Page 94 of His Captive

Ethan

xxxxxx

I remember what he told me in his office once. That this butterfly was all he had left of Millie, and now he was giving it up. He was giving it to me.

My heart thuds in my chest as I re-read his note over and over.

I feel like it holds all the answers to the questions I’ve spent nine months searching for.

What I want to be?

Who I want to be?

I want to be Ethan Shaw’s hope.

Twenty Four

ETHAN

There’s a knock on my office door and Mrs. Pritchard shuffles inside.

“The place is getting full sir, are you going to make an appearance?” she asks.

“I’ll be out soon enough,” I tell her, rubbing my temples with my fingers, trying to get in the right headspace for small talk and hosting. When really all I want to do is scream for everyone to leave.

This time last year was the night she’d come to me. I’ve been torturing myself over and over trying to figure out what I would have done differently if I could do it all again.

The conclusion is, just about fucking everything.

I can hear the party getting louder and louder and the walls of my office seem to slowly close in on me. I can't look at my desk without remembering fucking her on it. I sleep in one of the spare rooms every night because every time I get into my own, I think about how it felt to sleep with her against me.

Getting away from this place isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity. Millie hasn’t even crossed my mind in months. She’s a part of my life I’ve closed the door on now. But knowing that Lysa is within touching distance drives me insane.

She isn’t a replacement.

She isn’t what I need to keep Millie alive.

She’s everything that is keeping me alive.

I won’t give up on proving that to her either. I’d give her, her space. Let her learn where her place in the world is and then, somehow. I’ll find a way to fit into it.

Someone knocks on the door again.

“What?” I yell, close to losing my temper. If that’s Mrs. Pritchard again, I doubt I can be as polite as I was the last time. The door opens and when I look up, I have to do a double take.

“Lysa,” I whisper her name to myself as I scan her over. Those tall, perfect legs complemented by her heels. A red dress that sits confidently high on her thighs, and loose blonde curls draping her shoulders. She fills my cock and crushes my heart all at the same time.

“Sorry, I can come back if it’s a bad time,” she says, dropping her head.

“No, I don’t want you to come back. Sit down.” I stand up, and gesture to the chair opposite my desk, watching her nervous smile lift her cheeks as she steps forward and takes a seat.

“I hear you’re leaving town…” she starts.

“You heard correctly,” I confirm, resting my ass on the edge of my desk in front of her.

“Thank you for my gift.” She finally raises her eyes to mine and I can’t resist reaching out and touching my hand to her chin, making sure that they stay with me.

“Why did you come here, Lysa?” I ask her, daring to be hopeful

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