He Said I'd Never Leave Him. So I Died Pregnant

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At the Carter Family's year-end celebration, Ethan's men decided the night needed a little entertainment.

They brought in a young dancer from one of the private clubs the Family controlled. She stepped onto the small stage in a tight black camisole, her back almost completely bare. The moment the music started, every man's attention in the room shifted toward her.

Ethan Carter, my husband and the heir to the Carter Family, glanced at the stage once before reaching over and covering my eyes with his hand.

"Don't look, Claire." A teasing smile tugged at his mouth. "That's not something my wife needs to see."

The men around our table burst into laughter.

One of Ethan's closest soldiers raised his whiskey. "Five years married and the boss still acts like Claire's the only woman alive."

Another man laughed. "That's loyalty. Half the men in this room should be taking notes."

I smiled and said nothing, one hand unconsciously settling over my stomach.

None of them knew I was pregnant.

I had found out only days ago, and I had been waiting for the right moment to tell Ethan. Our fifth wedding anniversary was coming up, and I had already planned to give him the pregnancy report that night.

I thought it would be the perfect gift.

A few minutes later, I left the private lounge to fix my makeup.

When I returned, I stopped outside the half-open door.

Ethan was standing beside the dancer.

The same man who had covered my eyes minutes earlier now had one hand resting near her waist. Between two fingers, he held one of his black business cards with several folded bills tucked behind it.

Then, right in front of me, he slipped it beneath the strap of her camisole.

I couldn't move.

Ethan leaned closer to her, lowering his voice.

"Claire's perfect. Don't misunderstand me. She's just too proper sometimes."

The dancer gave him a knowing smile.

Ethan chuckled.

"After five years, a man wants something different once in a while. It's only entertainment."

He paused, then added casually, "And it's not exactly my first time."

My fingers went cold.

The dancer looked toward the door nervously. "What if your wife finds out?"

Ethan's expression changed immediately.

"She won't."

His voice was firm.

"And you're not going to tell her."

He looked the dancer directly in the eyes.

"Claire told me before we married that cheating was the one thing she'd never forgive. If she ever found out, she'd leave me."

He gave a quiet laugh, but there was something serious underneath it.

"And I can't live without her."

I stood outside the door, barely breathing.

Five years.

For five years, I had believed I was the only woman Ethan Carter had ever touched.

Slowly, I stepped away before anyone noticed me.

In the hallway, I took out my phone and opened the pregnancy report I had saved for our anniversary.

I stared at it for several seconds.

Then I deleted it.

After that, I made a call.

"Professor Reed, it's Claire Carter."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"I want to join the pregnant cryogenic trial."

Dr. Alex Reed was the lead researcher behind an experimental cryogenic program secretly funded through several private medical foundations. Because of the Carter Family's connections, I had learned about the project months earlier.

His voice immediately turned serious.

"Mrs. Carter, do you understand what you're asking? No pregnant subject has ever entered the program. You would be the first."

"I understand."

"That means the risk isn't yours alone. There are two lives involved."

"I know."

He was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Please think about this carefully."

"There's nothing left to think about."

My answer came without hesitation.

Because I had already made my decision years ago.

On the day I married Ethan, I had looked him in the eyes and told him exactly where my line was.

"If you ever betray me with another woman, I'll leave you. Permanently. Even if walking away destroys me."

Ethan had pulled me into his arms.

He kissed my forehead and laughed as if the possibility itself were ridiculous.

"That day will never come, Claire."

His voice had been so certain.

"I swear on the Carter name."

Five years later, I finally understood how little that oath had meant.

When I returned to the private lounge, Ethan was already sitting calmly on the leather sofa.

There wasn't a woman anywhere near him.

The dancer had returned to the stage.

Only her flushed cheeks and the slightly crooked strap of her camisole hinted at what had happened while I was gone.

If I hadn't witnessed it myself, I never would have believed Ethan capable of it.

He had always been careful.

Controlled.

The kind of man who could walk into a room full of capos, soldiers, and men with blood on their hands and still look perfectly composed.

And apparently, this wasn't even the first time.

Five years of marriage, and I had been the only fool treating our vows like they mattered.

"Claire?"

Ethan immediately noticed me.

"What took you so long?"

Concern crossed his face as he reached for my hand. Then he touched my forehead as if he were worried I might be sick.

The moment his fingers came near me, I smelled unfamiliar perfume.

