27. Ethan

twenty-seven

A cold knot tightened in the pit of my stomach.

The shock and disbelief I felt was momentary as a thousand thoughts swirled through my mind.

James was here… in my mansion, and he caught me making out with his daughter.

The rage was clear in his eyes—thick and holding every hint of resentment.

Time seemed to pause as no one moved—not him, not Evie, who was now on the other side of the counter, and certainly not me. I didn”t have the balls to.

Fuck. What have I done?

“James.” My voice faltered as I struggled to find the right words.

The words died on my lips from the heavy blow that landed on my lips.

“You fucking bastard!” James slammed another punch in my face.

I staggered backward. Instead of pain, I felt guilt, shame… regret.

Regret saturated my bones as I wiped a stain of blood from my lips.

Fuck.

I had planned on giving her the gift and going to bed after. If only I fucking listened to myself.

“Dad!” Evie screamed as another sharp blow of pain struck my guts. I hunched instinctively.

I messed up, big time.

Another blow struck my chin.

My vision blurred out as I felt blood trickle down my jaw.

The world blacked out for a split second before I regained clarity.

I could move… evade his blows. But I stayed rooted in my spot.

This was what I deserved.

“Dad, please!” Evie’s scream was mixed with tears.

James halted. His short, sharp inhales were rough and hard. Just like mine.

Swiftly, he turned to Evie. “Don”t you dare meddle in this.”

“Just please,” she sobbed.

My chest constricted, pressing tightly against the walls of my heart.

“Stop it.”

I watched meekly as he dragged his stride toward Evie. “I”m warning you, Evie. Keep quiet.”

“I will,” she sobbed. “Just… leave him, please.”

James froze before his head tilted to release a humorless laugh.

“What the fuck has he told you.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned to me.

“You sneaky bastard, this is what you”ve been up to.” I winced at the spite in his voice. “Messing around with my daughter!”

“It... It was…” I tried to speak, rising up, but he cut me off with a raging gaze.

“It was what? A mistake? Fuck it, Ethan, she’s half your age.”

I swallowed.

“You took advantage of my daughter. My own daughter, Ethan!” He pointed to his chest, his voice growing shaky with each word.

He fisted his scalp, his breathing growing even heavier.

“You know what I said when I saw the news?”

I shut my eyes.

“I said my best friend would never move like that. I said I trusted him with my life to be a father figure. You know how much she means to me. Yet you went ahead and messed around with her.”

“Tell me. How long have you had eyes on her? Since she was a teenager?”

God, no.

“James, I never—”

“What else have you done?”

The air was silent, thick with palpable tension as he took threatening steps toward me.

“Answer me, Ethan. What else have you done to my daughter?”

When I didn”t reply, he froze.

I could see the new wave of anger that crossed his furrowed brows. It extended to his fist that clenched and unclenched with force.

“My God, you”ve fucked her.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“Daddy n—”

A loud sound ricocheted through the air as he slammed his palm on the counter. “Don”t you fucking dare tell me how to act when you”re equally as guilty as him!”

With nose flaring and urgency in his strides, he launched a kick at my guts. I hunched at the pain as I stumbled to the floor.

In a split second, he charged at me.

I quickly stood up, evading another punch as I narrowly escaped the tray of glasses on the counter.

“Dad!” Evie yelled to no avail. Her yells grew louder.

“We were friends in college,” he roared, charging at my new position from the opposite end of the counter.

I escaped his grip.

“James, you have to calm down,” I pleaded with both hands raised to gesture my words.

Suddenly, he stopped, his breath coming out in pants. “Calm down?”

“I’m calm, Ethan,” he released a humorless chuckle.

“I’m fucking calm, so explain why you’re doing this to me… to her.”

I swallowed, pain searing through my bones. There was no justification.

“There’s… there’s no justification for what I did, James. I’m sorry—”

“You knew.” He balled his hands into a fist. “You knew there was no justification, yet you did it.”

“We did everything together.” He gripped the edge of the counter tightly. “Motivated each other along the way. We fucking did life together!”

