Chapter 211 The truth no one believed
Ethan’s POV
My words were barely out of my mouth when Aria’s entire demeanor shifted.
Her tone went from icy to mocking in an instant, and her gaze slid past me to focus on something—someone—behind me.
My blood went cold.
*No. No, she couldn’t be—*
I spun around, and there she was.
Clara stood about ten meters away, her face sheet-white, her amber eyes wide with shock and pain. She looked like I’d just driven a knife straight through her chest.
*How long has she been standing there?*
My wolf stirred uneasily, guilt churning in my gut. But it wasn’t the sharp, unbearable guilt I should have felt. It was just... hollow. Distant.
Because even as I stared at Clara—the woman I’d chosen over my True Mate, the woman I’d sacrificed everything for—all I could think about was Aria.
Aria, who was standing behind me with that cold, triumphant smile.
Aria, who held every piece of my future in her hands.
"Clara..." My voice came out rough, strangled. I didn’t know what to say.
What *could* I say? Every word I’d just spoken had been the truth.
"You really want to divorce me?" Clara’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper. She was trying to keep her composure, but I could see her hands shaking.
"You’d abandon Marcus? To be with that—that *woman* who destroyed your family?"
I felt my throat tighten. My wolf was snarling at me, torn between two impossible choices.
On one hand, Clara. The woman who’d saved my life when I was seventeen. The woman I’d built my entire world around for over a decade.
On the other hand, Aria. My True Mate. The bond I’d rejected, the connection I’d tried to bury, the woman who’d burrowed so deep into my soul that I couldn’t breathe without her anymore.
I couldn’t look at either of them. My gaze dropped to the ground, my chest heaving.
"Yes," I finally said. The word tasted like ash in my mouth. "Clara, I’m sorry..."
"I can’t lie to myself anymore. I can’t keep lying to you either." I forced myself to meet her eyes. "The person I love now... is Aria."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then Aria’s voice cut through it like a whip.
"Ethan Holt, you are hands down the most talented actor I’ve ever met. You’re also the most revolting excuse for a man I’ve ever had the misfortune of knowing."
Her words were laced with venom, each syllable designed to flay me alive.
A crowd had started to gather. People were pulling out their phones, whispering to each other, pointing. Some of them were already scrolling through news articles, putting two and two together.
*The scandal. The affair. The fake marriage certificate.*
Aria didn’t spare me another glance. She turned to one of the security guards, said something I couldn’t hear, and walked away.
"Aria, wait—!" I tried to lunge after her, but the moment I moved, the world tilted violently.
My fever had only broken that morning. My body was still weak, my wolf still drained. I stumbled, my vision blurring at the edges, and would have collapsed if Clara hadn’t caught me.
"Ethan..." Her voice was soft, broken.
I leaned into her for a moment, too dizzy to stand on my own. My head was spinning, my heart hammering against my ribs.
Then I felt the sharp sting of Clara’s palm connecting with my cheek.
The slap echoed across the street. A few people gasped. Someone laughed.
I didn’t react. I just stood there, staring at the ground, letting the burn settle into my skin.
I deserved that. I deserved worse.
"Ethan, let’s go." Clara’s voice was tight, controlled. She grabbed my wrist, trying to pull me away from the growing crowd.
"I know you’re doing this to try and save the company. I’m angry, but I’m not going to make a scene right now. We’ll talk about this at home."
I didn’t move.
She thought I was lying. She thought this was all some desperate ploy to win Aria back for the sake of Holt Enterprises.
But it wasn’t.
For once in my miserable life, I’d told the truth. And no one believed me.
I looked up at Clara, my vision still hazy, and let out a short, bitter laugh.
"You really think this is about the company?" I asked quietly.
Her expression faltered.
"I meant every word I said, Clara." My voice was steady now, cold and hollow. "I want a divorce. I want to be with Aria. And I don’t care what it costs me."
The look on her face—shock, betrayal, disbelief—should have gutted me.
But all I felt was emptiness.
Because even now, even after everything, the only person I could think about was Aria.
And she was already gone.