She Raised Him From Nothing. He Left Her to Die.

"I agree to the arranged marriage." Diana Lynn's red lips curved into a smile. "I'll help you break into the Northgate market. You help me secure the Lynn inheritance." The man on the other end of the line gave a soft laugh. "Miss Lynn, you really do cut to the chase. Taking the path of least resistance—I like it." "Although…" His tone shifted. "I hear you've been supporting some broke student in Northgate—went out of your way to make him one of the top lawyers in the city. That's…" "Don't worry." Diana cut him off. "He was just a toy I kept around when I was bored. I'm not stupid enough to let him get in the way of real business. Seven days from now, I'll fly to Harbortown and marry you. All you have to do is be ready." The moment she hung up, the door behind her opened. Diana turned around—and walked straight into Ethan Cross's gaze. His back was ramrod straight, his knuckles clean and prominent as he slid a black bank card across the table toward her. "Miss Lynn. There's one million dollars on that card. "I know. Compared to everything you've spent on me over the years, this doesn't even cover the loose change. "But you can't force feelings. I'll pay back everything I owe you as soon as I can. And I'm asking you to… let Sophie and me be together." The black card lay against the dark wood like something she couldn't stop looking at, no matter how much it hurt to look. Diana said nothing. Ethan nudged it a little closer. "I'm the one who let you down. Sophie had nothing to do with it. "Could you… stop going after her? She has a congenital heart condition. The accident last time—she barely made it." Diana's breath caught. Her ribs—long since healed—sent a sudden, sharp wave of pain through her chest. She snapped her head up, grabbed the ceramic mug off the table and hurled it straight at him. "Get out!" The mug struck him squarely on the temple. Blood ran immediately down the side of his face. He didn't wipe it away. He turned and walked in silence toward the door. At the threshold, his steps slowed—and stopped. He turned his head slowly. The warmth that had once lived in those eyes—the warmth she had known—was gone. What looked back at her now was nothing but ice, cold enough to lock up the air in her chest. "Miss Lynn, if you want to take out your anger on someone, take it out on me. Just leave Sophie alone. "I know you've always done as you pleased, and the Lynn family has your back. But if you hurt her again…" His eyes hardened. "I won't let it go." Diana watched his retreating figure until the door closed behind him. Something thick had wedged itself in her throat and wouldn't shift. Five years. She had given him five years. From a student who couldn't afford his own tuition to the most sought-after attorney in Northgate—she had shielded him from every threat, paid for every door that needed opening, spent more in connections and capital than she'd ever bothered to count. And this was what she got in return. He stood in front of her and threatened her cold. For another woman. Memories from five years ago flooded in. She'd had a massive fight with her father that day and stormed out without taking a thing with her, too furious to think straight. By the time the hunger set in, she was crouched on the side of the road, dizzy and lightheaded. It was Ethan who crouched beside her and handed her a bun, still warm. He hadn't asked questions. He just spoke softly and stayed, steady and unhurried, until the Lynn family's car came. Maybe it was how handsome he was. Maybe it was how long it had been since anyone had been that gentle with her. Whatever the reason, she found herself looking into his background without quite knowing why she was doing it. She found him the day he walked into the administration office with a withdrawal form, ready to drop out. She showed up with a contract. She would fund his education. She would give him every resource she had. One condition: Stay by her side. Five years. Ethan signed without hesitation. After that, everyone in Northgate's elite circles knew: the Lynn family's wild heiress had taken in some broke student. When people mocked him for living off a woman, she was the one who laughed in their faces. When his internship hit a wall, she was up all night making calls. When he mentioned a dessert place on the south side of the city in passing, she sent her driver on a three-hour round trip to get it. At first Ethan had been respectful but distant—all courtesy and formality, "Miss Lynn" this and "Miss Lynn" that, the line between them kept clear as glass. She hated it. She pushed him to stop treating her like an employer. Eventually, he changed. He started bringing her breakfast without being asked. He stepped in front of her when her cousin made trouble. He stayed up through the long sleepless nights just to keep her company. Since the year she turned seven—since her father's affair came to light and her mother died of a broken heart—Diana had not felt warmth like that from anyone. She told herself it meant something. That what Ethan felt for her was quietly, carefully real. She even let herself make plans in secret: once the five years were up, she would tell him she wanted to change the terms. Not five years. A lifetime. Then two months ago, Ethan appeared at her door with a bank card, his face perfectly calm, and made his announcement. "Miss Lynn. I've fallen in love with my mentor's daughter. Her name is Sophie Gray. "My mentor passed away. Sophie has a serious heart condition, and she has no one but me. "Everything you've invested in me—I'll repay it with interest." The world tilted. Diana clutched at the last thread of hope she had and forced the question out, her voice shaking. "Then what about me? Ethan—these five years—what were they?" Ethan's brow furrowed slightly. Not a single note of apology in his voice. "Miss Lynn, I'm grateful for your support. But everything I did for you was gratitude. Nothing more." He looked at her steadily, each word landing clean and deliberate. "I have never had feelings for you." Every word was a blunt blade drawn slowly across her heart. She refused to believe it. She refused his money and went to find the woman herself—had to see with her own eyes what kind of woman could make him this certain. She needed to understand. The accident happened that same day. Sophie was in the passenger seat when the crash occurred. Ethan arrived at the scene and his eyes swept over Diana—soaked in blood on the driver's side—and kept moving. He crossed to the passenger side, lifted Sophie out with careful hands, and ran toward the ambulance without once looking back. He didn't look at her once. In that moment, every last shred of defiance and longing she'd been holding onto drained out of her along with the blood, and was gone. She had always believed money could buy anything. It took losing her heart to understand that some things couldn't be bought—not for any price. Like Ethan's love. She didn't want it anymore. But she would not leave this with nothing. "Ethan." She called after him, her voice level. "Our contract has seven days left." She pushed the bank card back across the table. The corners of her mouth lifted—that familiar, unhurried curve, looking down at the world the way she always had. "Keep your money. "Give me seven more days. When they're up, you're free." Seven days from now, she would fly to Harbortown and become someone else's wife. And he could go build his life with the woman he loved. After that—they were done.