Chapter 9: The Truth Ethan Hid From Me
The words followed me long after Andrew stopped speaking.
*He was investigating you.*
They were simple words.
Four words.
But they changed everything.
I looked at Ethan.
Not Andrew.
Not the security officers.
Not the people standing around us.
Only Ethan.
Because somehow, after everything that had happened, the one thing that hurt the most was not the possibility that Andrew had lied.
I already knew Andrew was a liar.
The painful question was whether Ethan had been one too.
“Tell me he’s lying.””
My voice was barely a whisper.
Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
That was enough.
My heart sank.
“Ethan.””
His eyes closed for a moment.
A moment too long.
And suddenly, the fear I had carried for months came rushing back.
The fear of trusting someone.
The fear of believing someone could be different.
The fear of finally finding safety and discovering it was another illusion.
“Emma.””
“No.””
I shook my head.
“Don’t say my name like that.””
His expression changed.
“Like what?””
“Like you’re trying to make this easier.””
The hallway was still filled with people.
But I barely noticed them.
“I need the truth.””
Ethan nodded slowly.
“You deserve that.””
Those words hurt because they sounded like an apology.
I stepped back.
“What did you investigate?””
He looked at me.
“Everything.””
My chest tightened.
“Everything about me?””
“Yes.””
The honesty was brutal.
“Why?””
Ethan looked down.
“Because when your application came across my desk, something didn’t make sense.””
“What?””
“You were overqualified for the position.””
I frowned.
“That’s why?””
“No.””
He shook his head.
“Because your experience didn’t match your circumstances.””
I didn’t understand.
“Explain.””
Ethan took a breath.
“Your résumé showed someone who had worked hard. Someone intelligent. Someone capable.””
He paused.
“But your references were unusual.””
“My references?””
“Yes.””
I looked at him.
“Andrew.””
Ethan nodded.
“One of them.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Who else?””
Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
That hesitation told me everything.
“Who else?””
His voice became quieter.
“Your former employer.””
I froze.
“My old supervisor?””
“Yes.””
I felt confused.
“What does that have to do with anything?””
Ethan looked at me.
“Your old supervisor was connected to Andrew.””
The hallway disappeared again.
“What?””
“Not directly. Through a medical foundation.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
Ethan stepped closer.
“I didn’t know if you were aware.””
“I wasn’t.””
“I know.””
The way he said it almost made me angry.
“How do you know?””
“Because I looked.””
The words landed heavily.
“You investigated my life.””
“Yes.””
“Without telling me.””
“Yes.””
I looked away.
The pain was different now.
Not the pain Andrew caused.
Something else.
A feeling of betrayal mixed with understanding.
Because Ethan wasn’t Andrew.
I knew that.
But he had still made a choice.
He had looked into my life without letting me know.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Ethan’s face tightened.
“Because I didn’t know if you were involved.””
The answer was honest.
And somehow, honesty hurt more than a lie.
“So every day I worked for you…”
“You were not a suspect.””
“But I was.””
A pause.
“For a short time.””
I laughed quietly.
Not because anything was funny.
Because it was unbelievable.
“I spent eleven months thinking I was hiding my feelings from you.””
My eyes burned.
“And you were hiding an investigation from me.””
Ethan looked like he wanted to say something.
But he didn’t.
Because there was nothing that could make that sound better.
Andrew watched us from behind the security officers.
And I hated that he looked pleased.
Because this was what he wanted.
Not justice.
Not truth.
Chaos.
He wanted everyone to lose.
Especially me.
“See?””
Andrew said quietly.
Nobody moved.
“He’s just like everyone else.””
Ethan turned toward him.
“No.””
Andrew smiled.
“You searched her.””
“Yes.””
“You doubted her.””
“Yes.””
“You used her.””
Ethan’s eyes hardened.
“No.””
Andrew laughed.
“You don’t get to pretend you’re different.””
The hallway became silent.
Then Ethan said something I never expected.
