Chapter 6 - The Shadow of the Past
While Ethan was tearing down Arthur Whitmore’s empire in Manhattan, a different kind of storm was brewing back at the Long Island estate.
Nora sat in the sunroom, sipping hot tea while reading a baby care book Hannah had bought for her. Her mind felt peaceful for the first time in months, her heart slowly learning to accept that she was safe under Ethan’s care.
Suddenly, a loud commotion broke out near the front gates of the estate.
Shouting echoed across the manicured lawns, followed by the sharp sound of a guard warning someone to back away.
Nora stood up, placing a hand over her stomach, walking nervously toward the floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the driveway.
A rusted blue pickup truck was parked near the iron gates. Standing outside the truck, screaming at two of Marcus’s armed security guards, was a tall, disheveled man in dirty jeans and a heavy work jacket.
Nora’s heart stopped.
The blood drained from her face. The tea cup slipped from her trembling fingers, shattering against the tiled floor.
It was Greg Bennett.
Her ex-husband.
The man who had gambled away their savings, abused her physically and mentally five years ago, and walked out the second she refused to sign over her small inheritance from her late grandmother.
“Nora!” Greg’s raspy, angry voice echoed across the lawn through the iron gates. “I know you’re in there! Open the damn gate!”
Hannah ran into the sunroom, alarmed by the sound of breaking glass. “Nora! What’s wrong?”
“It’s... it’s Greg,” Nora whispered, her voice cracking with terror, her body shaking uncontrollably. “My ex-husband. How did he find me?”
Hannah’s eyes flared with anger. She immediately stepped in front of Nora, grabbing her hand. “Don't worry. Marcus won't let him past the gate.”
Outside, Greg was waving a stack of legal papers at the guards. “I have a right to see my wife! She’s carrying my baby!”
Nora gasped, taking a step back. “He’s lying! He abandoned me eighteen months ago! This baby isn't his—I used an anonymous donor at a fertility clinic after I saved enough money!”
Marcus, the head of security, walked up to the iron gate, stepping into Greg’s face. “Listen to me, pal. You step one foot over this property line, and I’m arresting you for trespassing. Get lost.”
Greg sneered, leaning against the bars. “You tell Nora that Celeste Whitmore’s lawyers paid me ten thousand dollars to come here! They know all about her secret donor baby! If Nora doesn't come out here and talk to me, I’m going to the press and telling every news camera that she stole money from me before she ran away!”
Nora leaned against the sunroom wall, her breathing fast and shallow.
Celeste Whitmore had struck her final, desperate blow. Before fleeing New York, Celeste had tracked down Nora’s toxic ex-husband and paid him to fabricate stories to destroy Nora’s reputation in the public eye.
Suddenly, the sleek black SUV carrying Ethan pulled up the driveway.
The heavy iron gates opened automatically.
Ethan stepped out of the vehicle. He didn't look at Greg initially; he saw Nora standing behind the sunroom glass, her face pale with terror.
Ethan’s eyes darkened into pure fury.
He walked over to Greg Bennett, stopping just two feet away. Ethan towered over the scruffy man, his presence radiating an overwhelming, dangerous force.
“Who are you?” Ethan asked coldly.
Greg tried to puff out his chest, attempting to look intimidating. “I’m Greg Bennett. Nora’s husband.”
“Ex-husband,” Ethan corrected, his voice like dropping ice. “The man who abandoned her five years ago after stealing her savings.”
Greg flinched, surprised that Ethan knew his history. “Look, Mr. Big-Shot Calloway. Celeste Whitmore gave me a call. She told me my wife is living in luxury in your house. I want my cut. Give me fifty thousand dollars, or I’ll tell the news reporters that Nora is an unfit mother and a liar.”
Ethan looked at Greg for three long seconds. He didn't yell. He didn't raise a fist.
Instead, Ethan reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number on speakerphone.
“State Trooper Department, Captain Miller speaking,” a official voice boomed over the speaker.
“Captain Miller, this is Ethan Calloway,” Ethan said calmly. “I have Greg Bennett standing on my driveway. I believe there’s an active warrant out for his arrest in Pennsylvania for felony wire fraud and grand larceny?”
Greg’s face turned bright red, then ghostly white. “What... what are you talking about?”
“We’ve had a warrant for Greg Bennett’s arrest for eight months, Mr. Calloway,” Captain Miller replied instantly. “Is he at your location?”
“He is,” Ethan said, looking directly into Greg’s terrified eyes. “And my security team is holding him for you.”
Marcus immediately stepped forward, grabbing Greg’s arm and twisting it behind his back, slamming him against the hood of the truck and slapping heavy zip-ties onto his wrists.
“You can’t do this!” Greg screamed, kicking wildly. “Nora! Tell them to let me go!”
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Ethan walked away from the screaming man without giving him a second glance. He strode straight into the house, through the sunroom doors, and wrapped his broad arms around Nora, pulling her small, shaking body tightly against his chest.
“He’s gone, Nora,” Ethan whispered into her hair, holding her securely as she wept against his shoulder. “He’s never coming near you or your child ever again.”
