Chapter 4: The Betrayal
Three months later, Ethan was sitting at his desk at Cole Development Group, reviewing plans for the waterfront development in Brooklyn. He’d already closed the deal, and construction was set to start the following month. He was happy, for the first time in a long time. He’d moved back into the penthouse on 57th and Lake Shore Drive, and he’d started seeing a woman named Sarah, a graphic designer who worked at a design firm in SoHo. He was rich, successful, and completely in control.
Then he got a call from Sarah.
“Ethan,” she said, her voice trembling with fear. “I need your help. Someone broke into my apartment last night. They stole my laptop and my phone, and they left a note on my door that said ‘stay away from Ethan Cole.’”
Ethan’s blood ran cold. He’d been receiving threatening emails and phone calls for weeks, but he’d always ignored them. He thought it was just a bunch of cranks, but now he knew it was something more serious. “I’ll be right there,” he said. He hung up the phone and grabbed his coat, then ran out of his office and drove to Sarah’s apartment in SoHo.
When he arrived, Sarah was sitting on the steps of her apartment building, her face pale and scared. She was holding a piece of paper in her hand, and she handed it to Ethan. It was the note that had been left on her door, written in bold, black ink: Stay away from Ethan Cole. Or else.
“Who would do this?” Sarah said, her voice breaking. “I don’t know anyone who would want to hurt me.”
Ethan thought for a second, then realized who it was. Mr. Henderson. He’d been released from jail two months earlier, and he was trying to get revenge on Ethan for ruining his reputation. “It’s Mr. Henderson,” he said. “He’s trying to get revenge on me. I’m going to call the police.”
Sarah grabbed his arm, her eyes wide with fear. “Don’t call the police, Ethan,” she said. “He’ll just come back and hurt me worse. Please, just leave me alone.”
Ethan stared at her, confused. “What do you mean, leave you alone? I’m not going to leave you alone. I’m going to protect you.”
Sarah pulled away from him, her face cold and distant. “I don’t need your protection, Ethan,” she said. “I just want you to leave me alone. I don’t want to get involved in your business.” She stood up and walked into her apartment, slamming the door behind her.
Ethan stood there, staring at the closed door, his heart racing. He’d never seen Sarah act like this before. She was usually warm and loving, but now she was cold and distant. He walked back to his car, his head hanging low. He had no idea what to do.
A few minutes later, he got a call from Lila.
“Ethan,” she said, her voice cold and formal. “I need to see you. It’s urgent.”
Ethan agreed to meet her at the same coffee shop in the West Village where they’d met a few months earlier. He arrived at the coffee shop 10 minutes early, and he saw Lila sitting in a booth in the back, staring out the window. She was wearing a black blazer and a white blouse, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She looked calm, confident, and completely in control, just like she had at the board meeting.
Ethan walked over to the booth and sat down across from her. “What do you want, Lila?” he said, his voice cold and formal.
Lila turned to him, her eyes serious. “Ethan, I need to talk to you about Sarah,” she said. “I know who she is.”
Ethan stared at her, surprised. “What do you mean, you know who she is?”
Lila leaned forward, her eyes earnest. “Sarah isn’t who she says she is,” she said. “She’s a private investigator. She was hired by Mr. Henderson to spy on you and gather evidence against me. She’s been working for him for months, and she’s been feeding him information about our business deals.”
Ethan’s blood ran cold. He couldn’t believe it. Sarah, the woman he’d been seeing for the past three months, had been lying to him this entire time. He’d trusted her, he’d opened up to her, and she’d been using him to get revenge on him. “Is this true?” he said, his voice breaking.
Lila nodded, and she pulled a folder out of her bag and handed it to him. It was a file of all of the emails and text messages that Sarah had sent to Mr. Henderson over the past three months, along with photos of Sarah meeting with him at a hotel in downtown Manhattan. “I hired a private investigator to follow her, and this is what he found,” she said. “She’s been working for him this entire time.”
Ethan stared at the file, his hands shaking. He’d been an idiot. He’d trusted Sarah, he’d fallen in love with her, and she’d been using him to get revenge on him. He stood up and walked out of the coffee shop, the file in his hand. He had no idea what to do next. He walked back to his car and drove to his penthouse, where he sat down on the couch and began to cry. For the first time in a long time, he felt completely alone.
A few hours later, he got a call from Sarah.
“Ethan,” she said, her voice trembling with fear. “I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
Ethan hesitated, then agreed. He agreed to meet her at the same coffee shop in the West Village where they’d met a few hours earlier. He arrived at the coffee shop 10 minutes early, and he saw Sarah sitting in a booth in the back, staring out the window. She was wearing a black blazer and a white blouse, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. She looked nervous, scared, and completely guilty.
Ethan walked over to the booth and sat down across from her. “What do you want, Sarah?” he said, his voice cold and formal.
Sarah turned to him, her eyes red with tears. “Ethan, I’m sorry,” she said, her voice breaking. “I was working for Mr. Henderson. He paid me to spy on you and gather evidence against Lila. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I really like you.”
Ethan stared at her, his eyes cold and unreadable. “You lied to me, Sarah,” he said. “You told me you were a graphic designer, but you’re a private investigator. You told me you loved me, but you were just using me to get revenge on me. I can’t trust you.”
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Sarah leaned forward, her eyes earnest. “I know I lied to you, Ethan, but I really like you. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please give me another chance.”
Ethan shook his head, and he stood up to leave. “I can’t, Sarah,” he said. “I’m sorry.” He walked out of the coffee shop, and Sarah began to cry behind him. He had no idea what to do next. He walked back to his car and drove to his office, where he sat down at his desk and began to review the plans for the waterfront development in Brooklyn. He had a lot of work to do, but he didn’t care. He felt completely alone.
