The Vanishing Heiress

Chapter 17: "Did She Die?"

Ethan Sterling pressed his fingers to his temples, only concerned with the outcome of Rachel Montgomery's suicide attempt.

"She survived. The fire department arrived in time. The airbags and slide were already in place when she jumped. Besides, the Second Young Miss never intended to die."

The last part wasn't something his assistant should have added.

Realizing his slip, the man immediately apologized, "Forgive me, Mr. Sterling. I just can't accept what the Second Young Miss did to Megan. I let my emotions get the better of me. It won't happen again."

In the past, Ethan would have flown into a rage—perhaps even fired his assistant on the spot.

But now that he knew the truth, his attitude toward Rachel had shifted entirely. A minor verbal misstep like this no longer mattered.

For some reason, Ethan suddenly recalled the first time Megan had been hospitalized after her return.

Back then, she had slept for what felt like an eternity amidst the pristine white pillows and sheets.

And for just as long, Ethan had stood silently by her bedside, watching.

He remembered the tenderness he had felt then, the overwhelming ache in his chest.

A thin layer of condensation had formed on the windowpanes.

When Megan jolted awake from a nightmare, she had smiled softly at him.

"Ethan, do you remember? The first time we met, it was snowing like this too."

The memory made him grimace.

How he wished he could turn back time, pull her into his arms, and whisper, "I remember. Of course I remember. I could never forget a single thing about you."

His gaze drifted to the window. Outside, the snow still fell over the city.

"Mr. Sterling, the car is ready in the parking lot. The Montgomery family hopes you'll visit."

His assistant's voice pulled him back—the call had never ended.

In the end, Ethan went to the West Mountain Rehabilitation Center.

But the moment he stepped into the hospital room, Rachel scrambled toward him on unsteady legs, her face streaked with tears.

"Ethan, how could you do this to me?"

Her tearful accusation struck a familiar chord.

In the flickering shadows of his dreams, a gaunt Megan had once asked him the same question.

"Ethan, how could you do this to me?"

Had she cried then? Shed tears?

No.

Ethan took a moment to sift through his memories.

From their first meeting outside the prison seven years ago to their final encounter at the Montgomery estate, Megan had never once wept in front of him.

"Rachel."

Ethan looked down at her, her face already haggard after just one night.

The ghost of a smile touched his lips. "I haven't even begun to do anything to you."

The quiet statement sent a chill through Rachel, cutting off her sobs mid-breath.

"Ethan…" She lifted trembling, tear-filled eyes to his.

"Rachel, I had my assistant pull Megan's medical records from Redpine Correctional Facility. I also uncovered a number of orders—supposedly issued by me—commands to disfigure her face, or arrange for her to die unnoticed in solitary confinement."

Ethan held her gaze, his voice eerily calm. "Was that your doing too?"

Rachel's teeth chattered before she forced out a single, shuddering word.

"Yes."

The admission sank like a stone in Ethan's chest.

Finally, he understood why Megan had reacted the way she did at times—flinching, wary.

Was she afraid of being hurt again?

Because for seven years, every inmate who had beaten or humiliated her had whispered the same threat: "Someone out there wants you dead."

"Ethan, I'll change! Just tell me where Megan is—I'll get on my knees and beg for her forgiveness!"

Rachel clasped her hands together in desperation as Ethan's expression grew colder.

Beg for forgiveness?

What good would that do? No one even knew where Megan was now.

No one could undo the damage.

A bitter smile twisted Ethan's lips, his throat tight with anguish.

His heart ached so fiercely he wished he could travel back in time and strangle the deluded fool he'd been seven years ago.

"Ethan?"

His prolonged silence only made Rachel more anxious.

"Rachel," he said at last, "you'll spend the rest of your life atoning for this."