Chapter 265 Choices

Chapter 265 Choices
The morning after Millie walked out on Ethan, the large house felt colder. She’d spent the night in a guest room. Sleep had been fleeting, and by dawn, her decision remained firm: she couldn’t stay.
Millie stood in the room they shared, her bag open on the bed, folding clothes from the closet Ethan had filled for her months ago. She zipped up a sweater when the door opened, and Cheri stepped inside.
Cheri’s gaze flicked to the half-packed bag. “Ethan said you’re leaving,” she said, closing the door behind her.
Millie paused, a shirt in her hands. “He sent you?”
“Yes. He asked me to change your mind.”
Millie tossed the shirt into the bag. “He couldn’t do it himself, so he sent you.”
“Yes. Though I know there’s no changing your mind.”
“Well…” she started, then trailed off, unsure how to respond.
“Why did you choose to be with him, anyway?”
“What?” The question caught her off guard..
Cheri stepped closer. “I can’t blame you.”
Millie smirked, grateful for the understanding.
“They all have darkness in them, Amelia. Aidan? He screws up more than he gets it right—always has. Evan’s ruled by emotion, has no filter, and carries scars from growing up watching Don Gustavo beat his mother and tear her out of his life. And Ethan…” Cheri paused. “He was shaped by the world Don Hugo built. He doesn’t really know how to love because he was never shown how. He grew up following orders, not chasing anything of his own. This life is all he knows. You can’t want something else if you’ve never seen it.”
“Yeah,” Amelia said softly. “I figured.”
“You were already with Evan. Why did you leave him?”
“I didn’t—” She stopped, hands tightening. “I didn’t leave him. Not like that.”
Cheri arched a brow. “You thought you could change Ethan, didn’t you? Same mistake Abbie made. Same one I almost made. We all thought we’d be different. We weren’t.”
“You’re in love with him,” Cheri went on. “Those Red Balls you went to—you weren’t just sleeping with him. You felt something. That’s why you’re still here.”
“I’m still here because I know too much,” Amelia said. “If I walked away, I’d be dead. Same reason Rose hasn’t left Evan. Same reason Nina’s serving him after what happened with Giancarlo. It’s not love—it’s survival.”
Cheri shook her head. “Not love? That’s bullshit.”
“It’s not,” Amelia said evenly. “You can’t fix someone who doesn’t want to change. Ethan has to choose to leave this life, and he won’t.” She paused. “Some people thrive in the chaos, Amelia. That’s just how it is. Ethan is part of this world. He lives it, breathes it. No matter what he feels for you, he’s already too deep.”
“I don’t even think he loves me, Cheri.”
Cheri’s expression softened. “In his own way—really, the only way he knows—he does care. But is that enough for you to stay?” Her eyes drifted to the bag on the bed. “I guess not.”
“I just thought I could help,” Millie said,.
“You did,” Cheri replied. “Maybe not completely, but you changed him. Something in him shifted because of you. The same with the others. You set something off in all of them. That counts.”
Millie nodded, the words landing with a quiet ache. She zipped the bag and lifted it. Cheri stepped aside, giving her room.
As Millie left the guest room and passed the dining hall, she slowed. Ethan sat at the long table, a plate of untouched food in front of him, his phone pressed to his ear as he argued about a missing container van. He looked worn, shadows under his eyes. When he saw her standing there with the bag, he cut the call short, the phone hitting the table with a sharp sound.
He drained his glass of whiskey and leaned back, eyes fixed on her. “So Cheri didn’t change your mind. Though I doubt she tried.”
Millie shifted, tightening her grip on the strap. “She did. I’m sorry, Ethan. We want different things. You can’t leave your world—and I can’t live in it.”
Ethan’s jaw set, his eyes narrowing. “Marriage. Kids. A normal life. That what you want now?”
“Yes.”
He leaned forward, hands clasped on the table.
“I thought you wanted more for yourself,” he said. “You talked about finishing school. Getting a real job. You fought hard for me to give you another chance. You stripped for me. You submitted—not just for the job, but because you wanted in. And now I’ve given you everything, and you’re walking away?” He paused. “You want to know why I took you to the Red Ball?”
“Because you wanted control,” she said.
Ethan’s fingers spread against the table as he leaned closer, his gaze dark. “No. Because I couldn’t stand the idea of you with Aidan or Evan. I didn’t want them near you. I didn’t want them looking at you. I said you were mine—and I meant it.”
Millie’s breath caught. “So dragging me to that ball was your way of claiming me? Owning me? You think that makes this better?”
“Maybe,” Ethan said, unapologetic, eyes locked on hers. “After the ball—after I dealt with Giancarlo—we were supposed to be done with Cedar Ridge. You weren’t meant to see Aidan or Evan again. But things didn’t go the way I planned.”
Millie shook her head, anger tightening her jaw as it sank in. “You planned all of it?” she said. “And you really thought I’d just go along with it?”
Ethan’s lips curved into a faint, bitter smile, almost arrogant. “I would’ve made sure you did. And yeah, I believe you would’ve come with me.”
Millie’s eyes flashed. “Maybe I would have. But maybe I’d still end up walking away—just like I am now. Because people change, Ethan. All of us do. Except maybe you.”
Ethan leaned back, his gaze softening slightly, studying her with grudging respect. “You haven’t changed in one way—you’re still stubborn as hell. You were determined to keep your job back then, and now? You’re just as determined to leave me. And there’s nothing I can say to stop you, is there?”
Millie’s throat tightened. “No.”
“I opened up to you, Amelia. I told you how I felt. Do you have any idea how rare that is for me?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Your sorry doesn’t change anything. You made your choice,” Ethan said, his jaw clenched. “I have strong feelings for you. I won’t pretend I don’t. But I’m not the man who begs. I’m not Aidan. I don’t chase people who turn their backs on me. You walk out that door, and it’s done. No second chances, no waiting around. I won’t rewrite who I am just because you wanted me to be softer.”
“Goodbye, Ethan. I truly hope you find real happiness one day. You deserve love, even if you don’t believe it. After everything you’ve been through, you do.”
Ethan’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing, his silence a final barrier.
Millie turned and walked out of the dining hall. She didn’t look back until she stepped through the front door, leaving Ethan’s house—and his life—behind.