"Didn't I ask you to leave?" Ethan's voice was sharp, dripping with cold venom as his piercing gaze locked onto Ava's terrified eyes.
His fingers, coiled tightly around her neck, pressed harder, cutting into her fragile breath. She gasped, her chest rising and falling frantically as her widened eyes reflected both shock and disbelief.
"E-Ethan…" her voice cracked, desperate and trembling as she clawed lightly at his wrist, struggling for air.
But he didn't flinch—if anything, his grip betrayed the storm raging inside him, a storm born from the bitter words exchanged earlier with his father. His whole body trembled with an anger so consuming it blinded him.
Ava's mind raced. She wanted to scream, to push him away, but fear rooted her in place. This isn't him… is it? she thought, panic bubbling in her veins.
