Chapter 3 - THE UNRAVELING LIES
Lily buried her dirty face into Ethan’s neck, her small hands clutching the US flag patch on his shoulder.
"Daddy, don't let them put me back in the doghouse," Lily whimpered softly, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Ethan’s chest heaved as a surge of pure, combat-tested adrenaline coursed through his veins.
He looked at Jessica, whose pale face was now completely drained of color as the party guests stared in utter shock.
"Is this what you do when you think I'm dead?" Ethan asked, taking a slow, deliberate step toward her.
"Ethan, please, let me explain! Lily was misbehaving... she refused to go to her room!" Jessica pleaded, her hands trembling.
"So you locked a six-year-old child outside in a sub-zero thunderstorm?" Ethan countered, his voice dropping an octave.
The remaining guests quickly gathered their coats, slipping out the back door to escape the impending explosion.
Brad reached into his back pocket, subtly reaching for his smartphone to call the local authorities.
Before Brad’s thumb could touch the screen, Ethan moved with blinding speed, disarming Brad and crushing the phone in his fist.
"Touch your phone again, and you'll leave this house on a stretcher," Ethan warned, tossing the shattered device onto the rug.
Jessica fell to her knees on the stained carpet, her expensive emerald dress gathering water from Ethan’s soaked boots.
"Ethan, I thought you died in Syria... the casualty notification officer came to the front door!" she cried out.
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"Someone lied to you, Jessica," Ethan replied coldly. "And someone is going to pay for it."
***
