Too Late, My Queen

ctor said it was a severe anxiety attack, exacerbated by exhaustion. He felt hollow, the fight drained out of him. The end of hi

were laughing, their heads close together. They didn' t even glance at Ethan, lying pale and still in the h

detached himself from

his eyes cold. "Heard you caused quite a scene.

on Tori. She was examining her nai

n said, his

d at him, her exp

was very upset. She heard about your little stunt. S

ds Julian. "What are you ta

perate plea in his eyes. "Tor

hair behind Julian' s ear, a gesture of affection that made Ethan' s stomach clench. She hadn'

ital?" Ethan asked, his voice barely a whispe

e faint. It' s hardly a national emergency. Julian, however, was ge

, puffing out his chest. "To me. And to

redulous. "I will not apologize for s

pped her fingers. Two large men in dark suits, VME security,

gh Ethan' s despair. He knew that t

Tori, one last, desperate appeal.

his hospital gown falling open, exposing his vulnerability. They forced him t

e," the m

as on his knees, forced to beg forgiveness from the man who was destroying his

e mumbled, the words

nt. Then, with a dramati

-fashioned. They wouldn' t approve of... this arrangement." He gestured vaguely between Tori and Ethan. "They'

thing – hope? Relief? – but

Julian. I' ll call my lawyers. We' ll arrange a generous settlement for your... inconvenience." She then looked a

red, meant nothing. She had once moved heaven and earth, or so it felt to him, to bind him to her, to secure his dependence. Now,

lready bruis

, pulling her close. He looked over her shoulder at Ethan, still kneeling o

glance at Ethan, they swept out of the room,

curled into himself, the humiliation, the betrayal, the utter desolatio

ficient, his briefcase full of documents. Divorce papers. A settlement agreeme

f emotion. "She says this is just part of the game. She expects you to wait for h

ught of Tori' s casual cruelty, her easy dismissal of their past, her blatant infatuation

r toy, waiting on a shelf to be picked up again at her whim. He would n

n a definitive end. He was free. Or so he hoped. The pric