My Guardian's Fall, My Empire Rises

For ten years, I secretly loved my guardian, Ethan Hayes. After my family fell apart, he took me in and raised me. He was my entire world.

On my eighteenth birthday, I gathered all my courage to confess my love to him.

But his reaction was a fury I had never seen before. He swept my birthday cake to the floor and roared, "Are you insane? I am your GUARDIAN!"

He then mercilessly tore the painting I had spent a year on-my confession-to shreds.

Just days later, he brought home his fiancée, Chloe.

The man who had promised to wait for me to grow up, who called me his brightest star, had vanished. My decade of desperate, burning love had only managed to burn myself.

The person who was supposed to protect me had become the one who hurt me the most.

I looked down at the NYU acceptance letter in my hand. I had to leave. I had to pull him out of my heart, no matter how much it hurt.

I picked up the phone and dialed my father's number.

Dad, I said, my voice hoarse, "I've decided. I want to come be with you in New York."

Chapter 1

The eighteenth day of giving up on Ethan Hayes began with Ava deleting the photo on her phone's lock screen.

It was a candid shot she had secretly taken.

Ethan was sitting on the sofa, bathed in the afternoon sun, a financial magazine resting on his knee. He was looking at her, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.

For a full ten years, from the age of eight to eighteen, this man had been the sun in her world.

Her joy, her anger, her sorrow, her entire world revolved around him.

But now, she wanted to extinguish that sun with her own hands.

The screen went black.

A clean, stark black, leaving nothing behind.

Ava's fingers trembled slightly as she put the phone down and picked up the glass of milk on the table. It was already cold.

She drank it in one gulp, the cold liquid sliding down her throat, but it couldn't suppress the burning sensation in her chest.

She picked up her phone again and dialed a number she hadn't contacted in a long time.

The call connected quickly. A man's gentle voice came through.

Ava?

Dad, she called out, her voice a little hoarse. "I got my acceptance letter. NYU."

Her father was silent for a moment, then his voice filled with unconcealed joy. "That's wonderful! Ava, congratulations. Art History, right? The department you always dreamed of."

Yes.

So, you've decided? You're coming to New York?

I've decided, Ava said, her grip on the phone tightening. "I want to come be with you."

She wanted to escape this place. She wanted to escape Ethan Hayes.

Her father seemed to sense the emotion in her voice. He sighed softly. "Is it because of Ethan? Did he give you a hard time again?"

No, Ava lied, forcing a relaxed tone. "He's getting engaged. I can't just keep living in his house as his ward, not now. It feels wrong. Besides, I'm an adult now. It's time I learned to be on my own."

A heavy silence followed.

After a long while, her father's voice, full of heartache, came through the phone. "My poor Ava. It's been hard on you all these years, living in that house because I couldn't... It's good that you're coming. Dad will take care of you from now on."

He added, "Our family's business is back on track. You don't need to depend on anyone anymore. Dad can support you."

The warmth of his words made Ava's eyes sting.

She sniffled, holding back the tears. "Okay."

After hanging up, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were red and swollen.

Ten years. She had spent a full ten years loving a man who would never belong to her.

She had to leave.

She had to pull Ethan Hayes out of her heart, piece by piece, no matter how much it hurt.

Taking a deep breath, she walked out of her room. The light in the study at the end of the hall was on.

Ethan was still working.

She hesitated for a moment, then walked over, clutching the NYU acceptance letter. She needed to tell him.

She stopped at the half-open door. Through the gap, she could see the man inside.

He wore a simple gray shirt, his posture upright and his expression focused. The light from the lamp cast a soft glow on his sharp profile, outlining a face so handsome it seemed unreal. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses sat on his high nose, giving his cold demeanor a touch of refined elegance.

This was Ethan Hayes. Her father's former protégé, the brilliant young man who had stayed loyal when her family's business crumbled. When her parents divorced and her mother left the country, it was her father, at his lowest point, who had asked Ethan to become her legal guardian. He was the man who had raised her.

Her guardian, with no blood relation.

And the man she had secretly loved for ten years.

Ethan, she called out softly, her voice barely a whisper.

Ethan looked up, his brow furrowed slightly as he saw her. "What is it?"

His voice was as cold and distant as ever.

