Chapter 45

Ethan's POV

I stared hard at the woman standing beside Lauren, my eyes narrowing slightly as recognition struck me like a slap. “You again?” I muttered under my breath, my tone sharp with disbelief. Of all people, it had to be her.

Tessa. Lauren’s so-called best friend. The same woman I’d never liked from the beginning.

She always had this strange aura about her, always trying too hard to fit into our lives, like a puzzle piece that didn’t belong. She latched on to Elena like her life depended on it, forcing herself into moments that didn’t concern her, attaching herself to our family just because she didn’t have one of her own. And now, here she was again, stepping into a conversation that wasn’t hers.

“And why,” I asked, my voice thick with contempt, “should I believe a single word that comes out of your mouth?”

Tessa crossed her arms and held her ground. She didn’t flinch, didn’t back down. Instead, she looked at me with this fiery g