Chapter 171

"If you see me as your wife, you wouldn't have locked me out, Ethan." Elena's voice carried a weight of hurt that made Ethan's chest tighten.

"You would have trusted me and told me what was going on instead of leaving me in the dark like some stranger."

Ethan's face crumpled with guilt, she was right, and they both knew it. In his desperate attempt to protect her, he'd pushed away the one person who should have been his partner in all of this.

"I trust you, Elena," he said quietly, his voice rough with emotion. "And I'm so sorry for everything I've put you through. For every...