“You’re right.””
Everyone looked at him.
Including me.
“I made a mistake.””
Andrew’s smile grew.
But Ethan continued.
“I should have told her.””
The smile disappeared.
“I should have trusted her sooner.””
He looked at me.
“And I’m sorry.””
The apology was simple.
No excuses.
No defense.
Just the truth.
I didn’t know what to do with it.
Because I had spent so long around Andrew, where apologies were always followed by manipulation.
This was different.
Ethan wasn’t asking me to forgive him.
He was accepting that he had hurt me.
“I need a minute,” I whispered.
Ethan nodded.
“Okay.””
That one word almost broke me.
Because he let me go.
He didn’t grab my arm.
He didn’t demand an answer.
He didn’t make my feelings about him.
He just stepped back.
And somehow, that proved more than anything else.
I walked toward the empty side hallway near the ballroom entrance.
I needed air.
I needed space.
I needed to understand how my entire life had become something I no longer recognized.
A few minutes later, Ethan joined me.
Not too close.
Just close enough.
“I’m not going to ask you to forgive me.””
I stared out at the city lights through the glass windows.
“Good.””
A faint sadness crossed his face.
“I know.””
I was quiet for a while.
Then I asked:
“When did you stop suspecting me?””
He answered immediately.
“The first week.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because I watched you.””
My expression changed.
“That sounds creepy.””
A small smile appeared.
“It was part of my job.””
I almost smiled.
Almost.
“But seriously?””
He looked out at the city.
“Because everyone who works with me eventually wants something.””
The honesty surprised me.
“Money?””
“Influence.””
“Power?””
“Yes.””
“And me?””
He looked at me.
“You never asked for anything.””
I looked away.
“That’s not true.””
“What did you ask for?””
I hesitated.
“Coffee.””
He smiled.
“The coffee machine was broken.””
“I remember.””
“You fixed it.””
“You were complaining about it every morning.””
“I wasn’t complaining.””
“You absolutely were.””
For a moment, the tension disappeared.
Just for a moment.
Then reality returned.
“Andrew knew.””
Ethan’s expression changed.
“What?””
“He knew you were investigating him.””
A pause.
“Not at first.””
“But eventually.””
“Yes.””
“How?””
Ethan looked toward the ballroom.
“Because someone inside the foundation was feeding him information.””
My stomach tightened.
“Richard?””
“Possibly.””
“Possibly?””
“I don’t have proof yet.””
The words reminded me of something.
“Andrew said he had another secret.””
Ethan looked at me.
“He did.””
“What?””
He hesitated.
Then reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a small piece of paper.
My handwriting.
My stomach dropped.
“What is that?””
“Something found in the folder Richard gave Andrew.””
I took it.
I recognized it immediately.
A note.
A copy of a message I sent months ago.
But not to Andrew.
To someone else.
A message I had completely forgotten about.
I read the words.
*If anything happens to me, check the foundation accounts. Andrew is hiding something.*
My hands started shaking.
“I wrote this.””
“I know.””
“When?””
“Three months ago.””
I looked at him.
“Then why didn’t I remember?””
Ethan’s expression became serious.
“Because you didn’t send it.””
My eyes widened.
“What?””
He nodded.
“It was recovered from a deleted draft.””
A chill moved through me.
Someone had accessed my phone.
Someone had seen my fears before I admitted them.
“Andrew.””
Ethan didn’t answer.
Because we both knew.
The question was no longer whether Andrew was dangerous.
We knew he was.
The question was how far he had planned ahead.
My phone suddenly vibrated.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
One sentence.
*You finally found the evidence. Too bad you still don’t know who helped me hide it.*
I showed Ethan.
His face changed.
“Who sent that?””
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.””
He looked at the message again.
Then at me.
And the fear in his eyes was different from before.
Because now we both understood.
Andrew wasn’t working alone.
May you like
The man we thought was the beginning of the problem…
was only the person standing at the front.