Sweet.

Heavy.

The same perfume the dancer had been wearing.

My stomach twisted violently.

I pulled away and covered my nose.

"Claire."

Ethan's expression changed at once.

"Are you sick?"

He leaned toward me, visibly worried. "Do you need a doctor? I can have the Family physician here in ten minutes."

I shook my head.

"It's the perfume."

My voice was quiet.

"It smells disgusting."

For a fraction of a second, Ethan froze.

Then he smiled.

"Oh, that."

He leaned back as though nothing had happened.

"The guys were screwing around while you were gone. They called the dancer over for a drink."

He met my eyes without flinching.

"I didn't let her get close. I gave her some cash and told her to keep it professional."

He sounded completely sincere.

So sincere that if I hadn't seen him with my own eyes, I probably would have believed every word.

"Exactly," one of his men said quickly. "Claire, you know Ethan. He's practically a saint when it comes to you."

Another man lifted his glass.

"The boss takes his wife everywhere. Women throw themselves at him and he doesn't even look twice."

Someone laughed.

"Prince Charming with a body count."

The table erupted in laughter.

I didn't.

Instead, I looked toward the stage.

The dancer avoided my eyes.

Her camisole was still slightly crooked, and embarrassment flickered across her face when she realized I was watching.

One of Ethan's men seemed to notice the tension. He immediately cracked a joke and slapped himself across the cheek, pretending he'd had too much whiskey.

Everyone laughed again.

I smiled with them.

But no joke could erase what I had seen.

And no amount of laughter could make me forget what Ethan had said when he thought I wasn't there.

It wasn't his first time.

"I'm sorry, Claire. That joke went too far."

One of Ethan's men quickly backtracked, smacking his own wrist in exaggerated punishment.

Ethan ignored him and pointed toward the young dancer still standing on the stage.

"Get out."

His voice was cold enough to silence the entire room.

Then he turned on the men around him.

"What the hell were you thinking, bringing a woman like that into a Family gathering?" His expression hardened. "She doesn't even deserve to stand in the same room as my wife."

The dancer's face went crimson.

Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't dare argue with the heir to the Carter Family. She grabbed her coat and hurried out of the private lounge.

Ethan turned back to me, looking almost satisfied with himself, as though humiliating her in front of everyone proved how devoted he was to me.

I picked up my bag.

"I'm tired. You guys stay and enjoy yourselves."

The moment I stood, Ethan followed.

"I'll take you home."

Neither of us spoke as we walked out to the car.

Just as I got into the passenger seat, my phone vibrated.

A new message had arrived from Dr. Reed's research team.

Attached was the full risk disclosure for the cryogenic trial.

I had barely opened it when Ethan glanced over.

"Who's messaging you this late?"

I stared at the document for another second before deleting the notification.

"Spam."

Ethan didn't question me.

Instead, once he started driving, he went back to explaining what had happened at the party.

"The guys were drunk. They called her over without asking me."

"I barely spoke to her."

"I only gave her some cash because I wanted her gone."

He kept talking, as if enough explanations could turn a lie into the truth.

I finally turned toward him.

"Ethan."

His hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember what I told you before we got married?"

His fingers trembled.

The car drifted slightly toward the next lane before he corrected it. A few seconds later, Ethan pulled sharply to the side of the road and hit the brakes.

He turned to me, his face pale.

"Claire, I swear to you."

His voice was almost desperate.

"You're the only woman I'll ever love. I would never betray you. I would never give you a reason to leave me."

He reached for my hand.

"I mean it."

For a moment, I simply looked at him.

Five years ago, Ethan Carter had made almost exactly the same promise when I became his wife.

Back then, I had believed every word.

Now I only remembered what Dr. Reed had told me.

"The trial begins in Iceland in one month. Until then, you can withdraw at any time."

One month.

I took a quiet breath.

"Ethan, take me to Iceland."

He stared at me.

"I want to see the Northern Lights."

The tension visibly left his shoulders.

"Of course."

He let out a long breath and squeezed my hand.

"Whatever you want, Claire."

When we returned to the Carter estate, Ethan followed me upstairs.

The moment we entered our bedroom, he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin against my shoulder.

"You smell good," he murmured.

I stiffened.

I was already a month pregnant.

To keep the pregnancy stable, and because I had planned to surprise Ethan on our anniversary, I had been avoiding intimacy for weeks.

