Chapter 3

Ethan woke to the smell of antiseptic and the beeping of machines.

A hospital.

His arm throbbed, a deep, burning ache.

A nurse, kind-faced and middle-aged, was checking his vitals.

"Mr. Miller? You're awake. You lost a fair bit of blood. Nasty cut. The doctor stitched you up. You were lucky it missed the artery."

"Ava?" he managed, his throat dry. "My wife...did she bring me here?"

The nurse looked sympathetic. "No, dear. Your friend, Mark, I think his name was? He brought you in. Your wife arrived a little later, with her brother."

Of course.

Mark. Not Ava.

Even now, even after this, her priority was Liam.

He felt a fresh wave of desolation wash over him.

The nurse helped him sit up. "Your sister called. Chloe, is it? She' s flying in from London. Should be here by evening."

Relief. Chloe would handle things.

He reached for his phone on the bedside table.

His social media feed was buzzing.

A new post from a popular gossip blog.

Headline: "Harrison Heiress Ava Harrison Comforts Distraught Brother Liam After Nightclub Scuffle. Source Says Liam Acted in Self-Defense."

There was a photo.

Ava, her arm around Liam, her face a mask of concern, guiding him through a throng of paparazzi outside the nightclub.

Liam looked shaken, artfully disheveled. The victim.

Ethan' s blood boiled.

Self-defense? Liam had attacked him with a broken bottle!

He scrolled further.

Comments.

"Poor Liam, hope he' s okay."

"That Ethan Miller always seemed a bit intense."

"Ava is such a saint, always protecting her family."

He threw the phone onto the bed in disgust.

The Harrison PR machine was already in full swing.

Later that day, a police officer came to take his statement.

Ethan told him exactly what happened.

The officer listened patiently, took notes.

"Mr. Harrison claims you assaulted him first, and he was defending himself," the officer said, his tone neutral.

"That' s a lie," Ethan stated, his voice hoarse. "He attacked me with a broken bottle."

"We found a broken bottle at the scene," the officer conceded. "But there were no other witnesses who saw Mr. Harrison wield it. Mostly just a lot of pushing and shoving, then you were on the ground."

"Ava saw it! My wife, Ava Harrison, she was there!"

The officer looked uncomfortable. "Mrs. Harrison-Miller stated it was a chaotic accident. That her brother was very distressed and may have inadvertently caused your injury during the confusion."

Inadvertently.

Ethan felt a bitter laugh escape him.

Just as the officer was leaving, Ava swept into the room.

She looked immaculate, serene, not a hair out of place.

The concerned society wife.

"Ethan, darling, are you alright?" she asked, her voice dripping with false concern.

She didn' t come near him.

"Don't 'darling' me, Ava," Ethan snapped. "You know what Liam did."

"It was an accident, Ethan," she said smoothly. "Liam is very upset. He feels terrible."

"He attacked me! He tried to kill me!"

Ava sighed, a delicate, put-upon sound.

"Don't be dramatic. He was drunk. It was a mistake. I' ve spoken to the club owner, the police. It' s all being handled."

"Handled? You mean covered up?" Ethan challenged.

"I mean resolved, for the sake of family peace," Ava said, her eyes cold. "Liam is... fragile. A police record would destroy him."

"And what about me?" Ethan demanded, gesturing to his bandaged arm. "What about what he did to me?"

"I'll ensure you have the best medical care, of course," Ava said. "And Liam will be punished."

"Oh really? How?" Ethan asked, sarcasm lacing his tone.

"I' ve restricted his allowance for a month," Ava said, as if this were a severe penance.

Ethan stared at her, speechless.

A restricted allowance. For nearly gutting him.

"You're unbelievable," he finally choked out.

Ava' s expression hardened. "Ethan, let it go. The Harrison family has considerable influence. Pursuing this will only create an ugly, public scandal. It won't go anywhere, I assure you. It' s better for everyone if we just move on."

Her power. Her family' s power.

He was nothing against that.

He felt utterly powerless, defeated.

"Why, Ava?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Why did you marry me? What was I to you? A prop? A cover?"

Ava looked away, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ethan. I' ll have a suite prepared for you at the Carlyle when you' re discharged. You can rest there. I'll send a nurse."

Compensation. Temporary care.

Not an answer. Not an apology. Not a shred of genuine concern for him.

Only for Liam. For the Harrison name.

He turned his face to the wall.

"Get out, Ava," he said, his voice dead.

He heard her heels click as she left the room.

Family peace.

His pain, his injury, his life – all secondary to Liam' s comfort and the Harrison reputation.

He was truly, utterly alone in this marriage.