Ethan froze mid-step, his smile stiffening at the corners of his lips.
"Mila... I know you hate ," he said, his voice softening. "But believe , I missed you. I never believed you were dead. I searched for you everywhere."
He took a step toward her.
Mila stepped back instantly.
"I realized my mistakes," he continued, stopping himself. "I broke up with Bianca. After losing you, I understood you were the one I truly loved."
Mila almost laughed. "What? You loved ?" she scoffed. "How dare you say that?"
Her eyes burned with anger.
"I heard everything you said to your friends," she continued sharply. "You said I disgusted you. Rember? You were only with to please Bianca, to satisfy her whims."
Ethan shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but Mila didn’t give him the ti.
"You don’t love ," she said coldly. "You only miss the girl who followed you everywhere, who did everything you asked. Now that she has gone, you suddenly miss her and think it’s love. But it’s not. A man like you can only love himself."
"No... that’s not true," he said urgently. "I do love you. I just didn’t realize it before. But now I do. You are the only one who matters to ."
He stepped forward. "The mont I realized it, I ended things with Bianca. When everyone said you were dead, I refused to believe it. I searched for you every single day."
A faint smile returned to his face. "And I was right. You are here. Alive."
He extended his hand toward her. "Co with . Let’s start over."
Mila laughed, but her mouth twisted into a sneer. "Start over?" she repeated. "There is nothing left to start. What we had is over. I no longer love you."
"Don’t say that," Ethan insisted. "We were together for years. You can’t just move on like this. Give another chance. I’ll change. I’ll treat you right this ti—I’ll cherish you."
"I don’t need you," Mila said sharply. "Because I’ve already found soone else. And he is better than you in every way."
For a mont, Ethan couldn’t speak.
Mila had revolved around him for so long. Her eyes had only looked for him. Her mind had been full of his thoughts. She had been desperate to marry him. How could she forget that kind of love?
"You are lying," he snapped suddenly. "You are just angry with ."
He reached out and grabbed her shoulders. "I’m ready to fix everything. Just forgive and co back."
Mila shoved his hands off imdiately. "That’s impossible," she said firmly. "I’ve already chosen soone else."
Ethan’s expression changed. A flicker of irritation crossed his face. "Is it because of that stranger?" he muttered. "He is good for nothing."
His tone turned mocking.
"The mont he entered your life, everything turned dangerous. Gunfire, bomb blast – that man is certainly a criminal. And you still want to be with him?"
Mila couldn’t let him know about Dominic’s background.
"Watch your words," she warned. "He is better than you. He saved . I’m alive because of him."
"Really?" he snapped back. "The mont he appeared, you almost died. And you call him better than ?"
"Yes," she said without hesitation. "You knew for years. You saw how Bianca and Camilla treated . You still chose them. You conspired with them against ."
Her whole body trembled in rage as she recalled everything. "If I hadn’t found out, you would have taken everything from and left with nothing. But he..."
She paused briefly. Her eyes softened as Dominic’s face crossed her mind.
"He stood by without question," she continued quietly. "He protected . He fought everyone who tried to hurt ."
Ethan was stunned. At that point, he thought he had lost her completely, that he would never be able to reclaim her.
Her eyes lifted again, unwavering. "He chose every ti, and you never did."
Ethan’s chest tightened. For the first ti, he felt he had truly lost her.
"I was wrong," he said, desperation creeping into his voice. "But I can fix it. Just give one chance."
He reached for her again.
"Get your hands off her," a voice thundered, echoing in the corridor.
Ethan snapped his head and saw a woman in a black shirt and black trousers approaching them like a storm. Facing the fire in her eyes, he withdrew his hands.
Valentina shoved him away. "Stay back," he muttered.
Ethan’s gaze flickered at Mila. "Who is this woman?"
Mila stepped forward, standing tall in front of him. "My friend, and my protector. Stay away from ."
With that, she turned and walked into the restroom.
Valentina shot him a warning glare before following Mila. When they entered the restroom, she said, "I’m sorry," Valentina said. "I stopped to take a call."
"It’s okay. Don’t worry. I can handle such small matters."
Valentina studied her. "Who is he?"
Mila exhaled slowly. "My ex-boyfriend," she said. "He cheated on . So I left him."
Valentina frowned.
"And now he wants back?"
Valentina’s face twisted with annoyance. "That bastard. Let him get close to you. I’ll rip his hands off his body."
"Don’t waste your energy on him," Mila said dismissively. "He can do nothing."
However, Ethan wasn’t ready to give up easily. He stood still, his gaze fixed on the restroom door.
His expression slowly hardened. "So you are back..." he muttered under his breath.
His lips curled into sothing darker. "Then I’ll take you back too."
His eyes glead with determination. "You were mine. And you will be mine again."
He turned and walked away.
When Mila and Valentina stepped out, he was gone.
Mila let out a quiet breath.
"Let’s go. Max must be bored by now."
They laughed.
Valentina’s phone rang again. "Go on ahead," she said. "I need to take this."
"Alright, don’t take too long."
She gave a slight nod and stepped aside to answer the call, while Mila headed back into the restaurant.
"Any news?" Valentina asked, her expression turning sharp.
"Yes. She is planning sothing dangerous," a voice reported from the other end. "She has been in contact with a local thug. I’ve sent you his photos. Take a look."
Valentina pulled the phone away from her ear and glanced at the screen, where images of Bianca with a man appeared.
"Who is this guy?" Valentina asked.
"A local thug," ca the reply. "He is involved in drug dealing and human trafficking. His influence is growing. The police are after him. He has been arrested multiple tis, but he always gets out within months. His network keeps expanding."
"Hmm," Valentina scoffed. "No matter how much power he has gained, he is nothing compared to . Let’s see what he is up to."
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