Now, even his touch made my stomach turn.

"I'm tired."

I gently removed his arms from around me.

"I'm going to sleep."

Ethan stood there for a moment.

Then he forced a smile.

"All right. Get some rest."

He picked up the coat he had just taken off.

"I still have some Family business to handle tonight."

He kissed my forehead and left.

I waited until I heard his car pull away from the estate.

Then I followed him.

I kept enough distance between our cars that Ethan wouldn't notice me.

He didn't drive toward the Carter offices.

Instead, he stopped on a deserted stretch of road far from the estate, where there were no Family guards and almost no passing cars.

I parked farther back and watched.

Ethan got out a cigarette and made a call.

Less than twenty minutes later, another car stopped nearby.

The dancer from the party stepped out.

She hurried toward Ethan.

Despite the freezing night air, she shrugged off her coat as soon as she reached him, revealing the thin clothes underneath.

Ethan leaned against his car, cigarette between his lips, watching her with a smile I had never seen him give me.

Then he opened the back door and pulled her inside.

A short while later, the black car began to shake.

I couldn't watch anymore.

My hands were ice-cold as I raised my phone and took several photos.

Then I turned away.

The nausea that rose in my throat had nothing to do with pregnancy.

Ethan didn't return to the estate until almost dawn.

I heard him enter the bedroom quietly.

He went straight to the shower.

When he came back, he slipped beneath the covers as though he had spent the night handling Family business.

Then he wrapped an arm around my waist and fell asleep.

I lay awake beside him.

By the time Ethan woke the next morning, I was already dressed.

My suitcase was beside the door.

He sat up immediately.

"Claire?"

His eyes moved from me to the luggage.

"What are you doing?"

I didn't look at him.

"Getting my visa."

The color drained from Ethan's face.

He threw back the covers and hurried toward me barefoot, grabbing my arm.

"Claire, I..."

His voice caught.

I finally looked at him.

"What?"

Ethan opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

I watched him struggle for several seconds before speaking.

"Didn't you promise to take me to Iceland?"

For a moment, he looked stunned.

Then relief flashed across his face.

"Oh."

He laughed awkwardly and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Right. Iceland."

He slapped his forehead.

"I'm an idiot. I've had so much Family business lately that I completely forgot."

Ethan was already heading toward the bathroom.

"Wait for me. I'll get dressed and go with you."

"Ethan."

He stopped.

Slowly, he turned around.

The nervousness was still there in his eyes.

I looked directly at him.

"Why are you so on edge?"

Ethan pulled me into his arms, his hands trembling slightly.

"I didn't, Claire. I swear I didn't. Please believe me."

He held me tighter, his voice turning hoarse.

"I love you too much. That's why I'm nervous. I'm terrified of losing you. If there ever came a day when you weren't beside me, I'd lose my mind."

I raised a hand and pushed him away.

"Then don't ever lie to me, Ethan."

He forced a smile and raised his hand as though swearing an oath before the Family.

"I swear on my life. If I ever betray you, Claire, may I die for it."

In the past, hearing him say something like that would have frightened me. I would have covered his mouth and told him never to curse himself over something that could never happen.

Now I only looked at him.

I wondered whether the heir to the Carter Family truly believed an oath meant anything when it came from a liar.

I opened the passenger door.

The moment I leaned inside, a stale, unfamiliar scent hit me.

My stomach turned violently.

I stepped back, crouching beside the car as I gagged.

"Claire!"

Ethan rushed over, alarm flashing across his face.

"What's wrong with you lately? You've been nauseous for days."

Then something seemed to occur to him.

His expression changed, and for a split second, there was unmistakable excitement in his eyes.

"Wait. Claire, are you pregnant?"

I shook my head.

"No. My stomach's just been acting up."

Ethan's excitement disappeared.

He slapped himself across the cheek.

"Damn it. This is my fault. I've been so buried in Family business that I haven't been taking care of you properly."

I had no patience left for his performance.

Suppressing the nausea, I climbed into the car.

As Ethan drove, my gaze kept drifting toward the backseat.

Images from last night returned one after another.

Ethan noticed.

"Claire, what are you looking at?"

I didn't answer.

Something on the floor behind his seat had caught my eye.

I reached down and picked it up.

A small piece of women's clothing, crumpled beneath the seat.

My fingers immediately went cold.

Without a word, I threw it into Ethan's lap.

