The car barely slowed as we pulled into the Rossi estate. My stomach was in knots, bile threatening to rise. My wedding dress was gone, traded for one of Ethan's tailored coats that drowned me, but it didn't matter. My father was about to see me, and nothing about this night was going to end the way I'd ever imagined.
Ethan stepped out first, sharp in his dark suit, radiating the kind of power that made the guards lower their eyes even though they knew who this house belonged to. He extended a hand, not gently, but as if reminding me: you belong to me now.
We entered without being announced. My father was waiting in the great room, his face pale, his jaw locked so tight I thought his teeth would crack. My mother hovered behind him, wringing her hands, whispering prayers that wouldn't save any of us.
"Ethan," my father said flatly, though his eyes flicked to me like a knife. "What have you done?"
Ethan smirked, slow and lethal. "Something I should've done years ago. Collecting what you owe me."
"This isn't about business," my father fathere snapped. His fists balled at his sides. "You dragged my daughter into your vendetta? She's innocent."
"Innocent?" Ethan's laugh was cold, jagged. He closed the distance between them, every step dripping with menace. "She's the only thing you ever gave a damn about. Which makes her the perfect weapon."
I flinched, my throat dry. My father's face twisted with fury. "Leave her out of this. I'll pay you. Whatever you want. Just...."
"On your knees." Ethan's cut him short.
The room went stilll,
My father blinked, stunnedd. "What?"
"You heard me," Ethan said, his tone dripping with mockery. "On your knees. Beg me for your precious daughter. Show me just how much she's worth to you."
My mother gasped. "Please, this is madness…."
"Shut up," Ethan snapped, eyes never leaving my father. "This is between him and me."
I stepped forward, shaking. "Ethan, stop this. Please. You've made your point…."
His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist hard enough to make me gasp. He didn't even look at me as he hissed, "Stay out of it, Aria. If you want to see just how far I'm willing to go, keep talking."
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
My father's face was crimson now, veins pulsing at his temple. "You think humiliating me will undo the past? You think I'll let you use my daughter like a pawn?"
"Yes," Ethan cut in sharply. "That's exactly what I think. And what you'll do is kneel. Or I'll take this further than either of you are ready for."
For a long, agonizing moment, my father stood frozen. Then, slowly, so slowly it broke something inside me, he sank down, lowering himself to the polished marble floor until he was on his knees before the man whose life he'd destroyed.
I had never seen my father kneel for anyone. Not once.
Ethan's smirk widened, victory gleaming in his eyes. He leaned down, his voice taunting. "That's better. Now beg. Let me hear it."
Through gritted teeth, my father forced the words out. "Spare her. Take your revenge on me. Drag me through hell if you want, but leave Aria out of this."
Ethan tilted his head, studying him like a predator savoring the moment before the kill. "You really think I'm after you?" He chuckled darkly. "No, Rossi. This is so much sweeter. Because every day she wears my ring, every night she sleeps under my roof, you'll know you lost the only thing that ever mattered to you. She's mine now, and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop it."
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. My father's fury shook the room, but his helplessness was worse. For once, he had no power.
Ethan straightened, pulling papers from his coat pocket, tossing them at my father's feet. "Sign. You'll stay out of our lives, and you'll transfer control of those little offshore accounts you thought I didn't know about. In return…" His eyes flicked to me, then back. "…you get the privilege of seeing her alive and untarnished in the public's eyes. For now."
My father's lips trembled as he stared at the papers.
"Do it," Ethan said coldly. "Or I'll make sure the world knows exactly what kind of empire you built, and how many bodies you buried to keep it."
The silence was suffocating. My father picked up the pen, his hand shaking as he signed.
Ethan smiled, sharp and satisfied, sliding the papers back into his jacket. He turned to me, brushing his fingers over my cheek almost tenderly, though the gesture was pure possession.
"Let's go, wife."
The word hit me like a slap. I was trembling, but I forced myself to speak. "Ethan…" My voice cracked. "What are you going to do to him?"
He leaned close, his lips brushing my ear, his whisper meant only for me.
"Watch me, Aria. I'm going to destroy him piece by piece. And you're going to be mine while I do it."
And with that, he dragged me back toward the door, leaving my father on his knees, broken.