from her life forever.
