After Bella bailed to follow her own fairy tale, Adrian and I were practically shoved into marriage by family pressure. To everyone else, it looked like I’d swooped in and taken advantage of Bella’s weakest moment. And trust me, I felt every bit of that disdain, especially from Ethan.
With all the privilege that came from being Adrian’s brother, Ethan had free rein at Bennett Manor. He’d walk right in, knock down anything I’d worked hard to build, and leave me picking up the pieces. The worst part? He’d intentionally go out of his way to make my life miserable.
Take the cat incident. Ethan knew I was allergic, but that didn’t stop him from suggesting Jonah adopt a stray. When I protested, he turned the whole thing into a circus. He coached Jonah into throwing a tantrum, complete with dramatic wails echoing through the house. And Ethan? He swooped in, all charm and sympathy, playing the ‘good guy’ card.
“It’s just a cat,” he’d say, all calm and collected. “Let the kid have it. What’s the harm?”
Jonah wasn’t having it, of course. He cried even louder, rolling around on the floor like his world was ending. “Mom’s mean! I want the cat!”
I kicked them both out—Ethan and the cat. But instead of backing off, I sat down with Jonah and tried to explain. “Sweetheart, I’m allergic to cats. But how about a puppy instead?”
Didn’t matter. Jonah was fixated on that stupid cat, and Ethan kept stirring the pot. Jonah hit me, screamed at me, and demanded the kitten back.
That was the moment everything shifted. Ethan had found his opening and used it to turn my own son against me, feeding him lie after lie, painting me as the villain.
Like a predator circling its prey, Ethan made it his mission to tear apart every little shred of peace I had left.
