The Woman from His Past
929 Words
Lena thought the press conference would be the hardest part of the day.
She was wrong.
The moment the car pulled into the Blackwood estate, Ethan’s phone rang. He answered it immediately, his expression darkening with every second.
“No,” he said coldly. “This conversation is over.”
He ended the call and slid the phone into his pocket.
Lena watched him carefully. “Clara?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“She didn’t sound like someone who accepts losing easily,” Lena said.
“She doesn’t have to accept it,” Ethan answered. “She just has to understand it.”
That calm tone again. As if people were problems to be solved, not emotions to be handled.
Inside the house, the atmosphere felt heavier than before.
A maid approached hesitantly. “Mrs. Blackwood, there’s a visitor asking for you.”
Lena froze. “For me?”
“Yes,” the maid said. “She says she’s a… friend of Mr. Blackwood.”
Ethan’s eyes hardened. “She shouldn’t be here.”
But it was already too late.
Clara Hayes walked into the room like she owned it.
She was tall, elegant, dressed in a fitted cream dress that screamed money and confidence. Her makeup was flawless, her smile sharp.
Her eyes landed on Lena—and didn’t bother hiding the disdain.
“So,” Clara said softly, “you’re the wife.”
Lena straightened. “And you must be Clara.”
Clara laughed lightly. “Oh, we’re already using first names?”
Ethan stepped forward. “Leave,” he said.
Clara ignored him completely. “Tell me,” she said to Lena, circling slowly, “do you know why he married you?”
Lena met her gaze. “Because he chose me.”
Clara’s smile faltered for just a second.
“How cute,” she said. “Did he tell you about the nights he spent promising me a future?”
Ethan’s voice dropped dangerously low. “Enough.”
Clara turned to him. “You don’t get to silence me anymore.”
She looked back at Lena. “You’re a placeholder. A convenient solution. He doesn’t love you.”
Lena’s heart clenched—but she refused to show it.
“This marriage isn’t about love,” she said calmly. “And whatever you had with him is over.”
Clara’s eyes flashed. “Is it?”
She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, tapping the screen before holding it up.
A photo.
Ethan and Clara. Close. Intimate. Taken not long ago.
Lena’s breath caught.
“That was taken three months ago,” Clara said sweetly. “After he told me he wasn’t ready for marriage.”
Silence crashed down on the room.
Lena turned slowly toward Ethan. “Three months?”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “It ended after that.”
“You never told me about her,” Lena said quietly.
“You didn’t ask,” he replied.
The words stung more than she expected.
Clara laughed. “See? You don’t even know the man you married.”
Ethan stepped closer to Clara. “You’re done here.”
She leaned in and whispered something only he could hear. His expression hardened further.
Then she straightened and smiled at Lena. “Enjoy your borrowed life, Mrs. Blackwood. I’ll be seeing you.”
She turned and walked out, heels clicking sharply against the floor.
The moment she was gone, the silence felt unbearable.
Lena folded her arms, her voice steady but cold. “You said no interference from your past.”
“I said no emotions,” Ethan replied. “Clara is business.”
“She didn’t look like business,” Lena said. “She looked like someone who still thinks she belongs here.”
Ethan studied her. “Are you jealous?”
Lena laughed softly. “Don’t flatter yourself. I just don’t like surprises.”
“Get used to them,” he said. “My world isn’t simple.”
She met his gaze. “Neither is mine anymore.”
⸻
That night, Lena couldn’t sleep.
The image of the photo kept replaying in her mind. Three months ago. That meant while Ethan was planning this contract, he was still entangled with Clara.
She reminded herself of the truth.
This was a deal. Nothing more.
But her chest still felt tight.
Her phone buzzed on the bedside table.
A message from an unknown number.
You don’t belong in that house.
Another message followed immediately.
He will ruin you the same way he ruined me.
Lena sat up, her pulse racing.
She typed back before she could stop herself.
Stop contacting me.
The reply came instantly.
You think signing a contract makes you safe?
Her door suddenly opened.
Ethan stood there, his expression dark. “Why is Clara messaging you?”
Lena held up her phone. “You tell me.”
His eyes flicked to the screen.
“This is harassment,” he said.
“She said you ruined her,” Lena replied quietly. “Is that true?”
Ethan was silent for a moment.
“I don’t ruin people,” he said finally. “I end things cleanly. They just don’t like it.”
Lena searched his face. “And me? How will this end for me?”
Ethan stepped closer, his presence overwhelming.
“That depends,” he said, his voice low, “on whether you follow the rules… or start breaking them.”
Her heart pounded.
This marriage was already more dangerous than she imagined.
And Clara Hayes was just the beginning.
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