His face changed instantly.

"Claire, wait."

His voice rose with panic.

"This isn't what you think."

I watched him.

Ethan swallowed.

"I lent the car to one of the guys last night. I had no idea he'd bring a woman into my car."

Five years of marriage.

It was the first time I realized just how easily my husband could lie.

There was barely a pause.

No hesitation.

As though he'd done it so many times that the lies came more naturally than the truth.

"Who?"

Ethan tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"Who did you lend it to?"

He looked flustered for only a moment before pulling over.

Then he grabbed his phone and called one of his men.

The second the call connected, Ethan snapped, "What the hell did you do in my car last night? Claire found something in the backseat. Now she thinks I..."

He deliberately stopped there.

The man on the other end understood immediately.

"Mrs. Carter, I'm sorry."

His voice came through the speaker.

"This is on me. I got wasted after the party last night. I was in no shape to drive, so Ethan let me take his car to get my girlfriend home. Things got out of hand."

He gave an awkward laugh.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble between you two. I'm really sorry."

Ethan ended the call and looked at me carefully.

There was something almost pleading in his eyes.

I stared at him and felt nothing but disgust.

So they knew.

The men who drank with Ethan, worked for him, protected him, and called me Mrs. Carter with such respect all knew exactly what he was doing behind my back.

And they had been covering for him.

Maybe they had been doing it for years.

I gave Ethan a faint smile.

"Relax. I know you wouldn't do something like that."

His shoulders loosened instantly.

"I was only asking. Why are you so nervous?"

Ethan exhaled heavily.

"Because I care about you."

He reached for my hand.

"I can't stand you doubting me, Claire. The thought of you being angry with me drives me crazy."

I nodded as though I believed him.

There was no reason to expose him now.

Not yet.

If Ethan realized I knew everything, leaving the Carter Family would become far more difficult.

So I let him believe his lies were still working.

We finished the visa process without trouble.

After what happened in the car, Ethan became noticeably more careful.

For the next few weeks, he returned to the estate on time every night. He canceled late-night meetings and turned down invitations to the clubs his men frequented.

He stayed beside me whenever he could.

Attentive. Affectionate. Devoted.

Anyone watching us would have thought the heir to the Carter Family was hopelessly in love with his wife.

His performance was almost flawless.

Almost.

Because Ethan didn't know that every message he exchanged with the dancer was being mirrored to my phone.

That was how I finally learned her name.

Madeline Brooks.

Twenty years old.

A ballet student who danced nights at one of the clubs under Carter protection to pay her bills.

Her father drank away whatever money he could get his hands on. Her mother had been sick for years, and Madeline was also supporting a younger brother.

She was drowning in debt and barely keeping her family afloat.

And according to the messages between them, the night in Ethan's car had been her first time.

With my husband.

Somehow, Ethan had convinced himself that he was Madeline's savior.

He promised to pay her mother's medical bills, support her younger brother, and make sure she never had to worry about money again.

There was only one condition.

She had to know her place and make sure I, his wife, never found out.

Whenever Ethan could steal a few minutes away from Family business, he contacted her. Some nights, after he thought I was asleep, he would quietly leave our bed to meet her.

But Ethan had underestimated Madeline.

Desperate people didn't always stay grateful.

Sometimes, they wanted more.

Madeline contacted me first.

My phone began filling with messages from an unknown number.

Photos of her and Ethan together.

Pictures of the expensive jewelry, handbags, and dresses he had bought her. Screenshots of enormous transfers from accounts connected to the Carter Family. Candid photos of Ethan waiting outside her academy with flowers in his hands.

She documented everything.

Every secret meeting.

Every gift.

Every promise Ethan had made her.

My inbox became a diary of their affair.

I never answered.

Not once.

At first, my silence seemed to confuse her.

Eventually, it made her angry.

[Claire, did you know Ethan brought me to the Carter estate while you were away?]

A second message followed.

[Your bed is so comfortable. I even wore your nightgown when Ethan took me to your bedroom.]

Then another.

[Ethan says you're too proper. He says I'm the one who actually knows how to make him happy.]

I stared at the screen and locked my phone.

Still, I gave her nothing.

Then one afternoon, another photo arrived.

Madeline was standing in front of a mirror wearing an elegant evening gown.

I recognized it immediately.

[Do you like it?]

[This was supposed to be Ethan's anniversary gift for you. But I told him I loved it, so he gave it to me.]

