Chapter 1: The Smile Before the Fall
Chapter 1: The Smile Before the Fall
Ethan stopped a few feet from Isabella.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"In front of all these people?" he asked softly.
"You always did enjoy attention."
Without waiting for an answer, he reached out and lifted her chin with two fingers.
"There."
"So everyone can see you're still wearing my name."
The ballroom remained silent.
Several guests looked away.
Others pretended not to notice the fading bruises beneath Isabella's makeup.
She calmly removed his hand.
"You shouldn't have done that."
Ethan laughed.
"And what exactly are you going to do?"
She lowered the phone from her ear.
"I'm not."
"The detectives already did."
At that exact moment, every screen in the ballroom came to life.
The gala's promotional video disappeared.
In its place appeared security footage.
Not from the ballroom.
From Ethan's own penthouse.
The date.
The time.
Every angle.
Guests watched Ethan shove Isabella into a marble countertop during an argument.
Another clip showed him smashing her phone.
Another captured him threatening her while believing no one was recording.
The room filled with stunned whispers.
Ethan's smile disappeared.
"What is this?"
A voice answered from the entrance.
May you like
"Evidence."
Two detectives walked into the ballroom carrying sealed evidence cases.
