Chapter 192
Mia peeled her eyes open slowly, her lashes sticking together from dried tears. The soft light in the room told her it wasn’t morning yet, but it was late.
The first thing she saw when her vision cleared was her brother’s face hovering above hers.
“You’re awake,” Ethan said quietly, his voice sounding both relieved and worried.
She blinked a few times, trying to process where she was. She realized she was lying on the couch now, a soft blanket covered loosely over her.
“How long was I out?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
“Not long,” Ethan replied. “Like an hour.”
Her heartbeat felt calmer now. The panic that had gripped her earlier had loosened, but it still lingered in the background like a shadow waiting to rise again. She lay there for a moment, adjusting to the quietness.
Her gaze drifted toward the floor, and she noticed it was spotless. No sign of the shattered glass she’d dropped earlier. Ethan must have cleaned it up while she was out.
Her eyes flicked toward the clock on the wall. It was late–too late.
“I’m glad you’re calmer now,” Ethan said gently, sitting on the coffee table in front of her. “How are you feeling?”
Mia didn’t know how to answer that. How was she supposed to explain that her body felt like it had been through a storm, her mind torn
between fear, disbelief and confusion.
She started to push herself up from the couch, the blanket slipping from her shoulders. But Ethan placed a hand on her arm to stop her.
“I need to finish packing and book-” she began, but he cut her off with a shake of his head.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said firmly.
“Ethan-”
“Okay, let’s say you go back to that small town,” he interrupted, his voice steady but firm. “What are you going to do there?”
She froze for a moment. She hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. She’d only thought of leaving.
“I’ll help Mom with her flower shop,” Mia said after a moment. “While looking for a good job.”
“A good job where?” Ethan asked, leaning in slightly. “In that town? How much are they going to pay you, Mia? Enough to take care of Aiden? And let’s say you get a job in another city–what then? You move Aiden again? And what happens if you meet someone from Willowcrest? You’ll pack up and run again?”
His words hit her harder than she wanted to admit. She shook her head slowly and finally sank back onto the couch, the fight in her voice
dimming.
“I didn’t just meet anyone, Ethan,” she said quietly. “We’re talking about Alex Blackwell. I’m supposed to stay countries away from him. A lot
can happen just being near him. Charles Blackwell will kill me and Aiden if he sees me near his son again.”
“No, he won’t,” Ethan said simply.
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Chapter 192
Mia stared at him like he’d just spoken a different language.
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She was talking about the same man who had threatened their life, the same man who had thrown her into a ship in the middle of the night for dating his son. If Charles Blackwell found out she had a son with Alex, he wouldn’t just threaten her–he’d destroy her completely.
“What do you mean, he won’t?” she asked slowly, suspicion tightening her chest.
“Alex cut ties with his father years ago,” Ethan said.
Mia froze.
“What?” The word came out louder than she intended, disbelief laced through it.
“It’s true. That’s why he kinda changed his surname? moved to another country, started his company here. He hasn’t had contact with his father or Willowcrest for about five years.”
She stared at him with wide eyes, her mind racing.
“That’s about the time he threw us out of Willowcrest,” she said softly, almost to herself.
The timing made her stomach twist. Was it possible? Could the two events be connected? She wanted to tell herself no, that it wasn’t about
her–but the thought refused to leave.
“Wait–how do you know so much?” she asked finally, narrowing her eyes at him.
“I did a little Googling,” Ethan said with a small shrug, like it wasn’t a big deal.
Mia hummed under her breath, processing.
“Did he find out what his father did to us and cut ties with him?” she asked, even though she knew Ethan couldn’t possibly know the answer.
It was a reach, but the timing lined up too perfectly for her not to wonder.
“Probably,” Ethan said, though his tone made it clear it was only a guess.
That’s all they can do though… guess….
Mia pushed herself up again, unable to sit still anymore. Her fingers fidgeted at her sides, her pacing picking up with every thought running through her head.
“Probably not,” she muttered. “I mean… he would have looked for me if he did all that for me.”
Then it clicked. She remembered something Alex had told her–about leaving Willowcrest with his mother and brother. How had she
forgotten that? She sighed heavily. No, he didn’t leave because of her. Obviously.
Still, it was strange to think he had not been in Willowcrest all this time.
“So… he hasn’t been in Willowcrest all this time?” she voiced her thoughts out loud.
Ethan nodded. “Nope.”
“And-” she hesitated, her eyes flicking away from her brother’s. “He didn’t marry Zoe?” she asked, the question tasting bitter in her mouth. Shame crept up her throat at even saying it.
Charles Blackwell had literally thrown a wedding invitation in her face back then.
Ethan chuckled. “His status says he’s single.”
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Chapter 192
Mia paced faster now, her hands on her hips.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispered.
“So you see,” Ethan said, leaning back slightly, “there’s no need to be afraid of Charles Blackwell. He’s far away from here and has no connection with his son right now or his company.”
Mia stopped pacing and stared at her brother for a long moment before shaking her head and dropping back into the couch.
“Alex is still his son though,” she said quietly. “And it’s still very risky.”
“What’s risky?” Ethan asked, genuinely curious.
Her gaze lifted to meet his, and her voice dropped even lower.
“Finding out about Aiden.”
The words hung between them.
She wasn’t sure which scared her more–Alex not caring or Alex wanting to take his son away from her.
Ethan’s voice was calm when he asked, “Mia, let me ask you something.”
Her eyes stayed locked on his as he leaned forward. “Do you plan on not letting him meet his father… like ever?”
Mia’s lips parted, but no words came out. She closed them again.
There was only one answer running through her head.
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