“No wonder the heiress fell for you so early. She willingly bore you a son, and even stayed pure, waiting for you three long years!”
Laughter erupted.
Then came Anna Quinn’s sweet voice. “Ethan, you’re so cruel! You made me worry for so long!”
Ethan Carter gently stroked her hair. “Then I’ll make it up to you now.”
With that, he seized her neck and kissed her hard.
I turned away in silence. In the past, I would have stormed in, smashed everything in sight, shoved a gun in Anna’s face, and ordered her to kneel, apologize, and disappear.
But after giving birth to Leo, I had changed.
Let the sand you can’t hold slip away; the ones still beside you matter most.
As the heiress of the Lawson family, danger follows me everywhere.
Ethan had taken bullets for me—in the waist, the chest, even the back of his head.
But each time, he held me close, bleeding, and whispered, “Claire, don’t be afraid. I’m here. They’ll have to kill me before they touch you.”
He loved me fiercely, and I believed him.
But love doesn’t always endure.
I turned to leave when the door suddenly opened behind me.
Ethan’s voice, faintly panicked: “Claire?”
“When did you get here?”
I didn’t look back. My voice was impossibly calm. “Just now.”
Ethan exhaled in relief. He came forward, pulled me into his arms, and murmured against my ear, “Claire, I’ll come to you tonight. I’ve thought of you every night these three years.”
I didn’t move. I didn’t reply.
Sensing my indifference, his tone grew careful. “Claire, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy I’m back?”
I tried to push him away, but a soft female voice cut in from behind.
Anna coughed lightly, covering her mouth. “Sister-in-law, you’re here? I wasn’t feeling well, so I came out to see you. Don’t misunderstand.”
At her voice, Ethan quickly released me. The worry in his eyes was plain. “It’s windy outside. What are you doing here?”
Anna stepped forward on her own. “I heard your voice and thought I’d say hello. Don’t mind, sister-in-law. Ethan fusses over me because he’s cared for me personally these three years. It’s unconscious.”
She sounded sincere. I looked at her pale face and said coldly, “I don’t mind if the Lawson family feeds more mouths.”
“But the Lawson family doesn’t keep strays.”
Her smile faltered. Ethan’s brow furrowed. “Claire! She’s my sister—and that makes her yours too. Don’t be so cruel.”
I glanced at him indifferently. “I’ve always been ruthless, haven’t I?”
His Adam’s apple bobbed, as if he wanted to argue, but then Anna leaned weakly against the doorframe, her voice dripping with grievance. “Sister-in-law, I know you hate me, but I never wanted to take anything away… I’m just too weak, and I need my brother’s care…”
“My brother looks after me day and night. I understand your anger.”
“Since you don’t like me, I’ll just leave.”
She turned and stumbled off. Ethan shot me a sharp glare, then rushed after her. “Anna, don’t run! You’re not well—you can’t take it!”
“I’ve been handling Lawson family affairs long enough. You don’t need to listen to her!”
“Anna!”
The two of them hurried on until they reached the courtyard’s corner.
Just as Anna turned, little Leo toddled out and collided with her legs.
