The Night That Ruined It All
The knock came again—louder, more forceful.
Ethan's entire body tensed, his muscles coiling like a predator ready to strike.
I barely had time to breathe before he was moving.
His fingers curled around my wrist—gentle but firm.
"Stay here," he murmured, voice rough, dangerous.
I swallowed hard.
Because deep down, I knew.
This wasn't just another fight.
This was the night everything would change.
And I wasn't sure we'd make it out.
Ethan reached for the door, pausing just long enough to exhale.
Then—
He pulled it open.
The second I saw who was standing there, my stomach dropped.
Tessa.
And behind her?
A cop.
My blood turned to ice.
Because this wasn't just a warning.
This was a reckoning.
Tessa's eyes flickered to mine, and for a second—just a second—I saw it.
Regret.
Pain.
A hesitation that almost looked like remorse.
But then she squared her shoulders, and the truth settled in.
She had made her choice.
And it wasn't us.
Ethan's voice came out low, dangerous.
"What the hell is this?"
The cop—an older guy with sharp eyes and a weary stance—exhaled.
"Ethan Carter?"
Ethan didn't move.
Didn't blink.
His fingers twitched at his sides, his breath slow and even.
But I could feel it.
The storm inside him.
Rising.
Ready to break.
The cop sighed.
"You need to come with us."
My pulse spiked.
Ethan let out a low laugh—dark, humorless.
"You're kidding."
The cop didn't even blink.
"You're being arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault."
The air left my lungs.
My vision blurred.
No.
No, no, no.
This wasn't happening.
This couldn't be happening.
But the second the cop reached for the cuffs?
Reality slammed into me.
Because this?
This was real.
And I couldn't stop it.
Ethan stepped back, his hands curling into fists.
I grabbed his arm, my nails digging into his skin.
"Ethan," I whispered. "Don't."
His breathing was ragged, uneven.
I could feel his pulse beneath my fingertips—too fast, too wild.
He was about to lose control.
And I couldn't let that happen.
Not now.
Not when Jax had already pushed him too far.
The cop took another step forward.
"Son, don't make this harder than it needs to be."
Ethan let out a bitter chuckle.
"Oh, trust me," he muttered. "It's already hard."
And then—
The handcuffs snapped around his wrists.
And just like that—everything crumbled.
I lunged forward.
"Tessa," I breathed, turning to her, begging her to fix this.
"Tell them the truth."
Tessa flinched.
For a moment, I thought—**hoped—**she might.
But then she set her jaw, her voice cold.
"I did."
I staggered back.
Her words hit me harder than a slap.
She wasn't just turning against Ethan.
She was turning against me.
And I?
I didn't even recognize her anymore.
They put Ethan in the back of the squad car.
I barely remembered following them outside, my vision blurring with panic.
The moment before they drove off, his eyes met mine.
And in them, I saw everything.
The rage.
The fear.
The realization that, after everything, this was how it ended.
And then—
The car pulled away.
Taking him with it.
Taking everything with it.
Tessa lingered.
I turned to her, my chest tight, heaving.
My voice shook.
"How could you do this?"
Her expression faltered, just for a second.
Then—she steeled herself.
"I had to."
I let out a bitter laugh, hollow and sharp.
"No, Tessa. You didn't."
She swallowed.
Her lips parted—like she wanted to say something.
Like she wanted to fix this.
But it was too late.
It had always been too late.
I stood there, watching her.
Waiting for something—anything.
But she just turned.
Walked away.
And as I watched her disappear, the truth finally sank in.
This wasn't just one bad night.
This was the night that ruined it all.
And I had no idea if we'd ever come back from it.
Ethan is arrested—because of Tessa's betrayal.
Liv is left behind, forced to figure out how to fix this.
Tessa tries to justify her actions, but is she hiding something?
Liv has to make an impossible choice—how far will she go to save Ethan?