Chapter 69 Collateral Damage
Carmen's Pov
“Are you even listening to me, Ethan?” I shouted, my voice bouncing off the marble walls of his stupidly perfect penthouse.
Ethan was into real estate, so yeah!! You could imagine how his apartment should look like.
He didn’t look up from the glass he was pretending to polish. “I am listening. I just don’t care about the nonsense you’re spewing.”
My blood boiled so fast I felt dizzy. “Nonsense? Really? So the texts from that girl on your iPad; what were those? Inspirational quotes?”
He clicked his tongue. “Carmen, you're just being a drama Queen,”
“Don’t gaslight me!” I threw my hands in the air, pacing. “I’m not stupid, Ethan! I know when someone’s cheating!”
He rolled his eyes like I was a child throwing a tantrum. “And I know when someone is insecure and looking for problems to blame on other people.”
I stared at him, my pulse pounding so hard I could feel it in my teeth. “You lie! How about your friends,”
“What about them?” he snapped.
“You let them treat me like trash, Ethan! Every time Mark breathes, you jump. Every time he calls, you run. Are you his shadow or his friend?”
His jaw flexed. “Don’t bring Mark into this.”
“Oh, I’ll bring him in,” I hissed. “Because everything started with you trying to impress him. With you competing over stupid bets like teenage boys,”
His voice cut through mine. “You’re overreacting.”
“No,” I spat.
I hadn’t even finished the sentence when the knock came.
A brutal, heavy bang.
The kind that vibrated through the floor.
Ethan frowned. “Who the hell?”
The door burst open before he could finish.
Three uniformed police officers stormed in, weapons out, boots stomping across his polished floor like the place was already a crime scene.
“What…what is this?” I stuttered, stepping back.
The lead officer pointed at me. “Carmen Simmons?”
My skin went cold. “Yes—?”
“You’re under arrest for property destruction, premeditated sabotage, and vandalism of a registered business.”
I blinked. “What?”
They moved fast. One officer grabbed my arm, twisting it behind my back so tightly I yelped.
Another cuffed my wrists before Ethan even processed what was happening.
“Wait! No! There has to be a mistake!” I gasped, stumbling as they dragged me forward. “You can’t… I didn’t… This is insane!”
Ethan finally snapped out of his stupor. “Hey! Hey, calm down! She hasn’t done anything!”
The officer barely looked at him. “We have solid evidence. You can take it up with the station.”
“I didn’t do anything!” My voice cracked as my breath shortened. “Let go of me!”
But they weren’t listening.
At the station, I was led straight up to the cell.
The moment the metal door slammed behind me, everything changed.
No more soft voices.
No more careful handling.
No more pretending I was just another spoiled girl with a rich boyfriend or brother.
The officer shoved me hard enough that my shoulder smacked against the wall.
“MOVE.”
“I’m moving, I’m moving!” I winced.
Another officer kicked my leg from behind, forcing me to kneel. Pain shot up my thigh.
“What are you doing?!” I screamed. “Is this even legal?”
“Shut up,” one snapped. “You think you’re special?”
“I want my lawyer!” I cried.
“You’ll get one if bail is approved.”
“But bail always…”
“Not for you,” the woman officer said, leaning down to meet my eyes. Her smile was cold. “The evidence is too solid.”
My mouth dried. “What… evidence?”
“CCTV,” she sneered. “You even smiled for the camera. They got your good angle.”
“You're being arrested for the destruction of Miss Becca's property and your arrest was ordered by Mr Mark Simmons,”
I could barely breathe… it came out in gasps, the world tilted around me.
No, that wasn’t possible.
“I wasn’t there,” I whispered. “I didn’t do anything. You’ve got the wrong person.”
She laughed. “Everyone says that,”
Then she shoved me again, this time into the metal bench of the holding cell. I hit the edge so hard that my ribs throbbed.
For the first time in my life, I felt truly alone.
I wrapped my arms around myself, fighting the urge to vomit. “Mark would never… have allowed this.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Because it was true.
Mark, for all his pride and love for me would have stormed the station, flipped desks, yelled until they listened.
But now?
Now he hated me.
Because of one stupid bet.
One stupid bet that none of them ever thought would spiral into this.
My vision blurred. I let my head fall back against the cold metal bars.
“Becca is really going to pay for this,” I murmured to myself.
The cell door clanged open again almost an hour later.
I lifted my head, hoping it was a lawyer.
Instead…. Ethan stepped in.
His hair was messy, his shirt slightly rumpled; the first sign he’d been running or stressing.
His gaze was unstable and his fingers were glittery.
“You,” I breathed. “You finally came.”
I smiled to myself, “Ethan has come to get me out,” I told myself, adjusting my dusty dress.
I had made a phone call to him after Mark refused to pick my calls.
He didn’t move closer.
His expression was made of stone.
“I was with a serious buyer when your call kept disturbing,” he said coldly. “What the hell, Carmen?”
My jaw dropped. “Are you… are you serious right now? I’m in jail!”
“I can see that.”
“And you’re mad because I interrupted your business deal?”
“I was literally arrested at your house, wouldn't it have been proper for you to file for my bail at least,” I groaned.
He shrugged. “I didn’t tell you to get yourself arrested.”
What the heck!!
“What kind of a sociopath are you, Ethan? Your girlfriend was literally arrested at your place and all you could care about is some business deal?”
“Carmen…” He sighed like I was a misbehaving child. “You really need to stop making everything dramatic.”
“Oh, I see,” I whispered. “You think this is my fault.”
“I think,” he said slowly, “that you were involved in something you shouldn’t have been involved in. And now Mark is angry and…”
“Mark?” I spat. “This isn’t about Mark!”
“It is,” he stepped really close this time, his eyes expressionless.
“Even though I stood up for you the other time doesn't mean you should keep misbehaving,”
“What do you mean?”
“ I wish to bring to your notice that you were arrested by your brother because you wrecked his girlfriend's boutique. And the worst of it ... .you can't even get a bail,” he snapped then adjusted his wristwatch.
“You will be punished for your crimes until it's dim fit for him to release you,”
My hands trembled so hard my cuffs clicked.
“You’re unbelievable,” I breathed. “Mark would never have let this happen.”
“At least he's a better boyfriend than you are,” I spat, looking for what to transfer my rage to.
Ethan’s face reddened. “Don’t compare me to him.”
“Why won't I?”
“You are the cause of this, you let this happen. Only if you and the rest didn't place that stupid bet on her then I would never be in this situation,” I wailed.
“Ethan…” I choked. “Get me out of here,”