Ava's heart clenched. She was about to speak when his phone on the desk rang, a crisp, pleasant tone.

His cold expression melted the moment he saw the caller ID. A gentleness she had never seen before bloomed in his eyes.

Chloe, he said, his voice low and soft.

It was his fiancée, Chloe Vance.

The venue? You decide, I'm fine with anything. Don't worry about the cost. He listened to the person on the other end, the corner of his mouth curving into a doting smile. "As long as you like it, nothing else matters."

Ava stood frozen at the door, her hands and feet turning to ice.

The acceptance letter in her hand felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

She suddenly remembered her eighteenth birthday, just two months ago. She had gathered all her courage to give him a painting she had worked on for a year, titled Secret.

In the painting, a young girl followed a man's back, her eyes full of love.

It was her confession.

Ethan's reaction was a fury she had never seen before.

He swept all the gifts off the table, the cake crashing to the floor.

Ava Miller! he had roared, his eyes red with rage. "Are you insane? I am your GUARDIAN!"

She had stubbornly argued back, tears streaming down her face. "But we're not related by blood! My dad trusted you! And the way you've always indulged me... that's not how a guardian is supposed to treat his ward!"

He had sneered, his handsome face contorted with cruelty. "Can't you tell the difference between familial affection and love? Your education has been a waste."

With that, he had mercilessly torn her painting, her Secret, to shreds.

He had turned and left without a backward glance, leaving her alone in the wreckage of her birthday.

She had cried and picked up the pieces, carefully taping them back together. But the painting, like her heart, was covered in scars.

Even then, she hadn't given up.

She thought that as long as she was good enough, as long as she got into his alma mater, he would see her.

But just after her graduation, he brought Chloe Vance home.

He had introduced her with a smile. "Ava, this is Chloe, my fiancée."

That was the moment she knew.

It was truly over.

All her desperate, burning love for the past ten years had only burned herself.

Now, she had to be the one to extinguish the fire.

She had to get him out of her heart.

Ethan was still on the phone, his voice gentle and patient as he discussed the details of the engagement party with Chloe.

Ava stood silently at the door, listening to the voice that had once been her entire world.

She quietly swallowed the words she had been about to say.

What was the point of telling him?

She was just his ward, his responsibility. Which university she went to, where she went... he wouldn't care.

She turned and walked away, her steps light, as if she was afraid of disturbing the sweet scene inside.

Back in her room, she looked around the space she had lived in for ten years.

There were fifteen days left.

In fifteen days, she would leave this place completely.

Her gaze fell on the small lamp on her nightstand. It was shaped like a chinchilla, a gift from Ethan for her tenth birthday. The light it cast was a warm, soft yellow.

He had told her then, "Ava, from now on, I will be like this chinchilla, protecting you always."

He had been her protector.

But that was all in the past.

She reached out and turned off the lamp. The room was plunged into darkness.

It was time to pack.

She pulled a dusty old suitcase from the back of her closet and opened the display cabinet.

Inside were all the gifts Ethan had given her over the years.

A lucky charm he'd stood in line for hours to get from a tiny, renowned artisan shop. A custom-blended perfume he had personally created for her.

One by one, she placed them into the suitcase.

With each item, her heart felt a little emptier, as if a hole was being torn open inside her.

She pressed down the feeling of desolation and opened the bottom drawer of the cabinet.

Inside lay a faded, yellowed notebook.

It was her diary.

The first few pages were filled with childish scrawls, recording her turbulent childhood after her parents' divorce and the bullying she endured from classmates.

Ethan had accidentally seen it once.

He hadn't said anything then, but later that night, he had come to her room and sat by her bed.

He had gently stroked her hair and told her, "Ava, you are the brightest star in my eyes."

She later found out he had gone to her school and warned the bullies. From then on, no one had dared to bother her again.

He had secretly protected her childhood.

As she grew up, her handwriting in the diary became neater, and the entries were all about him.

About the time he won a major award and told her, "You are my medal of honor."

About the time he gave her a rose and said, "I'll wait for you to grow up."

She flipped to the last page. It was a message he had written for her when she was a high school sophomore.

Study hard and get into Wharton. After you graduate, you can come work at my company. I'll keep looking out for you.

