He Defended Her, He Said I Deserved It Chapter 05

He Defended Her, He Said I Deserved It Chapter 05

That evening, Ethan came home holding a bouquet of lilies. 

The outcome in court had gone exactly as he expected. 

Chloe was cleared. 

The case was over. 

He assumed that once I calmed down, our life would return to normal. 

Then he opened the door. 

Cold winter air rushed inside. 

The apartment was dark. 

The whole place was silent. 

Ethan tightened his grip around the flowers. 

Irritation rose inside him. 

Was I really doing this? 

Leaving home like this? 

He knew he had ignored me lately 

He knew I was still angry about what happened. 

But the court had ruled in his favor. 

That meant he had made the right choice. 

He frowned and dropped the lilies on the entry table. 

Before he could process the unease building inside him, his phone rang. 

It was the managing partner of his firm. 

“Ethan, have you seen the news?” 

“What news?” 

Today’s case is all over social media.” 

People are accusing you of victim blaming.” 

The comments are brutal.” 

“The firm is getting dragged into it too.” 

Stay away from the office for a few days.” 

The call ended. 

Ethan stood in the dark. 

For a long moment, he said nothing. 

Just before the screen went black, another message appeared 

from the firm’s receptionist. 

Avery Bennett sent an urgent package.” 

“She instructed us to hand it directly to you.” 

“Do you want us to hold it until tomorrow, or are you coming in tonight?” 

The drive to the firm felt longer than usual. 

He did’t have to guess who had released the story. 

For the first time, he had a strange feeling. 

Avery might actually be done with him. 

Every time they fought, she had waited. 

She had cooled down. 

She had always accepted his compromises. 

Eventually, she had always come back. 

Over the years, Ethan had started to take that for granted. 

He had even begun to think of her as something soft and 

familiar that would always be there. 

This time, she was gone. 

When he arrived at the firm, the receptionist handed him 

the sealed envelope. 

He tore it open. 

The first thing that fell out was a signed divorce agreement. 

His mind went blank. 

The receptionist immediately stepped away. 

Ethan bent down and picked it up. 

For some reason, he did’tt want to open the rest of the envelope. 

The entire night had become too much. 

He put the envelope on his desk. 

Then he pulled out a pack of cigarettes he had not touched 

in years. 

He needed something to steady his nerves. 

He walked to the rooftop. 

The moment he pushed the door open, the wind carried 

Chloe’s laughter toward him. 

It sounded light. 

Pleased. 

Nothing like the tearful woman he had seen in court. 

Ethan frowned. 

He had not planned to listen. 

Then he heard his own name. 

‘Ethan is completely under my control now.” 

“He knew his own wife had been assaulted and still chose my side.

“If that’s not love, what is?” 

Ethan’s hand stopped on the door handle.