Free Web NovelChapter 142: Chapter 142
Ethan’s POV
I didn’t even realize how far I had run until my legs finally gave out.
By the time I reached Crescent Hollow, the sky was already dark, and my body felt like it was about to collapse at any second. My head throbbed badly from the beating Caden gave me, and every step I took felt unsteady.
The moment I stepped inside my house, I didn’t even bother turning on the lights.
I stumbled forward and dropped onto the couch heavily, breathing hard.
"Damn it..." I muttered, dragging a hand over my face.
Everything hurt.
My ribs, my head, my jaw... even my pride felt bruised.
Caden.
That bastard.
My hands clenched into fists immediately as the memory replayed in my head.
The way he beat me like I was nothing.
The way Riley looked at him.
That look—
It made something inside me twist painfully.
"She looked relieved," I muttered under my breath.
That thought alone irritated me even more.
Then suddenly—
I remembered.
Wendy.
My head snapped up immediately.
"And that stupid bastard she was cheating on me with..." I muttered.
Dan.
A slow, cold smile formed on my lips.
"I hope he’s dead."
I pushed myself up from the couch, ignoring the pain in my body as I walked toward the bedroom.
The door creaked slightly as I opened it.
For a second, I thought she was gone. My eyes scanned the room quickly.
Then I saw her.
At the corner.
Still tied. Still exactly where I left her.
A low scoff left my lips.
"Of course," I muttered. "Where would you go?"
I walked toward her slowly.
The sound of my footsteps must have alerted her because her head lifted weakly.
The moment her eyes met mine—
She laughed. A sharp, mocking laugh.
That alone was enough to irritate me. "So you didn’t manage to bring her back with you," she said, her voice filled with sarcasm.
I stopped right in front of her.
She smiled wider. "Riley," she added mockingly. "Of course you couldn’t. You’re weak. Useless. Pathetic."
My jaw clenched tightly.
"You only feel strong when it comes to hurting women," she continued.
That was it.
My hand moved before I could stop myself and SMACK!
The slap landed hard across her face. The sound echoed in the room.
Her head snapped to the side from the impact, but she didn’t stop laughing.
"If not for you," I snapped angrily, grabbing her hair and forcing her to look at me, "Riley would still be here!"
My grip tightened."You ruined everything," I added through gritted teeth.
She stared at me, her lips slightly split from the hit, but there was still that same mocking look in her eyes.
"No," she said slowly. "You ruined everything yourself with your own fucking hands."
My expression darkened instantly.
I grabbed the rope tied around her wrists and started pulling it loose roughly.
"I’ll teach you another lesson today," I said coldly.
She immediately started struggling."Let me go!" she shouted.
But I ignored her.
The ropes fell away, and before she could react, I grabbed her arm and dragged her up forcefully.
"You think you’re smart?" I snapped. "You think you can play me and get away with it?"
"I didn’t play you," she shot back, trying to pull away. "You were just too stupid to see the truth."
My hand tightened around her arm."You deceived me," I growled.
"No," she said again, her voice sharper now. "You chose to believe what you wanted."
Her words made something inside me snap.
"Because of you," I said, shaking her slightly, "I pushed Riley away!"
She laughed again."Good," she said.
That single word made my blood boil.
"You deserve it."
I shoved her roughly, and she stumbled backward.
"You made me chase her away," I continued, my voice rising. "You made me lose her!" freewebnovel.cσ๓
"She was never yours neither was I Ethan, stop forcing yourself on people!," Wendy shot back immediately.
I froze for a second."What?" I asked slowly.
"She was never yours," she repeated. "She was just stupid enough to love you."
My hand came down again and I slapped her. This time harder.
She staggered but didn’t fall.
"You don’t get to talk about her," I snapped.
"Why?" she asked, breathing hard but still defiant. "Because the truth hurts?"
I hit her again.
"And now she’s with them," she continued, her voice shaking slightly but still loud. "Your best friends."
My chest tightened.
"She belongs to them now," Wendy added.
"Shut up!" I yelled.
"She chose them over you," she said."Even when they were more dangerous than you, can’t you see it now?"
"I said shut up!"
I grabbed her shoulders and shook her again. "She doesn’t belong to them," I snapped. "She’s mine!"
Wendy laughed again, even though she looked weak.
"You sound insane," she said. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"Maybe I am," I replied coldly.
I pushed her backward, and she fell onto the bed.
"You made me lose everything," I said, stepping closer.
"You lost it yourself, stop blaming anyone with that pathetic excuse!" she replied immediately.
My fists clenched again."I gave you everything," I said.
"And you still weren’t enough," she shot back.
That hit harder than anything else. For a second, I just stared at her.
Then I moved again, grabbing her arm roughly and pushing her fully onto the bed.
"You think you can just talk your way from this?" I asked.
She didn’t answer.
Instead—
She smiled.
Not the mocking smile from before. This one was different.
It was calm. Almost... knowing.
My brows furrowed slightly.
"What are you smiling at?" I asked.
Her eyes shifted slightly.
Not at me. But behind me.
That made my chest tighten. "What did you do?" I asked sharply.
She didn’t answer. She just kept smiling. Something felt wrong. Very wrong.
I started to turn around—
But before I could fully move—
Something hit my head hard. A sharp, sudden impact.
My vision blurred instantly.
"What the—"
The words didn’t even finish. The room spun.
My body went weak. And everything went dark.
