Chapter 182

Chapter 182
Alexander's POV

I watched Morgan walk away, her steps steady despite the emotional hurricane that had just swept through the Montgomery mansion. What had happened to her during those three years? The way she'd frozen, clutched her head, then recovered after that phone call – it wasn't normal. It wasn't her.

Was her mind fracturing under pressure? Before I could decide whether to tell her about Emma, I needed to understand what I was dealing with. Her body might not handle the shock, or worse – what if she posed a danger to herself or others? To Emma?

The thought paralyzed me for several minutes. When I finally snapped out of it, Morgan was gone.

I rushed through the mansion's grand foyer and out the heavy mahogany doors. There she was, standing beside a sleek black Bentley at the bottom of the driveway, waiting. The afternoon sun caught her hair, illuminating those familiar brown curls that I'd once run my fingers through every night.

She opened the car door, ready to slip away again. I couldn't let that happen. I sprinted down the circular driveway and jammed my fingers between the door and frame just as she was closing it.

"Jesus, Alexander!" she hissed, pulling the door back instead of slamming it on my hand.

Something about that small mercy sent a wave of hope through me. The Morgan I knew was still in there somewhere. The cold, calculating woman who'd faced down the Montgomery family wouldn't have hesitated to crush my fingers if it served her purpose.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice glacial as she looked at me across the car door like it was the Grand Canyon separating us.

"You always want what you don't have, don't you?" she continued when I didn't immediately respond. "Never satisfied with what's right in front of you."

I tried to catch my breath, hating how she could still knock the wind out of me with just a few words. "I came for you," I managed, my chest still heaving. "I know what you're after. I can help you."

A soft, derisive snort came from inside the car. I looked past Morgan to see a man in an impeccable suit lounging in the back seat – Ethan Pierce.

The name alone made my jaw clench. Ethan Pierce. I'd investigated him thoroughly after seeing him with Morgan at the parade, and found almost nothing about his personal life. Either he'd scrubbed all evidence of his existence (which meant everything public was carefully curated), or he had connections powerful enough to make information disappear. Neither option sat well with me.

Whoever he was, he was dangerous. And he wasn't getting anywhere near my Morgan or my child.

"I'm here for you," I repeated, fighting to keep my voice steady despite the burning in my lungs. "I know you want revenge against the Montgomery family, for everything they owe you. I can help."

Morgan's laugh was sharp and mocking as she suddenly pulled the door wide open and stepped aside, gesturing toward the man in the back seat. "Let me introduce you. Meet Ethan Pierce, my sugar daddy."

The man lifted his head, thin lips curving into a smirk as his razor-sharp eyes met mine. The hostility in his gaze was unmistakable. Morgan returned his smirk with a wide smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Ethan Pierce?" I spat, fury surging through me at his arrogance. "That's not even your real name! Morgan, he's just using you—"

"And what did you and the Montgomerys do to me?!" she interrupted, her anger erupting like a volcano. The mask of cold indifference cracked, revealing the raw pain beneath. "Now someone else doing it bothers you?!"

"I made mistakes," I said quickly, desperate to bridge the chasm between us. "I admit that. I'm sorry for everything that happened. I'll pay whatever price you think is fair." I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "Whatever he's giving you, I can give you more. Safer. I know you hate me, but I never actively tried to hurt you. You know that!"

I could see something flicker in her eyes – recognition, perhaps, of the truth in my words. But she hardened herself against it, refusing to give me even that small satisfaction.

"Of course," she laughed loudly, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "You just accidentally hurt me over and over again."

Her words turned the blood in my veins to ice. The Morgan I knew – gentle, considerate, warm – was nowhere to be found behind those green eyes.

"Alexander, you didn't personally get your hands dirty, but you're as guilty as the Montgomery family. Your hands are as bloody as theirs – bloodier, even." She took a step forward, her face inches from mine. "Stop lying to yourself! I don't know how much they orchestrated with my health, but your hands are stained with my dignity!"

I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Emma's existence trembled on my lips, the truth that could change everything between us. But I swallowed it back, along with all the words I couldn't say in front of Ethan's cold, calculating gaze.

I didn't know what Ethan wanted from Morgan. I didn't know his true motives or if he'd already discovered Emma. But standing there, pinned under his sharp scrutiny, I felt powerless in a way I'd never experienced before.

I needed to protect the two most important people in my life – Morgan and Emma. But how could I tell Morgan the truth about our daughter with Ethan watching, his eyes missing nothing?

Morgan stared at me, waiting for a response that wouldn't come. For a moment, something like disappointment crossed her face, as if she'd expected more from me. Then the mask slipped back into place.

"Nothing to say?" she asked, her voice quieter now but no less cutting. "I thought not."

She turned back toward the car, clearly done with me. I caught her arm, my fingers wrapping around her wrist before I could stop myself.

"Morgan, wait—"

"Don't touch me," she said, not looking at me, but I could hear the tremor in her voice. She wasn't as unaffected as she pretended to be. "We're done here."

She pulled her arm free and slid into the car beside Ethan, who continued watching me with that infuriating smirk. As the door closed and the window rolled up, I caught a final glimpse of Morgan's face. For just a second, I thought I saw the woman I'd married.

I watched until the car disappeared through the gates, my mind already racing with plans. I needed to find out who Ethan really was. I needed to uncover his secrets, his true intentions, before I could tell Morgan about Emma.

Before I could risk losing them both forever.