Grace watched Ethan carefully.
He was not embarrassed anymore.
He was calculating.
That frightened her more.
Ethan had built his reputation on charm, but charm was not what made him dangerous.
Adaptation did.
When one lie failed, he did not defend it forever.
He found another lie.
He moved quickly.
And now Grace watched him recognize that the first battlefield was lost.
His expression softened.
He turned toward her.
“Can we talk privately?”
“No.”
“Grace.”
“No.”
“We’re married.”
“For the moment.”
The room became painfully quiet.
Ethan looked at her stomach.
The gesture was deliberate.
“Does our child mean nothing to you?”
Grace felt the baby move.
A slow pressure beneath her ribs.
She placed one hand over it.
“Our child is the reason I stopped pretending.”
Ethan’s face tightened.
For one second, something almost human crossed it.
Fear.
Not fear of losing money.
Fear of losing access.