“Twenty-four fucking years we’ve known each other.” He took daunting steps toward me.

I took a few back, swiftly moving to the other side of the counter.

Frustration seeped through his next words. “You”re nothing but a worthless, conniving bastard.”

“I am, James. I betrayed you, and I’m sorry.” I was on edge.

He growled. “Saying it doesn’t help shit.”

“I was there for you when you had issues with your late wife, Ethan!” his voice reduced to a whisper.

“I honored you both despite everything. Yet you dishonored my wife by disrespecting my daughter.”

His words struck more than his blows. They hit my chest with intended precision.

“You knew the consequences, still, you went ahead with it. That only means you never valued our friendship.”

“No, James. It was never—”

His broken gaze on mine was enough to interrupt my words.

God. I couldn’t bear his stare.

“Let me ask you this,” he continued.

“Did you ever see me as your equal? Or just some poverty-stricken bastard you could take advantage of at any time?”

“Stop it,” I gritted. “Don’t say that, James.”

I clenched my eyes at the tears that rolled down his cheeks.

“You tell me not to say it…but you did it. You took advantage of my situation.”

“I feel cheated, Ethan. I feel hurt…” his chest heaved.

I dreaded the next words he’d say.

“I regret the twenty-four years I spent being your friend.”

It hit me.. hurt me… battered me.

“Dad!” Evie cried.

I shook my head. “Y- you don’t mean that.”

The scowl on his face hardened. “I don’t know why you think you have the right to tell me how to feel.”

His pace quickened in my direction. But I didn’t move.

He fisted the ends of my collar. “You”re a fucking, coward, Ethan.” He sneered in my face.

I was now struggling to breathe.

“Dad, stop, I beg you!” Her desperate yells were fuel to his anger.

He didn”t let go. He didn’t tighten his fist anymore, either. He couldn’t.

Burning gaze held mine. “You fucked my baby girl.” His tears reappeared as his lips quivered.

God.

“Dad, please,” Evie yelled. “Please... Mom... Mom wouldn’t want you to do this.”

Slowly, he released his grip.

The expression of hurt in his eyes slowly morphed into one of disappointment as he stood up.

I forced in the air into my lungs as I watched him stride towards Evie. He wouldn’t hurt her. He couldn’t.

“You have no right to mention her name. She would be so ashamed of you.” He spoke lowly.

Evie gasped, tears streaking her face. “I- I’m sorry. I…made a foolish mistake. I—”

“No,” James shook his head. “It wasn’t a mistake. It was intentional…”

“Please,” Evie took a step forward, and James took one backward.

Evie’s posture broke. It broke me.

“It was equally your choice just as much as it was his. I”m so disappointed in you.”

No. He couldn’t pin this on her. I couldn’t ruin their relationship.

“James, look, I take the blame for everything. I”m a dickhead and everything vile. But plea—”

“Get your bags, Evie.” The strife in his voice sliced my words.

Fuck.

“James, please…”

“Dad, please…”

He growled lowly when Evie didn’t move. I barely heard it. “I. Said. Get. Your. Fucking. Bags. Evie!”

There was silence before Evie desperately clung to his arms.

“Dad?”

The voice wasn’t Evie’s.

I turned to my daughter’s small frame at the entrance.

My guts wrenched when I saw her tear-streaked face.

God. How long had she been standing there?

Evie’s eyes widened as she rushed towards Sophie.

In a flash, she knelt to hug Sophie to her chest. “Sophie… everything is okay.”

Evie turned her head to her father.

“Please don’t let me leave my job… please, Dad. Don’t make me leave Sophie.”

James turned to face me. Eyes as red as hell and lips quivering.

He didn’t speak, but his eyes did. Many emotions crossed his greens at once.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Dad—” Evie started. He clenched his fist before returning his attention to her.

Then he shook his head.

“Don”t call me that. You’re not the daughter I raised.”

He stormed out. And it dawned on me the many damages I’d caused.