Chapter 60 So That's Why He Chose Me
Looking through the electronic peephole, I saw a middle-aged woman standing outside our apartment door. I frowned, wrapping my robe tighter around myself. It was nearly midnight, and Ethan wasn't home. Nobody was supposed to visit. Ever.
"Who are you looking for?" I asked through the closed door, my voice steadier than I felt.
The woman's smile was practiced perfection. "Are you Miss Reed?"
I didn't answer immediately, suspicion coiling in my stomach. "Who's asking?"
"Please don't be alarmed," she replied, her tone warm but professional. "Mrs. Bennett sent me to collect you. She knows you're alone and was concerned for your comfort."
My brow furrowed. Mrs. Bennett? Ethan's mother? I'd met her briefly once, and she had seemed kind enough—not the cold, judgmental matriarch I'd expected from someone who'd raised Ethan. But why would she suddenly send for me?
"I'm not sure I understand," I said cautiously.
The woman maintained her pleasant expression. "Mrs. Bennett would like to see you at the family home. She thought you might appreciate some company while Mr. Bennett is away."
Every instinct screamed that this was a trap, but refusing might have worse consequences. I'd learned the hard way what happened when I defied Bennett family wishes.
"Give me a minute to change," I said reluctantly.
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This was my second time at the Bennett family estate, but it felt no less intimidating. The sprawling mansion loomed against the darkening sky, windows glowing with warm light that promised comfort but not necessarily welcome.
The woman led me into a living room where several young people were gathered—men and women around my age, all exuding that casual confidence that comes with generational wealth. As I entered, every head turned toward me, eyes briefly assessing before dismissively turning away.
"Miss Reed, please make yourself comfortable," the woman said. "The others will keep you company."
"Shouldn't I meet Mrs. Bennett?" I asked, suddenly realizing I might have made a terrible mistake.
"It's quite late now," she smiled apologetically. "Mrs. Bennett has already retired. You'll see her tomorrow."
Before I could protest, she was gone, leaving me stranded among strangers who seemed determined to pretend I didn't exist. I found an empty spot on a sofa corner and perched there, feeling hideously out of place in my simple jeans and sweater among their designer outfits.
Hours crawled by. No one spoke to me. I sat frozen, a living ghost, as conversation and laughter flowed around me but never included me.
Then I caught fragments of a nearby conversation that made my blood run cold.
"Ethan spoils you the most," said a girl in a black deep-V dress to another young woman. "Just ask him to buy it for you."
The girl she addressed—wearing an exquisite pink Chanel dress that probably cost more than a semester of my tuition—pouted playfully. "Ethan's about to get engaged to Victoria. Men with wives don't spoil their sisters anymore."
A third girl in a red dress laughed. "Everyone knows Mia is Ethan's precious darling. If you two weren't officially related, he probably would have already—"
"Shh!" The pink-dressed girl—Mia—tossed a pillow at her friend. "Don't let outsiders hear you."
In a room full of people, I was the only outsider. I glanced up and recognized her immediately—the same girl who'd been leaning against Ethan in the photo I'd seen. His cousin, apparently.
The girl in the black dress lowered her voice, though not enough. "Look at that girl. Don't you think she resembles you a bit?"
Red dress turned to look at me, her expression dripping with contempt. "She really does look like Mia."
"Now it makes sense," Black dress said with mock enlightenment. "A perfect substitute. Ethan's love runs deep and patient."
I hadn't thought Mia and I looked alike, but as they spoke, I found myself studying her features. When she turned to face me, my stomach dropped. There was a resemblance—not identical, but enough.
Mia lifted her chin haughtily, giving me a smug smile that made me feel physically ill.
I sat there through the night, paralyzed in that noisy, cold room. The truth crashed through me in violent waves. I wasn't Ethan's lover—I was a replacement for someone he couldn't have. His own cousin. The possessiveness, the obsession, the way he sometimes looked at me as if seeing someone else... it all made sickening sense now.
Morning finally came, the others drifting upstairs to sleep, leaving me alone with my devastation.
The same woman who'd brought me appeared with her perpetual smile. "Miss Reed, I'm terribly sorry. Mrs. Bennett is feeling unwell this morning and won't be able to meet you. I'll take you home now."
I laughed hollowly. "Of course she is."
The woman's smile faltered. "I don't understand—"
"This was never about meeting Mrs. Bennett, was it?" I stood up, legs stiff from sitting all night. "Don't worry, I won't tell Ethan about this little stunt. Not that he'd care, apparently."
As I stepped outside into the morning air, dizziness washed over me. I grabbed the wall for support, sudden nausea rising in my throat. I barely managed to turn away before dry heaving, producing nothing but painful spasms and tears.
A terrible thought struck me as I remembered that night when Ethan had been angry—when he hadn't worn protection and had finished inside me.
I called a car service and stopped at a pharmacy on the way home. The pregnancy test felt like a bomb in my purse as I carried it up to the apartment.
When I opened the door, my heart stopped. Ethan sat on the sofa, still wearing his business suit, his face an emotionless mask.
"Where were you?" he asked, his voice dangerously soft.