Chapter 6
The door to the hospital room was kicked open with a deafening bang, making Camilla flinch. She looked up, trembling, to see Ethan standing in the doorway, his face stormy and menacing, like a demon straight out of hell.
Panic flashed across her face as she quickly hung up the phone, plastering on a shaky smile. "Ethan, you're back. I thought you'd be talking with Duane for a while longer."
"If I'd stuck around chatting, I would've missed out on such a thrilling conversation," Ethan rasped, striding over to the bed and looming over her like a shadow.
"W-what are you talking about? I swear, I didn't—" Camilla blurted.
In a flash, Ethan seized her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. His grip was so harsh that it felt like her jaw might crack under pressure.
"It hurts, Ethan. Let go!" Camilla cried.
"It hurts? Camilla, did it ever cross your mind how much you hurt Ann while you were scheming against her? You were even willing to hurt yourself if it meant dragging her down. Just how much did you put her through for your own revenge?" Ethan asked.
"I-I didn't frame her. She took everything from me. She knew I was back and refused to leave. Whatever happened to her, she totally deserved it!" Camilla exploded.
Ethan's fury boiled over. His hand shot up, ready to strike Camilla, but at the very last second, he forced himself to stop.
With every ounce of willpower, he barely kept his anger in check and then roughly dragged Camilla off the bed, her terrified screams echoing through the room.
"I won't hurt you. You're the Conroy family's only heir. But I'll send you abroad, locked away for the rest of your life. That man you just called? He's going with you. But you'll have to watch him die right in front of your eyes," Ethan declared.
Camilla was beside herself with terror, practically crawling and stumbling to Ethan's feet, sobbing as she pleaded, "No... please. I'm begging you, Ethan. Don't hurt him!"
Ethan didn't spare her a glance. He coolly took out his phone and dialed a number. Within moments, two burly bodyguards appeared and hauled Camilla out of the room.
With all the shouting gone, the hospital room quieted down.
Ethan's mind was in chaos. All the time Camilla schemed against Anna, there were hints that he'd stubbornly ignored. He'd let himself believe Camilla, every damn time.
And every single time, he hurt Anna.
Grief crashed over him. Without thinking, Ethan slammed a hand across his own face.
He decided to find Anna, compensate her, and beg her for forgiveness.
He thought they might start over.
*****
Meanwhile, Anna was wrapped in a blanket, her clothes and hair dusty and disheveled.
An armored van waited nearby. A policeman stepped out and saluted her. "Anna, I've come on Derrick's orders to take you to the border for a special assignment. By tomorrow morning, your identity will be completely erased. From now until you finish this mission, Anna Conroy no longer exists."
Anna carefully handed the police uniform to someone beside her and saluted. "Understood. Thank you for everything."
The man looked at Anna for a long moment, his mouth opened like he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.
Anna read his gaze easily. He seemed surprised at how young she was, and maybe a little impressed by her guts.
They didn't bother with small talk, and then they just got into the van.
The van rolled out slowly, making its way out of the city.
Anna gazed out the window as the city blurred past, knowing this road was both a descent into darkness and a climb toward hope and honor she'd chased her whole life.
She wasn't truly alone on this path. Long before her, it had already become a silent grave for countless nameless heroes.
What Anna didn't know was that, even as she was leaving, someone was going crazy trying to find her.
Even after the police had presented solid evidence that the body was hers, Ethan refused to believe it. He kept raising the reward, from 30 million to 300 million.
But every lead turned out to be a dead end or a hoax. It was like Anna had vanished from the face of the earth. No one could find a trace of her anywhere.
After a week of searching, Ethan had lost so much weight that he looked like a shadow of himself. Every lead kept pointing to the same brutal truth that Anna was dead.
At first, he couldn't accept it. But as the days dragged on, he found himself slowly coming to terms with the fact that the charred body lying in the morgue really was Anna.
A month later, Ethan finally found the courage to visit the morgue. When he saw the charred body, his legs gave out, and he dropped to the floor.
He just kept apologizing, but no matter how many times he did it, Anna was gone for good.
That night, the Greco residence was engulfed in flames.
Outside, the staff were in chaos, shouting Ethan's name and begging him to come out. But Ethan didn't hear them. He stood there, lost in the moment, holding her charred remains—still in her wedding gown. A haunting smile spread across his face amidst the flames.
"Ann, look at the fire. It's massive. How could I let you face this alone? Don't be afraid. I'm coming for you," Ethan whispered.