Chapter 9 - THE CONVERSATION
Dozens of large security guards stepped out, forcefully forming a massive, impenetrable wall around the building entrance.
Ethan stepped out of the lead car, wearing a sharp black suit and looking every inch the ruthless billionaire the magazines wrote about.
He walked straight toward the horde of aggressive reporters, his eyes burning with a dangerous fire.
"Listen to me very carefully, because I will only say this one time," Ethan boomed, his voice carrying lethal authority.
The cameras stopped flashing immediately, and the usually bold journalists stepped back in genuine fear.
"The woman inside that building is my family, and the boy is my legal, rightful son."
He pointed a sharp finger directly at the lead photographer who had published the original photos.
"If any of you write a single negative word about her, or stalk my son again, I will personally use every dollar I have to ruin your lives."
He didn't wait for them to ask questions or formulate a response.
He walked right past the stunned, silent crowd and straight into the apartment building.
When he unlocked the door to their unit, Hannah practically ran into his arms, shaking with adrenaline.
He held her incredibly tight, burying his face in her hair and shielding her from the terror of the outside world.
"They won't ever bother you again," he whispered into her ear, rubbing her back soothingly.
"I've got you, Hannah, I've always got you."
Later that evening, after Noah had finally calmed down and gone to sleep, Hannah and Ethan sat on the couch in the quiet apartment.
It was time for the conversation they had been avoiding for months.
Hannah told him everything about the panic of finding out she was pregnant alone.
She described the grueling double shifts, the swollen ankles, and the terrifying fear of not being able to afford rent.
Ethan sat beside her and simply listened, tears streaming down his face as he absorbed the pain she had endured.
He didn't make excuses, he didn't try to justify his ignorance, he simply held her hand and apologized for every single tear she had shed.
"I was a fool to believe a piece of paper over the woman who held my heart," Ethan confessed quietly.
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Hannah looked at him, seeing the profound maturity and deep regret that had replaced his youthful arrogance.
She squeezed his hand back, finally letting the last brick of the heavy wall around her heart crumble to the ground.
