Chapter 8 - The Unraveling
The fallout was apocalyptic. Ethan canceled the dinner party on the spot. He ordered his security team to escort Victoria off the property, deaf to her screaming protests and threats of ruining his reputation.
In the quiet of his private study, a doctor confirmed Lily only had a mild concussion, no serious damage. Lily slept on Ethan's leather sofa, wrapped in his heavy cashmere coat. Rosa stood by the window, trembling, waiting for the executioner's axe.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ethan's voice was hoarse, stripped of all its billionaire armor. He was just a man, completely shattered.
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"You left," Rosa fired back, years of repressed pain bubbling to the surface. "You vanished into your ivory tower. I wasn't going to let my daughter become an inconvenience to a man who couldn't even send a text to say goodbye."
Ethan closed his eyes, the guilt hitting him like a physical blow. He explained the corporate espionage, his father's sudden heart attack, the chaotic weeks where he had lost control of his life. "It isn't an excuse," he whispered, stepping closer to her. "But I never forgot you, Rosa. I never stopped looking for you after the dust settled. You had changed your number. You dropped out of Columbia."
