Chapter8 Ethan Sterling rushed toward me , his face lit with joy as he tried to draw me into an embrace . I instinctively stepped back . His hands froze midair , the smile on his lips collapsing into awkward stillness . He forced a bitter laugh . " Vivian , I've searched everywhere for you . Why are you acting like this ? " I stared at him blankly . In barely a month he'd become a stranger . Even the cedar scent I once loved now made me sick . " What do you want ? " My voice was flat , lifeless . His eyes flicked over mine , flinching at their coldness . Desperation clouded his gaze . " Vivian , thank God you ' re safe . Come back with me . Life without you ... it's unbearable . " His voice cracked , his eyes brimming with tears . But I felt nothing , only numbness . " Vivian , I know I was wrong . I should never have abandoned you . If I could do it over , I would have chosen you . " I arched a brow . That's it ? That's all he regretted ? He went on , words spilling out , raw with guilt . " That day I panicked . Our baby was already gone , and I couldn't face losing the one Sloane was carrying . I was terrified . " He reached for my hand . I jerked away . The last trace of hope drained from his face . He managed a trembling smile , his tone slipping into a pitiful plea . " Vivian ... are you still angry ? Please , come home . I'll make it up to you . " Before I could speak , Miles Prescott appeared , stepping between us . His tall , broad frame - nearly six foot three - radiated a quiet force that pressed against Ethan like a wall . Ethan froze . His eyes widened , disbelief flooding his features as he recognized him . Chapter8 88.89 % " You ?! " His gaze whipped back to me . " Vivian ... how could you be with him ? You two- " Miles cut him off with a cold laugh . " You ungrateful jerk . Move . " He clasped my hand firmly and turned . " Let's go home . " " Home ? " Ethan lunged forward , rage sparking in his eyes . He tried to grab my arm . " Vivian , you ' re my wife . How dare you live with another man ? " I stopped and turned , my lips curling into a mocking smile . " Ethan , the moment you left me bleeding out on that operating table , the moment you killed my child - you stopped being my husband . From then on , you were nothing to me . " My gaze sliced into him like a blade . " If I had my way , I'd never see you again for the rest of my life . " His body jolted as if struck . He staggered , his entire frame trembling under the weight of my words . Guilt and anguish flashed across his eyes . " I - I didn't mean it. I never thought things would go so wrong- " Does intention change the result ? " I sneered , sliding my arm through Miles ' s and walking away . Ethan vanished for several days . When he returned , he stood in front of me , clutching a box draped in black cloth . His hands shook as he lifted it toward me . " Vivian ... I ' ve avenged you . " He pulled away the cloth and opened the lid . Inside was a glass jar . Floating in liquid was a small , purplish lump , faint limbs visible . Chapter8 88.89 % My breath caught . Horror and disbelief locked me in place . Ethan looked nothing like himself . In just days , he had wasted away . His jaw was shadowed with unkempt stubble , gray streaks threaded his perfectly groomed hair . He looked a decade older . His bloodshot eyes burned . His cracked lips trembled as he spoke . " I got rid of Sloane's baby . It was that child that tore us apart . } ) Chapter8