Chapter 2: Tonight's Program Has Changed
Ethan didn't move for a long moment.
Then, very quietly, he closed the dressing room door.
"Say that again," he said.
"Please, Ethan—"
"Say it again, Ava."
I pressed my back against the wall.
My hands were still shaking.
Downstairs, someone tapped the microphone.
The crowd settled into an expectant hush.
"Andrew is the one being honored tonight," I whispered.
"If you do anything — anything at all — he will know I told you.
And I will be the one who pays for it."
Something shifted in Ethan's face.
Not anger.
Something colder than anger.
"How long?" he asked.
I couldn't answer.
"How long, Ava?"
"Fourteen months."
He exhaled slowly, like a man choosing his next words with extreme care.
"Does anyone else know?"
"No."
"Are you certain?"
I hesitated — and that half-second of silence told him everything.
His eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Before I could answer, my phone lit up on the vanity table.
A message from Andrew.
*Where are you?
Get down here.
NOW.*
Ethan saw it too.
He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out his phone, and made one call — just one — without breaking eye contact with me.
May you like
"Clear my speech from the podium," he said quietly.
"Tonight's program has changed."
