Chapter 30 A Proposition

• "You could have it all," I whispered to myself, Vaughn's business card glowing in my hand like a get-out-of-jail-free card. The proposition had been on repeat in my brain since the last time we met, the notion of being free from Ethan's unpredictable tug and the tangle with Mia that was getting more and more out of hand. The proposition from Vaughn was pretty simple: exclusivity, control, independence-all things that felt miles away with Ethan's divided attention. But as tempting as it was, leaving him just wasn't easy. He was more than just a habit; he was an addiction.
• The soft buzz of my phone pulled me from my thoughts. It was a text from Ethan: "I'm outside. Let me in." No warning, no heads-up—just Ethan swooping in when it suited him. I just sat there, staring at the message as though somehow it would give me the answers I needed. Did I even want to see him right now?
• I took a deep breath and hit the unlock button on my door app. A few seconds later, Ethan strolled in, his familiar confident stride instantly filling the room. He looked good, effortlessly so, in a way that made my heart clench and my resolve waver.