Page 68 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO
“It doesn’t matter,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Doesn’t it?” Cara presses. “Did you even give her a chance to explain?”
“She disappeared,” I snap, “before I could even get the chance to ask her why. I do not know why she left, and honestly? I do not care anymore.”
The silence that follows feels heavier than it should.
But then Ethan speaks up, his tone quieter than usual. “I know why she left.”
All eyes snap to him.
“What?” I ask, my voice dangerously low.
Ethan shrugs, looking a little too nonchalant for my liking. “I have known the reason for a while. Did not say anything because, well…, you made it pretty clear you wanted nothing to do with her.”
My stomach twists, but I force myself to meet his gaze. “What are you talking about?”
Ethan leans back, his beer dangling loosely in his hand. There is no smugness in his expression, no teasing glint in his eye like usual. Instead, there is something somber, something I can’t quite place - and it leaves me completely unsteady.
“Do you remember the day you got the letter and those pictures?” Ethan asks, his voice unnervingly steady. “How you got drunk out of your mind?”
I nod slowly, wary of where this is going. “Yeah, I remember. And I remember getting really drunk later that night. What is your point?”
Ethan sets his beer down, his eyes never leaving mine. “Do you remember what you said that night?”
Bits and pieces of that evening flit through my mind, but they are hazy, distorted by alcohol and anger. “Not everything. Just…, fragments.”
Ethan does not say anything at first. He just stares at me, like he is giving me space to figure it out, but his eyes are hard. Then, he hits me with the truth like it is a slap to the face.
“You said you hated her,” Ethan says.
“That’s not new,” I say. “I did and still do hate her.”
Ethan exhales, his jaw tightens for a moment before he continues. “You didn’t just say you hated her, Liam,” Ethan says, his voice sharper now. “You said a hell of a lot more than that.”
My brows knit together, confusion swirling with unease. “What are you talking about?”
“You called her a cheater and a gold digger, let’s assume this,” Ethan begins, his tone cold and matter of fact. “You said that loving her was the biggest mistake of your life. That you were not even sure you ever loved her - maybe you loved her out of just pity.” He pauses, letting the words sink in before delivering the final blow. “And you said she’s just a beautiful, poor girl.”
The room goes silent. My throat tightens, and the beer can in my hand suddenly feels like lead. I shake my head, the disbelief crashing over me in waves. “What?” My voice is barely a whisper. “I don’t remember saying most of that.”
Ethan does not flinch. “But you did. Every word.”
“I…” I swallow hard, my pulse thundering in my ears. “I remember saying I hated her. That is all.”
Ethan leans forward, his voice now low and weighted with something close to anger. “While you were saying all that, she heard you, Liam.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the air out of my lungs. “What?” I manage; my voice is shaky.
“She was there,” Ethan says, his tone relentless. “She was drenched in the rain, shivering, and she heard every damn word. Everything you said about her - she stood there and listened.”
“No, no, no, no, no.” I shake my head, the word escaping on instinct. “No way.”
“She left when she couldn’t take it." He leans forward, his gaze fixed on mine, unflinching. "I went after her. I tried to get her, told her that you two would talk it out the next morning. I never realized she’d leave that night, that she wouldn’t come back."
The words hit like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I blink hard, trying to wrap my head around it.
The room seems to tilt, my pulse pounding in my ears. I try to find my footing, but his words keep dragging me down.
