Chapter 3
The love in Ethan's eyes drained away like a retreating tide, and his brow furrowed tight.
His heart ached so badly that he couldn't even spare her a single word. He just pulled away and left.
"Ethan." Lynn sobbed so hard she could barely breathe. "Can you stay with me? I'm so scared. Every time I close my eyes, I feel like those people are coming after me again. I betrayed them for you back then, and I'm afraid—"
"Don't be afraid." Ethan's gaze dropped low, and he gently lifted her into his arms. "I'm here. No one's ever going to hurt you again."
The evening breeze swept past and took with it the last trace of warmth Claire had been holding onto.
She hesitated for a moment but still followed them. Through the crack in the door, she saw Lynn tilting her head up and kissing his eyes.
Lynn whispered, "Ethan, I love you. No matter what you are, I love you."
Ethan's expression softened, and he held her close, openly revealing the hollow socket where his eye should have been. "I know. You're the only one who won't leave me."
Those words stabbed straight into Claire's heart like a knife.
She'd broken protocol to save him. Her right hand had been fractured and still couldn't grip properly. Her career was basically over. But he wouldn't even take out his prosthetic eye when he slept around her.
So it wasn't that he refused to show weakness—he just refused to show weakness to her. He didn't trust her.
A bitter smile tugged at Claire's lips, and she turned to leave. She'd been so close to softening toward him, so dangerously near.
But that tiny gap between them? That was all the fate she and Ethan had left.
From that day on, Ethan moved into the guest room. With him around, Lynn's complexion grew increasingly radiant by the day, and the household staff began to turn to her for everything. Claire still lived in the house, but she'd become invisible.
This morning, Ethan had barely left for the firm when Lynn insisted on going out. Claire had no choice but to go with her for the assignment, and that was when a swarm of reporters cornered them.
A reporter asked, "We heard that when Mr. Shepherd was kidnapped, he protected Ms. Carter the entire time and even promised he'd divorce for her if they escaped. Detective Simmons—"
Claire's expression finally cracked at those words, and her heart twisted painfully.
"Please, don't do this." Lynn's voice came out soft and fragile. "This is between Ethan and me. Detective Simmons doesn't know about it, and besides, I don't want to make things difficult for Ethan."
The scene erupted into chaos. "Detective Simmons, you're insisting on prosecuting Ms. Carter—is it because your personal feelings are clouding your professional judgment? Please answer directly."
One sharp question after another came flying at her, and Claire's expression went ice cold.
Claire's voice cut through the crowd like ice. "I'm warning you right now—every single one of your malicious accusations could constitute slander. If you keep this up, I have no problem letting the law teach you what 'boundaries' mean."
The words had barely left her lips when someone hurled a bottle of liquid straight at her.
"Claire!" A figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
Ethan had just stepped out of his car, and he didn't hesitate for a second. He lunged forward and pulled her into his arms, shielding her completely as the liquid splashed across his back and shoulders.
A sharp, acrid smell filled the air. Ethan quickly stripped off his coat and positioned Claire behind him, then took a deliberate step forward. "Who the hell gave you the nerve to corner my wife?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a suffocating authority that made everyone freeze; no one dared to speak.
Lynn, who'd been watching from the sidelines, suddenly had tears streaming down her face. "Ethan, don't blame them. They're just trying to stand up for me. Detective Simmons still treats me like a criminal, and I—"
The moment Ethan saw her tears, he instinctively turned and pulled her into his arms. "The court already cleared Lynnie's name. How long are you going to keep harassing her?"
He looked at Claire with nothing but disappointment in his eyes. "Do I really have to sue you for defamation before you'll stop?"
The man who'd just protected her had turned against her in an instant, all for another woman's tears.
"Ethan." Claire looked up at him. "Why won't you believe me anymore?"
What she really wanted to ask was, "Ethan, why don't you love me anymore?" But the words wouldn't come, and what little pride she had left wouldn't let her be that pathetic.
Their eyes met, but Ethan looked away first. When he spoke again, his voice was even colder. "Apologize to Lynnie right now, and we'll drop this whole thing."
A flash of dissatisfaction crossed Lynn's eyes, but tears kept streaming down her face. "Ethan, if Detective Simmons apologizes like this, she'll just hate me more. What if she finds another excuse to throw me in jail later?"
"She wouldn't dare." Protecting Lynn had become pure instinct for him, and as he looked down at her pale face, he finally made his decision and called Adrian. "Stop Helena's medication. We'll only resume it when Claire publicly apologizes."
"Ethan." Blood instantly flooded Claire's eyes. She strode forward and raised her hand.
"No!" A soft figure threw herself at Claire and grabbed onto her legs desperately.
Lynn's voice shook as she screamed like she'd lost her mind. "Don't hit Ethan. Don't hit him. Hit me instead. Please, I'm begging you."
"Cut the act." Rage boiled through Claire, and she lifted her leg to kick her off. "Get away from me."
Lynn screamed as the kick sent her crashing down, and she collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Ethan caught her limp body and checked her injuries, then slowly lifted his head.
In that instant, Claire felt ice flood her veins.
His eyes locked onto hers—cold, empty, merciless. "Looks like you need to experience everything Lynnie and I went through before you'll understand what you did wrong.
"Take Mrs. Blackwood to the confinement room," Ethan ordered, his face completely blank. "Let her get a taste of it."
The bodyguards dragged Claire away, and she fought against their grip. "Let go of me. Ethan, you can't do this to me—"
But Ethan's gaze stayed fixed on Lynn and never once shifted in her direction.
They shoved her into solitary confinement—a dark room barely three feet wide where she couldn't even bend over. For forty-eight hours straight, she had no choice but to stand.