Part 4: The downfall of a proud queen.
Part 4: The downfall of a proud queen.
The threat of police involvement hit Victoria like a physical blow. A woman of her social standing lived and breathed on public reputation. A mugshot, a police report, and a public trial involving attempted forced abortion would destroy her standing in high society overnight.
She looked at her son's eyes, searching for a single flicker of hesitation, a tiny sliver of the obedient boy she used to control. She found nothing. Ethan’s eyes were like two slabs of dark granite.
"You're making the biggest mistake of your life, Ethan," Victoria whispered, her voice trembling with a terrifying mixture of hatred and despair. "She will ruin you. When she takes half your fortune in a divorce, don't come crawling back to me."
"Lily didn't sign a prenuptial agreement because I refused to give her one," Ethan replied with a cold smirk. "Everything I own already belongs to her. Now get out."
Victoria turned her glare toward me. I was standing now, leaning against Ethan’s side, his arm wrapped firmly around my waist. I met her gaze without flinching. The quiet, terrified girl from the small town was gone; standing in her place was a mother who had just survived a battle for her child’s life.
With a dramatic, furious sweep of her silk gown, Victoria turned on her high heels and marched toward the exit. Her two security guards quickly fell into step behind her, keeping their heads down.
The heavy mahogany front doors slammed shut, the echo lingering in the vast apartment.
The moment she was gone, the tension holding Ethan together seemed to snap. He turned to me, his face collapsing into pure exhaustion and remorse. He pulled me into his arms, burying his face in my shoulder, his body trembling.
"I am so sorry, Lily..." he choked out, his voice thick with tears. "I should have protected you better. I should have known she would resort to something so vile..."
"It’s not your fault, Ethan," I whispered, gently running my fingers through his hair. "You came back. You saved us."
Maria stepped forward, quietly picking up the larger pieces of broken glass from the floor. "Mr. Ethan... Mrs. Victoria won't stop here. I've worked for her for a decade. She is a vengeful woman. She will use the family's media connections to destroy Miss Lily's name."
Ethan raised his head, wiping a tear from his eye, his expression hardening once more.
"Let her try," Ethan said grimly. "Marcus, my head of security, is already securing the hallway CCTV footage. We have the entire assault recorded in high definition. If she utters a single word to the press, I will release the raw video to every news network in the country."
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He looked down at me, placing his warm hand gently over my lower stomach, where our baby was safe and sound.
"We are leaving the city today," Ethan declared softly. "We're moving to the estate in Montana. No reporters, no corporate drama, no Victoria. Just us."
