Chapter Nine

The past had always felt like a distant, jagged memory, one Mia tried not to revisit. But now, as Nicholas's words echoed in her head, the past slammed into her with brutal force.

Ethan was the reason her parents had died.

The docks were still soaked in tension, the scent of salt and gunpowder hanging thick in the air. Ethan clutched Oliver's small hand, his chest rising and falling with measured breaths. Mia, however, felt none of his control, only rage.

"You knew," she whispered.

Ethan's shoulders tensed, but he didn't turn.

Mia's pulse pounded against her skull. "You knew!"

His back remained rigid, muscles coiled like a man prepared for a battle he didn't want to fight.

Nicholas chuckled, his voice slithering between them. "Oh, this is even better than I imagined."

Mia barely registered him. Her world had narrowed down to one thing—Ethan.

"I deserve the truth," she hissed.

Ethan exhaled, turning slowly. His blue eyes were unreadable, his face an iron mask.

"I didn't kill them, Mia."

Her breath hitched, but fury burned through the ache in her chest.

"But you knew what happened."

Silence.

A sharp laugh bubbled out of her, broken and bitter. "You let me believe it was just an accident. That my parents" Her voice cracked. "That they weren't murdered."

Ethan's jaw tightened. "I was protecting you."

The words sent a violent shudder through her.

"Protecting me?" she repeated, voice dangerously low. "Or protecting yourself?"

Nicholas sighed dramatically. "As much as I love a lovers' quarrel, we have other matters to discuss."

Ethan shifted his stance, instinctively pushing Oliver behind him. Mia barely noticed, her entire focus locked on Nicholas's smug face.

Nicholas tilted his head. "You haven't asked the most important question, Mia."

She clenched her fists. "Which is?"

A slow smirk spread across his lips. "How sure are you that Oliver is actually Ethan's son?"

A cold wave crashed over her.

Mia felt Ethan stiffen beside her, his breathing sharpening.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ethan growled.

Nicholas tsked. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Ethan. You know as well as I do that banks make mistakes."

Ethan's expression darkened. "Explain. Now."

Nicholas shrugged. "Your father was a powerful man. He had enemies, but more importantly—he had resources. What better way to control an heir than to manufacture one?"

Mia's stomach twisted. "You're saying…"

Nicholas grinned. "That Oliver might not be your son, Ethan. He might be mine."

The world tilted.

Mia's throat dried. "No. That's…"

"Impossible?" Nicholas interrupted smoothly. "Is it?" He pulled a folded document from his pocket and tossed it at Ethan's feet.

Ethan didn't move. He was too still. Too quiet.

Mia forced herself to reach down, her fingers trembling as she picked up the paper. It was a lab requisition form.

A DNA test.

Pending results.

The edges of her vision blurred.

Nicholas spread his arms. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

Mia turned to Ethan, searching his face for something, anything that told her this was just another one of Nicholas's games.

But Ethan wasn't looking at her.

He was looking at Oliver.

And there was something in his expression that made her heart ache.

Doubt.

"Ethan," she whispered, but he didn't answer.

Nicholas's smile was venomous. "Having second thoughts, old friend?"

Ethan's head snapped up. "If you think this will make me hand over Oliver, you're dead wrong."

Nicholas sighed. "Oh, Ethan. You're acting like you have a choice."

The words barely left his lips before the air exploded with gunfire.

Chaos Erupts

Ethan reacted instantly, shoving Mia behind a shipping container as bullets rained down. The scent of burning metal filled her lungs.

"Stay down!" Ethan ordered, his voice sharp.

Mia's hands curled around the gun he'd given her earlier.

Oliver was crying, pressed against Ethan's chest as he shielded him with his body.

Nicholas had disappeared into the chaos, his men ducking for cover as a second group of armed figures emerged from the shadows.

Mia's pulse raced. "Who ?"

Ethan's voice was grim. "Not mine."

Damn it.

She peeked around the corner, trying to gauge the battlefield. Nicholas's men were pinned down, exchanging fire with the new arrivals.

Then she saw the crest on their bulletproof vests.

Blackthorne Industries.

Her stomach dropped.

Ethan's father's company.

Mia turned to Ethan, eyes wide. "This is your family?"

Ethan's expression was tight. "Not mine. His."

Mia's heart pounded. Blackthorne Industries had been at the center of every scandal, every whispered secret about power and corruption.

A sharp curse ripped from Ethan as a bullet grazed his arm. He bit down on a grunt, forcing Oliver into Mia's arms.

"Take him," he ordered.

Mia shook her head. "I'm not leaving you."

"Mia"

"No." She clutched Oliver tighter. "I'm done running."

Ethan's eyes darkened. "Then stay close."

They moved in tandem, ducking between crates as the fight raged on.

Nicholas's voice rang out over the gunfire. "You think your father's men will save you, Ethan? You're more disposable than you realize."

Ethan didn't respond. He grabbed Mia's hand, pulling her toward the edge of the pier.

A sharp sound cracked the air.

Mia barely registered the bullet slicing through the fog.

But she felt the impact.

One second, Ethan was running beside her. The next, his body jerked violently.

A strangled gasp left his lips.

Then he was falling.

Mia screamed.

She caught him just before he hit the ground, his weight almost knocking her down.

Blood bloomed across his shirt, spreading like ink.

Ethan's breathing was ragged, his fingers digging into her arm.

"No, no, no," Mia chanted, pressing her hands against the wound. Warm, sticky liquid coated her palms.

Ethan coughed, his lips curling into a weak smirk. "That bad, huh?"

Mia's vision blurred. "Shut up."

His fingers brushed her cheek, smearing blood. "You're crying."

She was.

Damn him.

"Stay with me," she begged.

Ethan's eyelids fluttered. "Mia…"

A shadow loomed over them.

Nicholas.

Gun in hand.

A slow smile stretched across his face. "Looks like you're out of time, brother."

Mia's grip on the gun tightened.

She was done playing by the rules.

She lifted the weapon, aimed it straight at Nicholas's heart.

And pulled the trigger.