Chapter 74 Why Did You Choose Me?
My eyes fixed on the screen in Ethan's hand, displaying messages I'd never had a chance to respond to.
Liv, leave Ethan. You won't have a good ending with him. Not only is he ten years older, but with his psychopathic personality, he'll eventually destroy you.
Come with me. I'll take you away from LA. We'll go somewhere he can't find us and live a happy, peaceful life.
I know you won't agree because you're afraid of him. Don't worry, I'll arrange everything. I'll definitely rescue you from him.
The color drained from my face as tears welled in my eyes. I instinctively shrank back, my body remembering the last time Ethan had been enraged about Blake. The memories flooded back - being locked away, cut off from the world, completely at his mercy.
Ethan's laughter sliced through the air, a cold sound devoid of humor. His grip tightened around my arm as he yanked me toward him.
"Running away from me?" His voice carried a deadly playfulness, but his eyes remained arctic.
I squeezed my eyes shut as tears rolled down my cheeks. My body trembled uncontrollably, shoulders hunched into myself, trying to become as small as possible.
"Please," I whispered, voice breaking. "Don't lock me up again." My eyelashes fluttered against wet cheeks. "And... don't do that again. It hurt so much. I was so scared."
Suddenly, Ethan's expression softened. He pulled me against his chest, one large hand stroking my back while his lips brushed my ear.
"Don't be afraid, Liv," he murmured. "Let's talk about this properly, okay?"
I stared at his calm expression, searching for clues in those inscrutable eyes. What was he thinking? What would he do?
"Talk about what?" I asked cautiously.
A slight curve touched Ethan's lips. "Tell me the truth. Do you still love Blake?"
I let out a bitter laugh, surprising even myself with the sound.
"I'll be honest with you," I said, voice hollow. "I never loved Blake. Not once. Back in college, he pursued me for nearly a year. I kept saying no, but he wouldn't stop. He'd wait outside my dorm, show up after my classes, constantly calling my name."
Ethan's face remained impassive as I continued.
"It seriously disrupted my life. Eventually, I agreed to date him just to make it stop. But I set conditions - we'd try dating for a while, and if I couldn't develop feelings for him, we'd break up and he'd leave me alone. He agreed."
I paused, gathering courage. "Then summer came, and he took me to your family estate. That's when I met you. I lied when I told you I liked Blake. The truth is... I was more afraid of you."
Ethan narrowed his eyes but remained silent.
I couldn't meet his gaze anymore. Looking down, my voice grew quieter. "I wasn't sure of your intentions, but something about you terrified me. So I claimed to like Blake, thinking it might make you back off, but instead..."
I stopped myself abruptly. Saying any more would surely provoke his anger.
Ethan surprised me with a small laugh. "And now?" he asked. "Do you...Are you still afraid of me now?" His voice was unnervingly gentle.
I pressed my lips together, unable to respond. Wasn't the answer obvious? Of course I was afraid. Terrified, actually. But admitting that felt dangerous.
Ethan picked up my phone again, his expression somewhere between a smile and a sneer. "Let's get back to these messages."
His long finger tapped against the screen, highlighting Blake's words. "Ten years older, 'psychopathic personality'... is that what you think too?"
Head bowed, I spoke carefully. "I rarely initiated contact with him. After we got together, I—"
"I can see that," Ethan interrupted.
I looked up, confused by his response.
"After we got together," he continued, "you never initiated contact with me either."
"No, that's not what I meant," I rushed to explain, panic rising. "I meant that I especially never contacted him after we got together."
Ethan nodded. "I believe you."
I tried to smile, to ease the tension, but my facial muscles wouldn't cooperate. The attempt felt more like a grimace.
Ethan observed my strained expression, his thumb roughly pressing against the corner of my mouth. "Don't force a smile if you don't feel it."
My smile dissolved completely.
He placed my phone on my leg, scrolling through the messages with casual indifference. "They say persistent men eventually win over reluctant women. Even if you don't like him now, who's to say his shameless pursuit won't eventually wear you down?"
His thumb traced my lower lip, voice dropping lower. "Especially since he's so young."
"You're young too," I stammered.
"I'm ten years older than you," Ethan stated flatly. "When you're twenty, I'll be thirty."
"Thirty is still young," I insisted, voice stiff.
Ethan spoke lazily. "But Blake is only two years older than you. You're the same age, a perfect match."
Words failed me.
"So," Ethan's mouth curved into a cold smile. "To put my mind at ease, what do you think you should do, Liv?"
My lips trembled slightly. "I don't know. Just tell me what you want me to do."
Ethan took my phone and slipped it into his pants pocket. His fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, his smile turning cold and malevolent. "I'm confiscating your phone temporarily. For the next six months, if you need to call family or friends, you'll use mine."
After a moment of stunned silence, I forced a bitter smile. "Fine. Whatever you say."
Ethan captured my chin between two fingers, forcing me to look up at him. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "What's wrong? Unhappy about it?"
I didn't answer.
Releasing my chin, Ethan stroked my cheek with surprising gentleness. "Change your clothes. Let's go eat."
"Okay," I whispered.
I put on a shoulder-baring, backless slip dress with an ankle-length skirt.
Ethan's eyes swept over my exposed skin, narrowing slightly. "That doesn't look good. Change into something else."
I paused, but didn't argue. "All right."
I changed into a round-neck T-shirt with a below-knee skirt that only revealed my calves. It was summer, after all - surely he couldn't expect me to cover everything.
Ethan assessed me again, then nodded. "That works."
I lowered my head, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.
Ethan was overwhelmingly controlling, determined to possess me completely. But I was a human being, not an animal. Even animals have autonomy. How could I, a living, breathing person, allow myself to be manipulated like a puppet?
I couldn't. I wouldn't. I didn't want to live that way!
A fire burned in my chest, heating my blood and fueling a momentary courage I hadn't felt in months.
I raised my eyes to meet his, swallowing hard before speaking. "Mr. Bennett, I have a question."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"I want to know why it's me. Why did you... choose me?"
Ethan smiled slightly. "What do you think?"