Hospitals are always too quiet after chaos.
Aria sat on the edge of the hospital bed, staring at the small bruise forming along her wrist where the rope had burned her skin. It was minor. The doctor had said so.
But inside?
Nothing felt minor.
Ethan stood near the window, watching the city lights flicker through the glass. Kingsley Global's tower glowed in the distance.
He no longer belonged to it.
"I should have protected you," he said quietly.
She looked up.
"You did."
"I wasn't fast enough."
"You were."
Silence filled the space between them — not distant, not cold.
Just heavy.
He walked toward her slowly and knelt in front of her, something he had never done before.
Not as CEO.
Not as a powerful man.
But as Ethan.
"I almost lost you."
Her fingers slid into his hair gently.
"But you didn't."
He rested his forehead against her stomach, breathing her in like oxygen.
For the first time since this began…
They weren't fighting.
They were surviving.
Together.
Meanwhile, news outlets announced:
Victor Hale charged with attempted murder.
Margaret Kingsley awaiting trial.
Kingsley Global under federal oversight.
The empire was officially fractured.
But strangely…
Ethan felt lighter.
Do you think Ethan misses being CEO?
YES or NO? 👇