Betrayed By My Ex, I Became The Billionaire's Obsession

Chapter Four: Burning Past

The air in Ethan’s penthouse feels like it’s charged with lightning, every shadow a threat. My hands clutch the yellowed letters addressed to “Lulu,” their words—I’ll find you, Lulu. No matter how long it takes—burning in my mind. Ethan stands in front of me, his broad frame a shield, but his cobalt eyes are wild with something I’ve never seen: fear. Elena’s voice, cold and taunting, echoes from the living room, and the glint of metal in the stranger’s hand sends my pulse into overdrive.

“Stay behind me, Lily,” Ethan whispers, his voice low but steady, his hand gripping mine. His touch is an anchor, but the warmth of our kiss moments ago feels like a distant dream. The crash, Elena’s words—She deserves to know what you did to us—and now this man, his face hidden in shadow, make my heart scream that I’ve stepped into a trap.

“Ethan, you can’t keep her in the dark,” Elena says, stepping into the study’s doorway. Her raven hair gleams under the flickering lights, her blue eyes—so like Ethan’s—glinting with malice. The man beside her is tall, his features obscured by a hood, but the object in his hand is clear now: a knife, its blade catching the dim glow.

“Who is he?” I demand, my voice shaking as I press closer to Ethan. The letters tremble in my grip, their weight a reminder of Ethan’s secrets. “And what did you do, Ethan? What’s she talking about?”

Ethan’s jaw clenches, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Elena. “You’re crossing a line, Elena,” he says, his tone deadly. “Leave her out of this. Your fight’s with me.”

Elena laughs, a sound that chills my blood. “Oh, but she’s the key, isn’t she? Poor little Lulu, caught in your web. Did you tell her how you’ve watched her for years? Stalked her, even when she was married to that pathetic Carter?”

My breath catches, the text’s words—Did he tell you he watched you for years?—slamming into me. I look at Ethan, my heart twisting. “Is that true?” I whisper, stepping back, the letters slipping to the floor. “Have you been… following me?”

Ethan’s face crumples, a flash of pain breaking his composure. “Lily, it’s not what you think,” he says, turning to me, his voice raw. “I cared about you, always. I kept my distance, but I had to know you were safe.”

“Safe?” I snap, my voice rising. “Someone’s sending me threats, calling me Lulu, and now your sister’s here with a man holding a knife! How is this safe?”

The stranger shifts, and Ethan tenses, pulling me closer. “Elena, call him off,” he growls. “Whatever you’re planning, it ends now.”

Elena’s smile is predatory. “You don’t get to give orders anymore, brother. Not after what you did.” She glances at me, her eyes narrowing. “Ask him about the fire, Lily. Ask how he destroyed our family.”

The fire. The word is a dagger, slicing through the fragile trust I’d built with Ethan. His grip on my hand tightens, but he’s silent, his silence louder than any confession. My mind races—Claire’s taunts, Elena’s warnings, the letters. What did he do? And why does it feel like I’m the center of this storm?

Before I can speak, the stranger lunges, the knife flashing. Ethan moves faster, shoving me behind the desk and tackling the man to the ground. The room erupts in chaos—glass shatters, papers scatter, and Elena screams, “Stop him!” I scramble to my feet, my heart pounding, searching for something, anything, to help.

“Lily, run!” Ethan shouts, pinning the stranger’s wrist, the knife inches from his throat. But I can’t leave him, not like this. I grab a heavy bookend from the desk and swing it, catching the stranger’s shoulder. He grunts, the knife clattering to the floor, and Ethan subdues him, his breath ragged.

Elena bolts for the door, but Ethan’s voice stops her cold. “You’re not leaving, Elena. Not until you tell me who’s behind this.”

She laughs, bitter and unhinged. “You think I’m the mastermind? You’re blind, Ethan. They’ve been watching her longer than you have.” She glances at me, her eyes gleaming. “Check the letters, Lily. The ones he didn’t write.”

My blood runs cold. I look at the scattered letters on the floor, my hands trembling as I pick one up. It’s different—newer, and the handwriting is sharper, and it’s not addressed to Lulu. It’s to Ethan, dated last month: Keep her close, Blackwood. She’s the key to your ruin.

“Who sent this?” I demand, holding it up, my voice shaking. “Ethan, what do they want with me?”

He stands, the stranger unconscious at his feet, and takes the letter, his face paling. “I don’t know,” he says, but his voice wavers, and I know he’s lying. “Lily, I swear, I’ll find out.”

Elena smirks, backing toward the exit. “You’re running out of time, brother. They’re closer than you think.” She slips out, and Ethan curses, torn between chasing her and staying with me.

I grab his arm, my heart racing. “No more secrets,” I say, my voice fierce. “You knew me before the gala. You wrote to me as Lulu. Tell me why, or I’m walking away.”

His eyes search mine, and for a moment, I think he’ll shut me out. But then he pulls me close, his hands framing my face, his touch igniting a fire I can’t extinguish. “You were my home, Lily,” he says, his voice raw, desperate. “When I was a kid, you were the only light in my world. I lost you, and it broke me. When I saw you at the gala, hurting, I couldn’t lose you again. I proposed because I love you—because I’ve always loved you.”

His words hit like a tidal wave, and tears sting my eyes. Love. The word feels too big, too impossible, yet my heart aches to believe him. I lean into him, our foreheads touching, and his breath mingles with mine, a promise of something deeper. “Ethan,” I whisper, “if you love me, tell me about the fire.”

He stiffens, pulling back, and the moment shatters. “I can’t,” he says, his voice breaking. “Not yet. But I will, I swear.”

Before I can argue, my phone buzzes again, the sound like a gunshot in the quiet. I grab it, my hands shaking, and the new text makes my knees buckle. It’s a photo of me and Ethan, taken minutes ago, right here in the penthouse, through the window. The message reads: Lulu, you’re his weakness. Leave him, or you both burn.

Ethan sees it and curses, his face a mask of fury. “They’re here,” he says, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the door. “We need to move.”

But as we reach the living room, the lights go out, plunging us into darkness. A low laugh echoes, not Elena’s, but someone new, someone closer. Footsteps circle us, and Ethan’s grip tightens, his voice a fierce whisper. “Stay with me, Lily.”

A match flares in the dark, illuminating a figure in a mask, their eyes glinting with malice. They hold a photograph—old, charred at the edges, showing a young girl and boy, unmistakably me and Ethan, smiling under a tree. The figure’s voice is a hiss, chilling me to the bone.

“You should’ve stayed forgotten, Lulu. Now you’ll pay for his sins.”

The match drops, and flames lick the floor, racing toward us as the figure vanishes into the shadows.