Chapter 5 - UNEARTHING BURIED SCARSThe Vance Private Estate was a sprawling fortress of modern architecture surrounded by dense forests. For Maya, it was like stepping into a fairytale castle. For Ethan, it was a golden cage.
Over the next three days, Victoria worked frantically with her legal team via encrypted channels to dismantle Richard’s fraudulent trail. Yet, despite her hectic schedule, she found herself drawn to the guest house where Ethan and Maya were staying.
One late evening, Ethan was sitting on the porch, staring out at the mist-covered lake. Victoria walked up, wrapped in a cashmere shawl, holding two glasses of warm tea.
"You look like a man carrying the world," she said, offering him a glass.
"Just my piece of it," Ethan replied with a faint smile. He took a sip. "Maya’s doctor called today. Her bone marrow match search came up empty again."
Victoria felt a sharp pang in her chest. "I’ve instructed my medical contacts to prioritize her case globally, Ethan. We will find a donor."
"Why are you doing all this, Victoria? You don't owe us anything."
Ethan turned to look at her, the moonlight highlighting the rugged lines of his jaw. Victoria felt her heart skip a beat—a feeling she hadn't experienced in years.
"Because when I was at my absolute lowest, when I felt like a ghost, you looked at me like I mattered," Victoria said softly, her voice thick with emotion. "You saved my life, Ethan. Not just from the river, but from my own darkness."
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Ethan reached out and gently laid his hand over hers. "We're both just trying to save the people we love."
The silence between them was charged with an undeniable, growing pull. But before either of them could speak further, the security alarms across the estate began to blare, bathing the grounds in flashing red lights.
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