Chapter 17

"Clara, go upstairs first." Ethan reached out to lightly pat Clara on the arm. That little gesture, so gentle, almost stirred something in Emma’s long-frozen heart. "Emma, I remember you once said you looked into my business." Ethan sat back on the couch, not in a rush. The cigarette smoke curled up lazily, wrapping around her like a slow, poisonous fog that seeped into her chest. She blinked slowly, trying to steady her breath. "Yes, David is a close friend of mine. I know he took on Sophie’s case." "Emma, I seriously underestimated you." Ethan tapped the ash off his cigarette, letting it drop onto the expensive rug, leaving behind a burnt, ugly mark. "Ethan, I... I don’t think David did anything wrong. He’s a lawyer. He just followed the evidence. Even if the victim wasn’t Sophie—" "Cut the crap!" Ethan suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Emma’s neck tightly. If hate had a limit, he wished he’d never have to breathe the same air as this woman again. "Do you even know how horrific So