Ethan’s mind raced as he tried to process the scene before him. It felt as though a knife had pierced through his heart, ripping apart the fabric of the life he thought he knew. The woman he had shared dreams with, built a life with, was now a stranger—a stranger who had crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.
His gaze shifted back to his mother. Margaret’s eyes, usually filled with warmth and kindness, were now clouded with fear and hurt. The sight of her vulnerable state ignited a protective instinct deep within him, one he never knew could run so deep. She had been his rock growing up, the one who had nurtured his dreams even when the world had seemed against him. There was no world in which he would allow her to be treated like this.
