"I think five minutes with him tells me more about his character than years with you has told me about yours."
The words hang in the air between us, shocking us both.I've never challenged Ethan like this before.Never stood my ground when he decided what was best for everyone.
It feels terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.
"Excuse me?"His voice drops to something dangerous, and I remember what Calla said about him the last time we had dinner together.How she'd watched him order for me at the restaurant, watched him correct my choice of wine, and later pulled me aside.
"You seem different lately, quieter," she'd said, her brown eyes concerned."Are you happy, Evie?"
I'd laughed it off, made excuses about wedding stress and work obligations.But the truth was, I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt truly happy.Couldn't remember the last time I'd made a decision without first calculating how Ethan would react.
"You heard me," I say now, lifting my chin with a courage I didn't know I still possessed."I'm starting to see things more clearly."
Ethan stares at me for a long moment, and I can practically see his mind working.Calculating how much pressure to apply, which buttons to push to get me back in line.
"You're grieving," he says finally, his tone shifting to something softer, more manipulative."You're not thinking clearly.This whole situation with the children, with that biker, it's clouding your judgment."
"My judgment is fine."
"Is it?Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're about to throw away everything we've built together for some fantasy about playing house with a dangerous criminal and five traumatized kids."
He moves closer, perching on the edge of the coffee table so he's facing me directly.When he reaches for my hands, his touch feels cold against my skin.Clinical.Nothing like the warmth that radiates from Hades even when he's standing across a room.
The comparison hits me like a physical blow, because I shouldn't be thinking about Hades' touch.I shouldn't be remembering the way electricity shot through me when his fingers accidentally brushed mine yesterday, or how safe I felt when he stood between me and Ethan's anger.
"Listen to me," Ethan continues, his thumbs stroking over my knuckles in a gesture that should be comforting but somehow isn't."There are excellent boarding schools for children who've experienced trauma.Therapeutic programs that can help them process their grief in a healthy environment."
"You want to send them away?"
"I want what's best for them.And what's best for you."His grip on my hands tightens when I try to pull away."These children need professional help, not to be used as pawns in some biker's attempt to get close to you."
"Pawns?They're not pawns; they're children who just lost their parents."
"Children who are being manipulated by a man who clearly has an agenda where you're concerned."
Heat floods my face, because he's not entirely wrong.There is something between Hades and me, something that's been simmering beneath the surface for years.I've felt it at every family gathering, during every polite conversation, and within every careful distance we've maintained out of respect for propriety.
But that doesn't mean he's using the children to get to me.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I?I saw the way he looked at you today, Evangeline.The way you looked at him.You think I'm blind?"
It’s the same accusation he made yesterday, but now it carries a different weight.Because I can't deny it anymore.I can't pretend that the pull I feel toward Hades is just misplaced gratitude or shared grief.
"I'm trying to do what's right for those children," I say.
"By abandoning your responsibilities?Your commitments?"Ethan's voice sharpens again, the mask of the concerned fiancé slipping."We have a wedding in six months.Deposits have been paid, arrangements made.My parents are expecting grandchildren, not someone else's traumatized leftovers."
The casual cruelty of calling the children "leftovers" makes something snap inside me.
"Don't you ever call them that again."
"Evangeline—"
"No."I stand abruptly, pulling my hands free from his grip."Those children are not leftovers.They're not inconveniences or obstacles to our perfect life.They're human beings who need love and stability and someone who actually gives a damn about their wellbeing."
Ethan rises as well, his height giving him the advantage he's always used to intimidate me into submission.But for the first time, I don't feel small under his stare.
