Chapter 2
The tears came instantly, hot and humiliating.
Ethan’s words played on a sick loop in my head, each syllable stripping away whatever dignity I had left.
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If I hadn’t heard it myself, I wouldn’t have believed the same man who’d been
between my legs last night—who’d groaned about how tight I was while he took
my virginity–could say those things.
So you could make love to someone without giving a single shit about them.
You could whisper “you’re perfect” while thinking about another woman entirely.
What I pathetically thought was my romantic fairytale beginning–finally being
accepted as a true Moretti through Ethan–was just another conquest, another story for his crew.
I cried harder, feeling like absolute garbage.
But I swallowed my sobs, my entire body trembling uncontrollably.
After what felt like hours, my phone buzzed with a text.
It was Ethan.
[Find your own ride to the compound. Meeting with my father about territory expansion. Can’t drive you.]
I didn’t reply.
He sent another:
[Get Plan B yourself. I’m dealing with business. Take it ASAP so you don’t get knocked up with my heir. Father would force a marriage neither of us wants.] I stared at his texts, completely gutted.
Last night, after we’d successfully moved $3 million worth of product through enemy territory, Ethan had taken me against the wall of his office, then on his desk, and finally in his bed–without protection–over and over.
When we were both finally exhausted, as he was still inside me but starting to go soft, he’d mumbled:
“Sorry I didn’t use protection. I’ll definitely get you that pill tomorrow.”
He’d even stressed how important it was for women in the family business to
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protect themselves, how the morning–after pill was crucial to avoid “forced family ties when you’re not ready.”
At the time, I thought he actually gave a damn about me. I thought I’d finally
earned my place–not as the orphaned girl Don Moretti had graciously taken in,
but as Ethan’s woman.
And now…
Reality hit me like a slap in the face.
I dug my nails deeper into my palms, forcing myself to stop being so pathetic.
I wiped my tears and left the bathroom, trying to look normal.
Too ashamed to face a pharmacist who might recognize me as a Moretti associate,
I ordered Plan B on DoorDash.
After the delivery guy dropped it off, I waited until no one was around before
snatching it from my doorstep.
I swallowed the pill, tears streaming down my face, then collapsed on my bedroom floor, feeling completely hollow.
Ever since Don Moretti took me in when my parents were killed in a territory war,
I’d followed Ethan around like a desperate puppy for ten fucking years.
I’d never imagined a life outside the Moretti family.
Couldn’t even picture it.
But from now on, I’d have to figure out how to exist without them.
Outside my window, city lights blinked on one by one, then slowly went dark.
I don’t know how long I sat there before my only friend Maddie, a maid’s daughter,
called me.
“Emma, why aren’t you at the celebration at the Velvet Club with Ethan tonight? “That Sofia bitch from the Rossi family showed up instead. While you’re MIA, she’s practically dry–humping him on the dance floor. They’re making everyone sick with how they’re sucking face.”
Maddie switched to video to show me the scene.
