Chapter 186: Her name
She barely got the words out before Ethan’s phone shrilled in his pocket. He fumbled for it, glanced at the screen. The ringtone cut sharply through the tender moment. Then it rang again. And again. And again. The third time, Mara’s jaw tightened, her gaze locking onto the phone in his hand. It was vibrating so hard now that it looked like it might leap out of his grip.
"Please," she said, her voice tight, not unkind but firm, laced with weariness. "Answer it."
Ethan looked at her then, really looked, as if deciding whether to let her in or shut her out for good. There was something pained in his expression, a hesitation that made Mara’s stomach twist.
But finally, he swiped the screen, lifted the phone to his ear.
"Hey, boss—yeah, it’s Jonathan," the voice crackled over the line. Ethan’s face tightened, jaw working.
"Is that case settled?" Ethan asked, his voice clipped, careful, glancing once at Mara and the twins.
"No, boss," came the reply. "She didn’t want a lawyer. She wants to talk to you."
Ethan cursed under his breath, a sharp, frustrated sound. "Damn it."
He ended the call, shoving the phone into his pocket like it burned him. But the damage was already done — Mara was standing there, watching, waiting, the weight of every word unsaid thick between them.
She was tired. God, she was tired. Tired of the fights, the endless circles they ran, the ghosts that kept crawling out of their past. She wanted five minutes of peace. A clean, quiet moment where no one was chasing shadows.
But the way Ethan turned to her, the look in his eyes — she knew it wasn’t coming.