Chapter 7 - The Reckoning
Ethan didn't fight like a businessman; he fought like a man protecting the only thing that mattered in his world.
He threw Andrew across the office. Andrew crashed into a glass display cabinet, shattering the glass into a thousand glittery pieces.
Ethan stepped over the debris, his face a mask of absolute, primitive fury. Andrew scrambled to his feet, holding a jagged piece of broken glass, shaking violently.
"Stay back, Carter!" Andrew yelled, thrusting the glass forward. "I'll kill you!"
Ethan didn't even flinch. He walked straight into Andrew's strike, dodging the glass with brutal efficiency, grabbing Andrew's wrist, and twisting it until a sickening SNAP echoed through the room.
Andrew shrieked in agony, dropping the glass as his hand went limp. Ethan drove his fist squarely into Andrew's jaw, knocking him to the polished hardwood floor.
Andrew lay there, bleeding, whimpering, completely defeated.
Ethan stood over him, breathing heavily, his fists clenched, his knuckles bloody. For a second, I saw a darkness in Ethan's eyes—a terrifying urge to finish Andrew once and for all.
"Ethan, stop!" I cried out, rushing forward and wrapping my arms around Ethan's waist from behind. "Don't do it! He's not worth your life! Please!"
At the touch of my body against his, Ethan froze. The wild, lethal fury in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by deep distress. He turned around instantly, taking my face in his bruised hands, searching my neck for injuries.
"Did he hurt you? Did he stick you with that needle?" Ethan asked frantically, his voice trembling. "Ava, answer me!"
"I'm okay," I sobbed, resting my forehead against his chest, feeling the wild, rapid pounding of his heart. "You came. You saved me."
"I'm sorry," Ethan whispered hoarsely, pulling me so tightly against his chest I could barely breathe, burying his face in my hair. "I'm so sorry I let him get close to you. I will never let you out of my sight again."
Behind us, Marcus and six armed security officers burst into the suite, guns drawn, followed closely by NYPD officers.
"Sir!" Marcus gasped, seeing the shattered glass and the bloody, groaning surgeon on the floor.
"Take him," Ethan ordered without looking back, his arms still locking me safely against his chest. "Violation of bail, breaking and entering, attempted murder, assault. Make sure the District Attorney sees the security feed from this room."
"Understood, Mr. Carter," Marcus said grimly, locking heavy steel handcuffs around Andrew's wrists and dragging the broken doctor away.
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As Andrew was hauled through the doors, he looked back at us one last time. He saw Ethan holding me, protective, powerful, and unshakeable. For the first time, Andrew knew he had lost everything—his medical career, his freedom, his reputation, and the woman he had tried to break.
The nightmare was finally over.
