What I Refused to Feel

Chapter 45: What I Refused to Feel

Ethan stood motionless in the middle of the room, the sound of Evelyn's heels fading down the hallway like the echo of a final heartbeat.

She said she loved him.

And she walked away.

He sank onto the edge of the couch, his hands braced on his knees, head bowed. The rain outside beat steadily against the window, but it couldn't drown out the sound of her voice in his head—"I'm just finally done pretending I don't love you."

He hadn't prepared for that.

He had prepared for tears, maybe anger. For her to throw the contract in his face and walk out of his life the way she came in—fierce and untouchable.

But not this.

Not love.

God, why now?

He leaned back and let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. His chest felt too tight, like something inside was trying to break loose.

Was it guilt?

No. It was fear.

Fear that he had broken something he couldn't fix.

Fear that he had wanted her too much and pushed her away anyway.

The contract was supposed to protect them both. No feelings. No strings. No messy emotions. Just a neat, business-like arrangement.

But somewhere between her sarcastic comebacks and the way she curled up on the left side of his bed without asking, she had slipped past his walls. She had smiled at him like she saw the man beneath the CEO title. And worst of all, he had let her.

He ran a hand down his face. What have I done?

His phone buzzed. A message from Andrew, his assistant.

"Board meeting moved to tomorrow. And… Evelyn just resigned from the studio's next project."

His fingers froze over the screen.

She resigned.

She wasn't bluffing.

She was cutting herself out of his world completely.

He stood abruptly, knocking over a glass of untouched scotch. The sound of it shattering didn't even faze him.

He was losing her. Again.

And this time, it wasn't fate. It was him.

The door burst open.

"Sir?" Andrew appeared, eyes wide. "Are you—"

"Get me her address," Ethan said, his voice rough. "Now."

Andrew blinked. "Miss Evelyn's—?"

"Now."

He didn't know what he would say when he saw her. He didn't even know if she'd let him in.

But if there was even the smallest chance that she hadn't given up completely, he'd take it.

Because maybe he didn't know how to say "I love you."

But he knew what it felt like to lose her.

And he wasn't ready to feel that again.