“What… did… you… say?” Ethan growled through clenched teeth.
Leo let out a short, humorless laugh. “Wow. Can’t even understand plain English.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Look, we don’t have time for this. The pot roast is getting cold, and I would never let my wife eat a cold dinner.”
The coldness in Ethan’s eyes deepened. He shoved Leo aside. “Audrey, we need to talk.”
The next second, Leo had him by the collar, slamming him against a concrete pillar. Ethan was completely
20:34
Chapter 2
overpowered, unable to fight back. But his mouth was still running.
“Is this the best actor you could find, Audrey? He’s not just ugly, he’s a violent thug.”
In the next moment, Ethan froze.
20:34
Leo had his phone out and had dialed a number. “Dean Wallace? It’s Leo Vance. You have a Dr. Ethan Grant at your hospital, correct? Yes, I need you to put him on a surgery. The one starting in ten minutes.”
Ethan’s eyes widened in shock. Vance? As in Leo Vance? No… it’s impossible. How could Audrey possibly know someone like that?
A moment later, his own phone rang. He looked at the caller ID, his face turning ashen as he answered, liste- ned, and then hung up. The look on his face was one of pure, thwarted fury.
Leo released his collar, casually taking out a small bottle of hand sanitizer and cleaning his hands. He was about to turn away when Ethan spoke again, his voice laced with a pathetic, desperate malice.
“You know, she proposed to me,” he said, his eyes fixed on Leo. “More than once.”
Leo’s stride faltered for a fraction of a second. He took a half–step back, but that was all, and then he was walking away with me, his arm securely around my waist. But I knew him. For all his calm, the hand on my
waist had tightened like a vice. He was rattled.
I sighed. If I wanted to sleep peacefully tonight, I had to end this now.
I handed the baby back to Leo and, ignoring his smoldering, jealous glare, walked straight up to Ethan. I drew back my hand and slapped him across the face, the sound echoing in the cavernous space of the airp-
ort terminal.
He touched his lip, staring at the smear of blood on his fingertips in disbelief.
“Audrey… you hit me…” His eyes swirled with a storm of sorrow.
“Yes,” I said, my voice ringing with clarity. “That slap was for making my son cry.”
“And yes, I did propose to you. But everyone makes a stupid mistake when they’re young. And thanks to you leaving, I was able to meet my wonderful husband.” I smiled sweetly. “Oh, and I forgot to mention. That new
ring you bought? It’s still too small. It’s not even worth ten minutes of my husband’s time on a film set.”
“Finally,” I leaned in, my voice dropping to a low, sharp whisper. “My husband wears a mask not because he’s
ugly, but to protect his family. That’s a concept a self–centered person like you will never understand.” I strai-
ghtened up. “Ethan, if you ever bother us again, it won’t be just one extra surgery I arrange for you. It wasn’t
easy for you to get into Johns Hopkins, was it?”
The last sentence was a naked threat.