A final message appeared.

[I'm wearing it to the Carter Family's annual gala tonight.]

I stared at those words for a long moment.

That morning, Ethan had kissed my forehead and told me not to attend.

He said I hadn't been feeling well lately and should stay home and rest. He had assured me the gala was nothing more than a tedious night of Family business and that he would handle it alone.

Now I knew the real reason.

It had never been about my health.

It was about Madeline Brooks.

I changed into a formal dress and left for the hotel where the Carter Family was hosting its annual gala.

The ballroom was filled with men and women connected to the Family, along with business partners and guests from allied circles.

I found Ethan almost immediately.

He was in the center of the dance floor.

And Madeline was in his arms.

She was wearing my dress.

Before I could move closer, whispers began around me.

"So much for Ethan Carter's perfect marriage."

"Claire always acted like she was different because her husband was so devoted."

"He didn't even bring his wife to his own Family gala, but he brought his mistress?"

Someone laughed quietly.

"Men like Ethan can swear loyalty all they want. Doesn't mean they'll live by it."

"And Claire actually believed him."

I stepped into the restroom and stood there for a moment, listening to the voices outside.

Once, those words would have humiliated me.

Now they only made everything clearer.

I took a breath, pushed open the door, and walked back into the ballroom.

The room gradually fell silent.

Heads turned.

Then Ethan saw me.

His arm immediately dropped from Madeline's waist.

"Claire?"

His face went white.

"What are you doing here?"

I kept walking.

Ethan hurried toward me.

"Claire, listen to me. I can explain."

He glanced at Madeline before lowering his voice.

"She's just a companion for tonight. That's all."

I slapped him.

The sound cracked across the ballroom.

No one spoke.

I pulled out my phone and opened Madeline's messages.

Photos.

Transfers.

Gifts.

Messages documenting every secret meeting between them.

I held the screen in front of Ethan.

"What kind of companion ends up in your bed?"

Ethan froze.

His eyes moved across the messages.

For once, the heir to the Carter Family couldn't come up with a lie fast enough.

His mouth opened.

Nothing came out.

Madeline stepped forward.

There was still the hint of a smug smile on her face.

But before she could speak, I slapped her too.

Madeline stumbled backward.

Her heel caught against the floor, and she crashed into a tower of champagne glasses.

Glass shattered around her.

Champagne spilled across the marble floor.

Then I saw the blood.

Bright red stained the fabric between her legs.

Madeline looked down.

Her face drained of color.

"Ethan!"

Her scream tore through the ballroom.

"Ethan, help me!"

She clutched her stomach.

"Save our baby!"

Everything stopped.

Ethan stared at her.

Then his gaze dropped to the blood spreading beneath her.

For one brief second, he didn't move.

Then he shoved me aside.

I staggered backward as Ethan rushed to Madeline and lifted her into his arms.

"Get the car!"

His men moved immediately.

Ethan carried her toward the doors.

He never looked back at me.

Not once.

In front of the entire Carter Family and everyone connected to it, my husband had made his choice.

Her.

The whispers started again behind me.

I had become the night's spectacle.

The betrayed wife everyone would be talking about by morning.

But strangely, I no longer cared.

Because I had already decided to leave.

When I returned to the estate, I went upstairs and began packing for Iceland.

A few days earlier, Dr. Reed's team had contacted me one final time.

They wanted confirmation that I still intended to become the first pregnant subject in the cryogenic trial.

I had confirmed without hesitation.

At my request, they had also arranged everything I would need to disappear from my old life.

Travel documents.

A plane ticket.

A new legal identity.

I opened the folder they had sent me.

The name on the documents was still mine.

Claire Watson.

But the woman in those records was five years younger than Claire Carter.

Soon, Claire Carter would disappear.

And when I opened my eyes again, Ethan Carter would have no idea where to find me.

The cryogenic trial was scheduled to last five years.

For Ethan, those five years would pass normally.

For me, time would stop.

When I woke again, Ethan would be five years older, while I would remain exactly as I was the day I entered the chamber.

It was a strange thought.

But by then, none of it would matter.

Ethan didn't return to the Carter estate until the following day.

The moment he walked into our bedroom, I knew Madeline had lost the baby.

His face was pale, his eyes bloodshot with exhaustion and anger.

"Claire, I never thought you could be this cruel."

He slammed the door behind him.