A tear fell silently, blurring the ink on the page.

She quickly wiped her eyes, her expression hardening.

She began to tear the diary, page by page.

With each torn page, a piece of her past with him was erased.

When the last page was torn, she threw all the fragments into the suitcase and zipped it shut.

Just then, she heard a noise from downstairs.

She walked out of her room and saw Chloe Vance standing in the living room, pulling a suitcase behind her. Ethan was hugging her from behind.

You're here, Ethan said, his voice soft.

Chloe saw Ava on the stairs and smiled, walking over. "Ava, I brought you a gift."

She opened her suitcase and took out a delicate box. Inside was a beautiful little cake, a mango mousse topped with fresh fruit.

Ava's smile tightened.

She was severely allergic to mangoes.

She remembered one time when a new housekeeper had served a dessert with mango puree, and she'd had a terrifying allergic reaction, ending up in the emergency room.

Ethan had fired the housekeeper on the spot and had made the kitchen a strict no-mango zone ever since.

He used to remember every preference, every vulnerability.

Ava, Ethan's voice came from behind Chloe, a hint of displeasure in his tone. "Chloe picked it out for you. Take it."

Ava looked at Ethan. He had an expression that said it was only natural.

Her heart ached with a dull pain.

He had not only taken back his affection, but he had also forgotten her weaknesses.

She took a deep breath, took the box, forcing a smile.

Thank you, Chloe. It's beautiful.

But she didn't care anymore.

In fact, she should thank them.

Thank them for making her decision to leave even firmer.

Chloe stayed the night.

Ava lay in her bed, the thin walls unable to block out the ambiguous sounds coming from the next room.

Sleep was impossible.

She got up and went to the balcony, lighting a cigarette. She had secretly learned to smoke a long time ago.

The bitter taste filled her mouth, just like the bitterness in her heart.

The next morning, she went downstairs with dark circles under her eyes.

Chloe, looking refreshed and glowing, pulled her over to the sofa.

Ava, Ethan's birthday is coming up. What kind of party do you think he'd like? A seaside theme?

The faint red marks on Chloe's neck were just visible above her collar. They were like needles, pricking Ava's eyes.

She remembered walking with Ethan on a beach one evening. She had told him she loved the sea.

He had promised her that from then on, every one of his birthdays would be celebrated by the sea.

Back then, his eyes were full of her.

Now, he avoided her like the plague. He had forgotten everything she liked and disliked.

Just as Ava was about to speak, Ethan interrupted from the kitchen. "If you want to know about my affairs, you should ask me directly."

Chloe pouted playfully. "I just thought Ava would know you better."

Ava forced a smile, her heart aching. "I don't know him that well."

She stood up to leave, the bitterness in her heart threatening to overwhelm her.

Where are you going so early? Ethan's voice, suddenly cold, stopped her.

Ava's heart trembled. "I have an appointment to get my visa."

Chloe looked surprised. "A visa? Are you going on a trip? With your boyfriend?"

Ethan's brow furrowed, his tone sharp with disapproval. "Ava, I don't want you getting involved with anyone until you're settled in college."

His cold condemnation hit her heart. She didn't even have the strength to explain.

Chloe smoothed things over with a smile. "Oh, Ethan, don't be so strict. Ava is a big girl. It's normal to fall in love."

Ethan and Chloe left together, hand in hand.

Ava stood in the living room, her hands slowly clenching into fists.

She had only one eighteenth year, and she had given it all to him.

She would not let her youth be buried in a swamp of unrequited love.

She walked out of the house. A light drizzle was falling, and the air was cold.

She remembered how Ethan used to personally pick her up and drop her off on rainy days, holding an umbrella over her. He used to say she was his sheltered port in a storm.

She told herself to get used to walking alone.

She opened her umbrella and walked into the rain.

After getting her visa, she was about to call a cab when she instinctively clicked on Ethan's profile, which she had set as a special notification.

He had just posted a new update.

A rainy day is perfect for an official announcement.

The accompanying photo was a wedding picture of him and Chloe. He was smiling, his eyes full of tenderness.

The comment section was flooded with congratulations.

The left side of her chest didn't ache with that familiar pang anymore. It was numb.

She calmly typed a comment.

A match made in heaven.