---- in blood. The sight of him made my stomach turn. I put my fork down. His suit was soaked with dirt. His forehead was split open. "Ethan!" he sobbed, kneeling. "Please, spare me!" Ethan sat there, playing with his cigar, the glow of the flame flickering in his eyes. "Fine," he said slowly. ''Carve out your eyes. Burst your eardrums. Then you can go." Jason didn't even have time to beg. Two of Ethan's men grabbed him by the head. The blade caught the light for a split second, then Jason's scream tore through the room, sharp and animal. Awarm hand suddenly pressed over my eyes. ---- Ethan's voice, tinged with the scent of mint and smoke, murmured near my ear. "Don't look. It's filthy." His chest radiated heat against my back. But I couldn't stop shaking. This was the man I had once loved, the man who could turn the world inside out on a whim, who could erase someone from existence without leaving a trace. And if one day, he stopped loving me, wouldn't he do the same to me? There had never been equality between us. Ethan had never once treated me with real respect. My nails dug into my palms. I clenched my fists tight. In silence, I made myself a promise-I had to leave Ethan. Soon. Before I became the next one torn apart.