5:35 AM – Ethan's Estate
The air was thick with tension.
Isabella stood at the gates, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
Lena was trapped—because of her.
She knew it. Ethan knew it.
And yet, as her gaze met his, she refused to show fear.
How had it come to this?
How had the man she once loved turned into this stranger—this dangerous, possessive force that refused to let her go?
The guards flanked Lena on either side, but Isabella barely noticed them.
All she saw was him.
Ethan.
Standing at the top of the stone steps, looking down at her with that infuriating mix of amusement and certainty.
As if he had already won.
Her fingers curled into fists.
No.
She wouldn't let him win.
She had fought too hard to escape.
She wouldn't break now.
5:36 AM – The Moment of Truth
"Let her go," Isabella said, her voice steady despite the pounding of her heart.
Ethan tilted his head, his gaze flickering to Lena.
"She's not hurt."
"That's not the point."
"Then what is the point, Isabella?" His voice was smooth, controlled. "That you came back?"
Her stomach twisted.
That's what he wanted.
Not just control.
Not just obedience.
He wanted her to choose him.
Even now, he was playing his mind games, twisting the situation to make it seem like she had walked into his trap willingly.
"I came for Lena."
Ethan's smirk didn't fade. "Did you?"
Her pulse hammered.
He was waiting.
Waiting for her to say something she couldn't take back.
Waiting for her to admit she would do anything to get Lena out of here.
Her silence was enough.
Ethan gave a slight nod, and the guards let go of Lena's arms.
She stumbled forward, her wrists red from the rough grip.
Isabella rushed to her side, steadying her.
"Are you okay?"
Lena swallowed hard. "We need to leave. Now."
She was right.
They should leave.
But they wouldn't.
Because Ethan wasn't finished.
He hadn't gotten what he wanted.
And that made him dangerous.
5:38 AM – The Real Trap
Ethan stepped forward, descending the stone steps with slow, measured steps.
Isabella felt Lena tense beside her.
She understood the fear.
Ethan wasn't violent in the way most people expected.
But that was what made him terrifying.
He didn't need to force her.
He made her feel like she didn't have a choice.
"You got what you wanted," Isabella said, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "Let us go."
Ethan's lips twitched. "Did I?"
She gritted her teeth.
He was enjoying this.
Enjoying the fact that she had come to him.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, flipping it between his fingers lazily.
Then, he held it up for her to see.
A message thread.
Her breath caught as she read the name.
Her landlord.
Her blood turned to ice.
"What did you do?"
Ethan's voice was calm. Too calm.
"Did you really think I wouldn't know where you were staying?"
Her stomach churned.
He had found her.
Even when she thought she had disappeared.
Even when she thought she was safe.
She had underestimated him.
Again.
"I didn't do anything—yet," Ethan continued. "But your lease is up, Isabella. Your belongings? Already gone."
Her breath hitched.
Lena turned to her, eyes wide with realization.
"Isa…"
Ethan took another step closer, and Isabella instinctively pulled Lena back.
No home.
No safe place to run back to.
That's what he wanted, wasn't it?
To take away every option until he was the only one left.
She had seen Ethan in control before.
But this—
This was different.
This was absolute.
She had lost before she even walked through the gates.
5:40 AM – A Deal with the Devil
"What do you want?" Isabella whispered.
Ethan's eyes gleamed.
"You already know."
Her throat went dry.
She did know.
But she didn't want to say it.
Didn't want to give him that satisfaction.
Ethan took another step closer, his presence overwhelming.
"You can leave," he said, his voice deceptively soft. "Take Lena and walk away. I won't stop you."
Lena let out a shaky breath. "Isa, let's go—"
"But," Ethan interrupted.
Of course there was a but.
"You'll have nothing."
The words sliced through the air.
No home.
No money.
No way to escape him.
And he knew it.
She could walk away.
But what kind of life would that be?
Would she be constantly looking over her shoulder?
Would she be free, or would she still be running?
The thought made her feel sick.
And Ethan knew it.
His voice was lower when he spoke again.
"Stay."
Her breath caught.
"Stay, and I'll fix everything."
It was a lie.
A trick.
A carefully crafted illusion of choice.
But wasn't that how he always operated?
Hadn't he always known how to break her without breaking her?
Isabella closed her eyes.
She had sworn she would never go back.
But what choice did she have?
5:43 AM – The Moment That Changed Everything
Lena grabbed her hand.
"Don't do it," she whispered urgently. "Isa, please. We'll figure something out. We always do."
Isabella's heart clenched.
She wanted to believe that.
But this time—
This time, she wasn't sure.
She turned back to Ethan.
His gaze was steady, unreadable.
Waiting.
He wasn't going to beg.
He didn't need to.
Because he had already won.
Isabella took a shaky breath.
And she spoke the words that sealed her fate.
"I'll stay."
Lena's sharp intake of breath made her chest tighten.
Ethan's expression didn't change.
But something in his eyes flickered.
Satisfaction.
Possession.
She had played right into his hands.
Again.