Chapter 2
Claire's colleague rushed over and helped her into the car, his voice full of frustration. "Ethan is only acting like this because he's sick. He loves you so much—don't take it to heart."
She held her bloodied fingertip between her fingers and said nothing.
When she got home, Claire picked up her phone and dialed that familiar number. Her voice came out hoarse but steady.
She said, "Callum, I'm applying for early admission to the undercover program next month. Before that happens, I'm going to dig up the entire criminal network behind Lynn and make sure we can take them all down in one sweep."
Becoming an undercover cop meant the organization would stage her death and erase every trace of her social existence.
Claire's fingers traced the wedding band on her ring finger, and her mind drifted back to that summer when she was twenty-two.
They'd just walked out of City Hall when Ethan suddenly pulled her tight against him and pressed his forehead to hers.
He grinned, his eyes crinkling with joy. "Detective Simmons, I've got you locked down now. Listen carefully—between us, there's only death do us part. No divorce."
The sunlight had been blazing that day, but the light in his eyes burned even brighter.
Too bad such a passionate beginning had to end in such a disappointing way.
By the time everything was settled, it was already evening, and the sounds of people moving things echoed from downstairs.
Luxury brand salespeople carried box after box into the living room, and Ethan held Lynn's hand while programming her fingerprint into the door lock. "You'll be staying here."
"Detective Simmons has always been suspicious of me, and I don't want to upset her." Lynn gently pulled her hand away.
She continued, "But Ethan, could you maybe talk to Detective Simmons for me? I'm not as bad as she thinks I am. If she'd just apologize to me—just once—so I can feel secure, that's all I need."
Her voice caught with emotion, as if she'd suffered some terrible injustice, and Ethan blurted out, "She's the one in the wrong. When she gets back, I'll make her apologize to you immediately."
Claire thought back to the newspaper headlines from the past few days. They'd painted her as a jealous woman who'd framed Lynn out of spite. Someone had even sent anonymous letters to the station claiming she didn't deserve to be a cop—and definitely didn't deserve Ethan.
Everything she'd stood for over the years—all that dedication to justice—had been turned into a complete joke.
She let out a cold, bitter laugh, and that's when Ethan finally noticed she was home. "You're here? Oh, right—about what happened before, you got it wrong about Lynnie."
"Got it wrong?" She stared pointedly at his prosthetic eye, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Ethan, I think you're the one who's truly blind."
Ethan's brows furrowed, but then he noticed the wound on her temple, and his tone softened inexplicably. "How'd you get hurt like that? Why didn't you call a doctor?"
She was about to respond when Lynn suddenly stood up and headed for the door. "Ethan, I should go."
Ethan immediately stopped her, glanced at Claire, and spoke with apparent hesitation, "A lot of people have the wrong idea about Lynnie right now, so she'll be staying here. You'll be responsible for protecting her.
"She has PTSD, so you need to watch your attitude and not trigger her. When you go out, stay close—maintain about half a step of distance, but not too close or she'll get anxious."
He went on and on with his instructions, and each word felt like a needle piercing her heart.
"You really trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll—" Claire's lips curved into a cold smile as she enunciated each word slowly. "Settle. The. Score?"
"You won't." Ethan's voice was confident, but then he looked at Lynn's fragile appearance and changed his tune. "Back then, I took ninety-nine lashes for you and nearly died. Remember? You said I could ask you for anything I wanted because of that—"
Claire's heart sank lower with every passing second.
Ethan's voice was cold and firm. "Lynnie saved my life, so I need you to treat her like you'd treat me. She can't get hurt, not even a scratch."
The irony wasn't lost on Claire.
The same man who once said he'd die to marry her was now shoving her in front of someone else as a human shield.
She blinked hard to clear the sting in her eyes. Thirty days left—she could endure anything for thirty days. This was her mission, and it had nothing to do with Ethan anymore.
Her old injury flared up, a dull ache spreading through her right arm. She turned and headed upstairs, planting the listening device on the second floor before retreating to the bedroom.
Night had fallen deep and heavy. She lay down with her back to Ethan, forcing herself to ignore his breathing and just fall asleep.
She didn't know how much time had passed when a lean arm slid around her waist and pulled her back against a solid chest.
Claire's brow furrowed immediately. "Ethan, what are you—"
Before she could finish, warmth brushed against her ear, and his voice came out in a murmur. "Claire, I love you."
Her eyes stung, and tears threatened to spill over.
She hadn't cried once since the day the Simmons family went bankrupt. Not when Ethan used Helena to threaten her, not when he hurt her, not even when he humiliated her. She hadn't shed a single tear through any of it.
But right now, she could barely hold it together.
She didn't understand—if he really loved her, how could he treat her like this?
Behind her, his sleep-talking suddenly shifted. "No, I won't help you people."
Ethan's cold, sharp features twisted in agony, and the veins in his neck bulged as he choked out, "Even if I die, I'll never let Claire take my place. Don't you dare touch her—"
"Ethan." Claire's heart lurched violently, and she threw her arms around him, pulling him close. "Wake up. It's just a dream, it's over now. Ethan."
His long lashes trembled intensely, and after a moment, he finally opened his eye. The instant he saw Claire, that single remaining eye flooded with love and longing.
His eye turned red almost immediately. "Claire, I dreamed that—"
A violent pounding suddenly erupted at the door, and Lynn's broken sobs filtered through from outside. "Ethan, I dreamed those people came back for me. I'm so scared."