"Madeline was pregnant. Now she's lost the baby because of what you did."

His voice cracked.

"That was my child."

He stared at me as though I were the one who had betrayed him.

"Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to be a father?"

My hands instinctively moved over my stomach.

Beneath my palms was the child Ethan still knew nothing about.

For some reason, I wanted to shield my baby from his words.

From him.

"So let me understand this."

My voice was calm.

"You slept with another woman while we were married. You got your mistress pregnant. And somehow, I'm the one at fault?"

Ethan's jaw tightened.

"You've known Madeline for barely a month," I continued. "And that was enough for you to break every vow you made to me?"

He rubbed his temples impatiently.

"Claire, stop using those vows against me every time we argue."

I almost laughed.

"Using them against you?"

"And stop calling it betrayal."

His voice rose.

"I slept with her. That's all."

Ethan looked at me as if what he was saying made perfect sense.

"It was physical. I wanted something different for a while. My heart never left you."

Something tightened painfully in my chest.

My eyes burned.

Ethan exhaled in frustration.

"Men in our world have always been like this, Claire. Half the wives in the Families know exactly what their husbands do outside the house, and they don't make a war out of it."

His expression hardened.

"Why can't you?"

The tears I'd been holding back finally slipped down my cheeks.

Ethan's anger softened immediately.

He stepped closer and reached up to wipe them away.

"Claire."

His voice became gentle again.

"My heart still belongs to you."

I turned my face away from his hand.

He didn't seem to notice.

"I would never truly betray you."

Then he sighed.

"You have everything. You're my wife. You're Mrs. Carter. No woman could ever take your place."

He looked almost exhausted by my refusal to understand.

"So stop talking about leaving me. It's exhausting for both of us."

I stared at him.

Ethan still thought I was bluffing.

He believed every threat to leave was nothing more than a wife's attempt to frighten her husband into behaving.

So I smiled.

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve."

His expression shifted.

I kept my voice light.

"Are we still going to Iceland?"

The tension disappeared from Ethan's face almost instantly.

"Of course."

He pulled me into his arms.

"I'll book everything now."

He took out his phone and began arranging the trip through one of the Carter Family's travel contacts.

"We'll leave tomorrow and spend New Year's abroad."

Ethan smiled as though our marriage had already been repaired.

"When we come back, we forget all of this. It'll be you and me again, just like before."

I lowered my eyes.

"All right."

What Ethan didn't know was that I wasn't coming back.

...

The airport was packed the next morning.

Holiday travelers crowded the terminals, dragging suitcases beneath departure boards while Ethan and I made our way through check-in.

Everything went smoothly.

We were almost at the gate when Ethan's phone began vibrating.

Once.

Twice.

Then again.

He looked at the screen.

Madeline Brooks.

Ethan rejected the first call.

She called again.

And again.

Finally, he answered.

"Madeline, I can't talk right now."

He lowered his voice and glanced at me.

I couldn't hear what she said, but Ethan's expression changed almost immediately.

His jaw tightened.

After several minutes, he ended the call.

"Claire."

He gave me an apologetic smile.

"Looks like you'll have to go to Iceland without me."

I looked at him quietly.

Ethan continued, "Madeline says she's going to press charges against you for what happened at the gala if I don't go see her."

He reached for my hand.

"I can't let her do that to you."

I almost admired him for it.

Even now, Ethan could turn abandoning me for his mistress into an act of devotion.

"For my sake?" I asked.

"Of course."

I slowly pulled my hand away.

"Ethan."

He looked at me.

"If you walk away now, you'll never see me again."

For a moment, he stared at me.

Then he laughed.

He reached out and ruffled my hair as though I were a child threatening to run away from home.

"Stop talking nonsense, Claire."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"I'll make this right and come after you. You won't have enough time to miss me."

I said nothing.

Ethan turned and walked away.

I watched him disappear into the crowd.

He never looked back.

Not even once.

A few minutes later, boarding began.

I joined the other passengers moving toward the gate.

Soon after, the aircraft left the terminal and began taxiing toward the runway.

Then the airport shook.

A deafening explosion tore through the air.

Screams erupted throughout the terminal.

Outside the windows, flames surged into the sky as thick black smoke rolled across the runway.

The departure screens flickered.

Then came the announcement that sent the entire terminal into chaos.

The aircraft that had just crashed was the flight bound for Iceland.

My flight.