Scarlett’s POV

​I stood in the doorway. The smell of the other woman’s perfume was strong, mixing with the scent of sex and Ethan’s own forest musk. I felt empty inside. I had no right to be angry; I was the one who had shattered Ethan’s hope after three years. This was my fault.

​I stepped into the room and shut the door. The sound was loud in the quiet room. Ethan did not move. He sat on the edge of the bed with his back to me, his bare shoulders tense. The sheets were a mess, a testament to what had just occurred.

​"Ethan..." I whispered. My voice was shaky from the tears I was holding back.

​He didn’t turn around. He didn’t even acknowledge that I was there.

​"I’m sorry," I said. The words felt too small for the gravity of my actions. "I am sorry for leading you on. For letting you think we had a chance when I was still stuck in my past. I am sorry for breaking your heart."

​I took a small step closer, but I stayed back to give him space.

​"Trust me, Ethan, if I could make myself love you the way you deserve, I would. I wish I could give you everything you gave me. But my heart..." I stopped, thinking of Leo’s eyes. "My heart is broken, Ethan. It doesn’t do what I want."

​The silence was heavy. I swallowed hard, waiting for the end. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

​"It’s okay if you don’t want to see me anymore," I said. "I understand if you want to stop talking to me. But Ethan, I will always be thankful to you. If it weren’t for you, I would be dead. You saved me. You kept me alive when I wanted to give up. I do love you... it might not be in the romantic way you wanted, but I do love you."

Ethan’s jaw tightened slightly. For a second, he closed his eyes like the words physically hurt him.

​I wiped a tear from my face. "I’m leaving the hotel. I need to find out who I am on my own."

​"No need," he cut in.

​His voice was low and calm. It wasn’t angry anymore, just tired. He stood up and turned to face me. He didn’t look at my neck, and I tried not to look at the scratches on his chest from the other woman.

​"I have already made arrangements for you," he said, his expression unreadable. "I have a good friend here in Australia. He’s the Alpha of a local pack—strong, stable, and he owes me a favor. He’ll take you in, provide you with a safe place to stay, and help you get a job. He’s coming tomorrow to pick you up."

​The breath left my lungs in a rush of relief and guilt. Even now, after I’d crushed him, he was still protecting me. He was still the man who looked out for me when the rest of the world was hunting me down.

​"Thank you, Ethan," I whispered, my voice breaking completely. "Thank you for everything."

​He took a slow breath and stepped toward me. For a moment, I thought he might push me away, but his eyes softened just a little.

​"Scarlett, I still see you as a friend," he said, and though the words were kind, I could hear the coldness in them. The romantic hope of us being together was dead. "Yes, we didn’t end up together, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop being your friend. Whenever you need me, contact me and I’ll help you. Nothing has changed in that regard."

​I couldn’t help it. I ran to him and hid my face against his chest. I held onto him and cried. "Thank you... thank you, Ethan."

​He didn’t pull me close with the same possessive fire he used to have, but he rested his chin on the top of my head, his arms wrapping around me in a steady, grounding embrace. It was the hug of a brother, a protector, a friend. It was the end of one story and the beginning of another—one where I was finally free to find myself, and he was finally free to find someone who could give him the heart I simply didn’t have to give.

​He kissed the top of my head and whispered, "Stop crying, Scar." He used his thumbs to wipe the tears from my cheeks. His touch was gentle, but the heat that used to be there was gone. He told me he would leave tomorrow as soon as his friend arrived to take me away.

​"But Scar," he said, looking at me seriously. "You can’t keep hiding forever. You know that."

​"I know," I whispered, looking at the floor. "Just two more years."

​Ethan frowned. "Why? Why two more years? The triplets are already married. They have new mates. It’s over."

​"Yes, they are married," I said, my voice cracking. "But when I saw Leo, Ethan... I still saw it. I saw that love and that need to possess me in his eyes. Even with a new mate, he still wants me. I believe his brothers will be the same if they see me."

​"So what is your plan?" Ethan asked.

​"I begged Leo not to tell Liam and Leonard that I am alive," I explained. "I want to give them two more years. By then, I hope they will have families. At least a child each. I believe if they have children with their new mates, they won’t have feelings for me anymore when I finally show up."

​Ethan scoffed. He clearly hated the idea. "You’re dreaming, Scar. You know the whole truth is out now, right? The triplets know their mother is alive. They know your parents are alive. They know about the prophecy. The only thing they don’t know—except for Leo—is that you are alive. And from what I heard, Leo is actually keeping your secret for now."

​I swallowed hard. The thought of them knowing almost everything made my skin crawl.

​"Scar," Ethan said, his voice becoming very low. "There is something else. Something I found out months ago."

​"What?" I asked, sensing the shift in his energy.

Ethan stayed quiet for a long moment, staring at the floor like he was debating whether to tell me the truth.

​"The triplets are under a spell," he said.

​My heart stopped. "A spell? Ethan, what are you talking about?"

​"Think about it," he said, pacing the small space of the hotel room. "Didn’t you ever wonder why they could never tell each other the truth? They all knew you were their mate, yet they never said it out loud to one another. They lived in the same house, shared the same life, but kept that one thing secret."

​"I thought... I thought they were just scared, ashamed of it, or selfish," I whispered.

​"No," Ethan said, shaking his head. "It was a spell. When they were only fifteen, their parents found out you would be the mate to all three of them. They couldn’t have the boys fighting or figuring out the prophecy too early. So, they had a powerful witch cast a spell on them. A curse that made it impossible for them to say the words to each other. It was the only way their parents could keep control and carry out their plan without the triplets ruining it."