**Chapter 11: Ashes of the Past**

The penthouse felt like a tomb. Rain lashed the windows as Aria clutched her phone, the anonymous text burning into her retinas: *"Ask him about the fire."* Ethan stood across the room, his back to her, shoulders taut as a bowstring. The storm outside mirrored the tempest in her chest.

"Who sent this?" Aria demanded, her voice trembling.

Ethan turned slowly, his face a mask of shadows. "Does it matter?"

"*Yes.*" She stepped closer, the air thick with the scent of betrayal and rain. "What happened the night your father died, Ethan? What are you hiding?"

For a heartbeat, he said nothing. Then he laughed, a hollow sound. "You want the truth? Fine. My father didn't *die* in a fire. He set it."

Aria froze. "What?"

"He was drunk. Angry. The company was failing, and he'd lost everything." Ethan's voice cracked, his polished facade crumbling. "I tried to stop him. But the flames? they spread too fast. He shoved me out of the house and let it burn."

The confession hung in the air, raw and jagged. Aria's anger dissolved into horror. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"To protect Sophie," he said bitterly. "She was twelve. She didn't need to know her father was a monster."

The elevator dinged.

Sophie stormed in, her eyes red-rimmed, a folder clutched in her shaking hands. "You liar," she hissed at Ethan. "I found the police reports. The *insurance claims*. You covered it up. You let them think it was an accident!"

Ethan's face paled. "I did what I had to do."

"You stole my right to hate him!" Sophie screamed, hurling the folder at him. Papers scattered like ashes. "You let me blame myself for years - *thinking I'd left the stove on* - while you played the hero!"

Aria's heart shattered. Sophie sank to her knees, sobbing, and Aria moved to comfort her - but Ethan grabbed her wrist.

"Don't," he warned, his grip bruising.

"Let go of her!" Sophie lunged at him, clawing at his arm. "You've taken everything - Mom, Dad, *Aria*. When does it end?!"

Ethan shoved her back, his control snapping. "It ends when *I say it does*!"

Aria slapped him.

The crack echoed through the room. Ethan stared at her, his cheek reddening, betrayal flashing in his eyes.

"You don't get to hurt her," Aria said, her voice steel. "Not anymore."

Sophie fled, the elevator doors swallowing her grief. Ethan turned to Aria, his chest heaving. "You think I wanted this? To carry this alone?"

"You're not alone," Aria whispered, tears streaming down her face. "But you're *drowning* everyone who tries to love you."

He kissed her then, a collision of anger and desperation. Aria kissed him back, her hands fisting his shirt, the taste of salt and regret on their lips.

"I need you," he growled against her mouth.

"You need to *stop*," she gasped, tearing herself away.

His phone buzzed. A notification flashed: *Breaking News: Blackwood Enterprises CEO Under Investigation for Fraud.*

Ethan's laugh was bleak. "Too late."

Aria backed toward the door, her heart splintering. "Fix this. Or I walk."

As she left, the storm swallowed her whole.

---

Cliffhanger: The next morning, headlines reveal Sophie has testified against Ethan to the board. Aria receives a call from Alex Kensington: "Meet me. I'll tell you what Ethan really did that night."And in the ruins of Blackwood Enterprises, Ethan sits alone, a bottle of whiskey in hand, whispering to the ghost of his father: *l"You win."