Chapter 4: He Followed Me
Ethan's eyes didn't leave Derek's hand—the one that had been wrapped around my wrist.
"Who the fuck are you?" Derek straightened up, trying to match Ethan's height. He fell about four inches short.
Ethan ignored him completely. He looked at me, voice dropping low. "You okay?"
I nodded slowly. "How did you know I was here?"
"You left your location shared with me three months ago. You never turned it off." His jaw tightened. "When I saw you come here, I had a bad feeling."
Three months ago, I'd shared my location with Ethan during a late-night grocery run when I felt unsafe. I'd completely forgotten.
Derek's face twisted. "So THIS is why you want a divorce? You've been fucking the neighbor?!"
"$12,000 deposited. Public accusation of infidelity—bonus multiplier applied. Attractiveness +4%. Current rating: 8.6."
I didn't flinch. "You don't get to accuse me of anything. Not after what you did."
Linda inserted herself, pointing at Ethan. "See?! I KNEW she was no good! Gold-digging whore—"
"$15,000 deposited."
Ethan's entire body coiled tight. He stepped forward, and Derek actually stumbled backward.
"Call her that again," Ethan said quietly, "and I'll break every piece of furniture in this house. Starting with your son's face."
The room went dead silent.
Nobody doubted he could do it. Ethan looked like he bench-pressed humans for fun.
I grabbed his arm. "Let's go. They're not worth it."
Ethan didn't move immediately. His eyes swept the room one more time—a silent warning—before he turned and walked me out.
In his car, parked under a streetlight, neither of us spoke for a moment.
Finally, Ethan broke the silence. "How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long has he been hitting you?"
I blinked. "He never hit me."
"Sophia." Ethan's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. "He grabbed you hard enough to leave marks. That's not the grip of someone doing it for the first time."
I looked down. Faint red marks circled my wrist.
He was right. Derek never punched me—but he grabbed, shoved, squeezed. Things that didn't leave visible bruises. Things I'd minimized for years.
"It doesn't matter now," I said softly. "I'm done."
Ethan stared straight ahead, jaw working. "I should've said something sooner. I heard things. Through the walls. Arguments. Things breaking. I always told myself it wasn't my business."
"It wasn't."
"Bullshit." He finally looked at me, and the raw guilt in his eyes made my chest ache. "You were hurting. Right next door. And I did nothing."
"You're doing something now," I said.
The tension in his shoulders eased, just barely.
He drove me back to my hotel in silence. At the door, he lingered.
"Sophia."
"Yeah?"
"That upgrade—whatever you're doing—the new clothes, the confidence... It's not just surface level, is it?"
My heart skipped. "What do you mean?"
He studied my face like he was solving a puzzle. "Three days ago, you looked completely different. I'm not imagining it. Something's happening to you."
I swallowed. "Would you believe me if I told you?"
His answer surprised me. "I'd believe anything you said."
The earnestness in his voice made something crack open inside me—something I'd sealed shut years ago.
"Not tonight," I whispered. "But soon."
He nodded. "I'll be here."
I watched him walk away and realized something terrifying.
I was starting to feel things I absolutely should not be feeling—not while I was still legally married to a man I needed to keep provoking.
The system purred to life one more time. "Reminder, Host: proximity to high-value males amplifies glow retention by 20%. Recommend maintaining close contact."
Oh, great. Even the system was playing matchmaker.
"Who the fuck are you?" Derek straightened up, trying to match Ethan's height. He fell about four inches short.
Ethan ignored him completely. He looked at me, voice dropping low. "You okay?"
I nodded slowly. "How did you know I was here?"
"You left your location shared with me three months ago. You never turned it off." His jaw tightened. "When I saw you come here, I had a bad feeling."
Three months ago, I'd shared my location with Ethan during a late-night grocery run when I felt unsafe. I'd completely forgotten.
Derek's face twisted. "So THIS is why you want a divorce? You've been fucking the neighbor?!"
"$12,000 deposited. Public accusation of infidelity—bonus multiplier applied. Attractiveness +4%. Current rating: 8.6."
I didn't flinch. "You don't get to accuse me of anything. Not after what you did."
Linda inserted herself, pointing at Ethan. "See?! I KNEW she was no good! Gold-digging whore—"
"$15,000 deposited."
Ethan's entire body coiled tight. He stepped forward, and Derek actually stumbled backward.
"Call her that again," Ethan said quietly, "and I'll break every piece of furniture in this house. Starting with your son's face."
The room went dead silent.
Nobody doubted he could do it. Ethan looked like he bench-pressed humans for fun.
I grabbed his arm. "Let's go. They're not worth it."
Ethan didn't move immediately. His eyes swept the room one more time—a silent warning—before he turned and walked me out.
In his car, parked under a streetlight, neither of us spoke for a moment.
Finally, Ethan broke the silence. "How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long has he been hitting you?"
I blinked. "He never hit me."
"Sophia." Ethan's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. "He grabbed you hard enough to leave marks. That's not the grip of someone doing it for the first time."
I looked down. Faint red marks circled my wrist.
He was right. Derek never punched me—but he grabbed, shoved, squeezed. Things that didn't leave visible bruises. Things I'd minimized for years.
"It doesn't matter now," I said softly. "I'm done."
Ethan stared straight ahead, jaw working. "I should've said something sooner. I heard things. Through the walls. Arguments. Things breaking. I always told myself it wasn't my business."
"It wasn't."
"Bullshit." He finally looked at me, and the raw guilt in his eyes made my chest ache. "You were hurting. Right next door. And I did nothing."
"You're doing something now," I said.
The tension in his shoulders eased, just barely.
He drove me back to my hotel in silence. At the door, he lingered.
"Sophia."
"Yeah?"
"That upgrade—whatever you're doing—the new clothes, the confidence... It's not just surface level, is it?"
My heart skipped. "What do you mean?"
He studied my face like he was solving a puzzle. "Three days ago, you looked completely different. I'm not imagining it. Something's happening to you."
I swallowed. "Would you believe me if I told you?"
His answer surprised me. "I'd believe anything you said."
The earnestness in his voice made something crack open inside me—something I'd sealed shut years ago.
"Not tonight," I whispered. "But soon."
He nodded. "I'll be here."
I watched him walk away and realized something terrifying.
I was starting to feel things I absolutely should not be feeling—not while I was still legally married to a man I needed to keep provoking.
The system purred to life one more time. "Reminder, Host: proximity to high-value males amplifies glow retention by 20%. Recommend maintaining close contact."
Oh, great. Even the system was playing matchmaker.