Chapter 4: Dangerous Closeness
1438 Words
The silence which came after Ethan’s confession became unbearable.
“I was the last person who saw her alive.”
The words stucked in the air like smoke.
Amara fixed her gaze at him across the breakfast table, trying to read his face, but Ethan Kingston had developed the hidden nature of been secretive. His expression was calm again. Too calm, to be detected.
That makes her scre the more.
“Did you expect me to firmly accept that?” she asked quietly.
Ethan’s jaw tightened slightly. “Neither did I expect anything from you.”
“That’s so funny, believing that fact that you control every part of my life right now.”
His eyes clash to hers.
Sharp.
Cold.
“And yet you’re still here.”
The truth in that words struck harder than she wanted.
Because he was right.
Despite the lies.
Despite the contract.
Despite the fear slowly growing inside her—
She was still here.
Amara pull away from the table abruptly.
“Did you know what I think?” she said.
Ethan remained silent.
“I think everyone around you is afraid of you for a reason.”
Something flickered in his expression then.
Not anger.
Exhaustion.
Gone almost immediately.
“You have to stop listening to Victoria.”
“She brought proof.”
“She brought manipulation.”
Amara crossed her arms. “Then explain it to me.”
Ethan looked away briefly, toward the windows covered with rain.
For the first time since meeting him, he looked… tired.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like he had been carrying something too heavy for too long.
“Elena struggled with depression,” he said quietly.
Amara’s anger softened slightly.
“She was under pressure from the media, from my family, from—”
“She was afraid of you.”
That stopped him.
The room became still.
Ethan slowly looked back at her, and something dangerous entered his eyes again.
“You know nothing about what happened.”
“Then tell me.”
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
Firm.
Final.
Amara let out a frustrated breath. “You keep demanding trust while hiding everything.”
“I never asked for your trust.”
The words should not have hurt.
But somehow they did.
Before she could respond, Ethan’s phone rang again.
He answered immediately, voice cold and professional.
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then his eyes darkened.
“When did the article go live?”
Amara frowned.
Article?
Ethan stood suddenly, tension radiating from him now.
“Take it down.”
Another pause.
“I don’t care how much it costs.”
He ended the call violently enough that the glass table rattled slightly.
Amara had barely seen him lose composure before.
Now she was seeing cracks.
“What happened?” she asked carefully.
Ethan looked at her for a long second before speaking.
“The press found out about Elena.”
A chill crawled down her spine.
“And?”
“And now they’re comparing you to her publicly.”
Amara’s stomach dropped.
Ethan throw his phone onto the table.
“Someone has leaked your photos beside hers.”
“What?”
She grabbed the phone quickly.
And froze.
The article headline screamed across the screen.
«KINGSTON CEO MARRIES WOMAN IDENTICAL TO DEAD FIANCÉE»
Below it were side-by-side photographs.
Elena.
Amara.
The resemblance looked terrifying online.
Comments flooded underneath.
«“This is creepy.”»
«“Did he replace her?”»
«“That poor girl.”»
«“Something must be seriously wrong with Ethan Kingston.”»
Amara suddenly felt sick.
This wasn’t gossip anymore.
This was obsession.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
“Who could have leaked this?”
Ethan’s expression became cold enough tthat could freeze the room.
“I already know.”
“Victoria?”
“No.”
His sudden answer surprised her.
Then who could it be?
Before she could ask, the front doors opened downstairs.
Voices echoed through the mansion.
Angry voices.
A moment later, an older woman entered the dining room without warning.
Elegant.
Powerful.
Furious.
And the second Ethan saw her—
His expression became so hardened completely.
“Mother.”
Amara straightened instinctively.
So this was Mrs. Kingston.
The woman’s eyes landed on Amara immediately.
And the disgust there was impossible to miss.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
The words weren’t admiration.
They were horror.
“She really does look like her.”
Amara felt humiliation burn inside her chest instantly.
Not like a person.
Like an object being inspected.
Mrs. Kingston turned sharply toward Ethan.
“What were you thinking?”
Ethan’s voice became ice. “Leave.”
“You brought another girl into this house after what happened?”
“Enough.”
“No!” His mother’s voice cracked with emotion. “You need help, Ethan!”
The room fell silent.
Amara’s heartbeat quickened.
Mrs. Kingston looked toward her again, and this time there was something almost pitying in her eyes.
“You should leave while you still can,” she said softly.
Ethan slammed his hand against the table suddenly.
The sound echoed violently.
“Stop talking.”
Amara flinched.
Not because he touched her.
Because for the first time—
He looked genuinely unstable.
Mrs. Kingston stared at her son for several painful seconds before speaking quietly.
“You loved Elena so much you destroyed yourself after she died.”
Silence.
“And now you’re trying to replace her.”
Ethan’s face went completely emotionless.
Which somehow looked worse.
Amara slowly looked at him.
Because deep down…
Part of her feared Mrs. Kingston might be right.
Ethan suddenly grabbed Amara’s wrist.
“Come with me.”
His grip wasn’t painful.
But it was firm enough to make refusal impossible.
He pulled her upstairs quickly while his mother shouted behind them.
“Running from the truth won’t save you this time!”
Ethan ignored her completely.
By the time they reached the second floor, Amara finally yanked her hand free.
“What is wrong with you?”
Ethan stopped walking.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then suddenly—
He laughed.
Not happily.
Bitterly.
Roughly.
Like a man close to breaking.
“You think I don’t ask myself that every day?”
The raw honesty in his voice stunned her.
Amara stared at him carefully.
And for the first time…
He didn’t look powerful.
He looked damaged.
Ethan dragged a hand through his dark hair and looked away.
“This marriage was supposed to solve problems.”
“Well, congratulations,” Amara snapped. “It created new ones.”
A faint smile touched his mouth unexpectedly.
Tiny.
Exhausted.
Real.
And somehow that small expression affected her more than his coldness ever had.
Because it made him human.
Dangerously human.
Then his eyes lifted to hers again.
And the atmosphere shifted instantly.
Too close.
Too intense.
Amara became suddenly aware of everything.
How tall he was.
How near he stood.
How his fingers still hovered close to hers after dragging her upstairs.
The tension between them felt alive now.
Messy.
Complicated.
Breathing.
“You should stay away from me,” Ethan said quietly.
Her heartbeat stumbled slightly.
“That sounds like a warning.”
“It is.”
“Because you’re dangerous?”
His gaze locked onto hers.
“Yes.”
The honesty in that answer sent chills through her.
But instead of stepping away—
Amara moved closer.
Just slightly.
Close enough to notice the faint shadows beneath his eyes.
Close enough to smell rain and expensive cologne.
Close enough to see pain hidden beneath control.
“You know what’s strange?” she whispered.
Ethan said nothing.
“I think part of you actually believes you ruin people.”
A long silence followed.
Then Ethan spoke softly.
“I do.”
Something about that answer cracked through her anger unexpectedly.
Before she could stop herself, her voice gentled.
“What happened to you?”
Ethan’s eyes darkened.
And for one dangerous moment—
It looked like he might actually tell her.
But then a loud crash echoed downstairs.
Both of them froze.
Another crash followed.
Glass shattering.
Voices yelling.
Ethan’s entire expression changed instantly.
Cold.
Alert.
Protective.
He moved in front of her automatically.
“Stay behind me.”
Amara’s pulse jumped.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the mansion.
Then one of the security guards shouted from below.
“Sir!”
Ethan moved toward the staircase immediately.
And that was when they heard it.
A woman screaming downstairs.
Terrified.
Broken.
“Ethan!”
Amara’s blood ran cold.
Because she recognized the voice.
Victoria.
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