Game Over No Second Chances novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14

LAUREN’S POV

my husband, the man I had built my life around – looked down at I sat there, frozen, my eyes wide as I stared at the man standing above me. Ethan me with an emptiness I couldn’t comprehend. No remorse. No guilt. Nothing but coldness in his gaze, like I was nothing more than an inconvenience in

his way.

I wanted to believe anger could make people do things they didn’t mean. After all, when I slapped him earlier, it wasn’t something I had planned. It came from a place of rage and betrayal, and almost immediately, regret filled me. My heart had dropped, and I’d wanted to apologize,

But him… There was nothing. Not even the smallest flicker of realization that he had crossed a line. His chest heaved slightly from the force he’d used, but his expression remained hard, uncaring.

Then I heard the soft creak of the kitchen door opening and quick footsteps approaching behind me. Before I could turn fully, I saw Rosa rush over. Her eyes were wide with panic, and her face was lined with worry. Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees right beside me, her hands lifted slightly as if shielding me from further harm.

“Please, sir,” Rosa’s voice broke the heavy silence, trembling, “this might be too much.”

–

My breath caught in my throat. Rosa was older than me, old enough to be my mother. To see her fall to her knees, pleading with Ethan my husband shook something deep inside me. For her to be that afraid of what he might do next nieant she saw something in him that even I hadn’t dared to admit.

Did she truly believe he was capable of more? That he would hit me again? Maybe worse?

A cold shiver ran down my spine, and for the first time since I had met Ethan, since I had fallen in love with him all those years ago, I felt it.

Fear.

Real, raw fear. My hands trembled, my heart pounded so loud in my ears that it drowned out everything else for a moment. Í swallowed the lump forming in my throat and slowly, shakily, got back to my feet, steadying myself

Ethan didn’t move to help me. He didn’t even flinch. Instead, he turned his head slightly toward Rosa, his expression still sharp and hard. “You better talk to her,” he snapped coldly. “I don’t want to hear about this again.”

”

And then, without another word or even a backward glance, he turned and stomped up the stairs, his heavy footsteps echoing through the house

The silence that followed felt louder than anything.

Rosa slowly stood, her eyes gentle yet filled with worry as she stepped closer to me. “Are you alright, ma’am?” she asked softly, her voice carrying the weight of someone who had seen far too much.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I replied automatically, even though my voice sounded small and broken to my own ears. It was a lie. Everything about that moment was a lie.

“Thank you,” I added, my voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you for stepping in. Thank you for caring enough to try and stop him.”

Ruth sighed, her shoulders heavy. “I don’t know what is happening with Sir Ethan,” she said, shaking her head. “He has never done this before.”

“Yeah… me neither,” I whispered back, shame flooding me so deeply it burned. To admit, even silently, that my husband had just raised his hand against me was humiliating. No woman wanted to find herself here, standing on the edge of something that could spiral out of control.

I looked around the living room, empty and cold, the silence pressing against me like a weight. Thankfully, Elena hadn’t woken up despite the shouting and noise. The thought of her seeing any of this, of her innocence being shattered by the truth of what her father had become, made my chest tighten painfully.

My legs felt heavy, but I forced them to carry me to the couch. I sank into the cushion, leaning forward and pressing my hand to my forehead as though I could somehow push the memory of what had just happened out of my mind.

1/3

My heart still raced, my cheek burned where his hand had landed, and my mind spun in circles, trying to make sense of it all.

And what terrified me most wasn’t just what he had done… but the cold certainty that if I kept pushing, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

Rosa quickly rushed into the kitchen and brought me a glass of water. Her hands trembled slightly as she held it out to me, the glass catching the soft glow of the chandelier. I looked at it for a moment, but I didn’t even have the strength to drink. My hand hovered over the glass before dropping limply to my side. The truth was staring right in front of me, and no matter how badly I wanted to look away, it wouldn’t disappear.

I felt the heaviness of the moment wrap around me like a suffocating blanket. Elena was growing, she wasn’t a little girl who wouldn’t notice anymore. She was becoming more aware each day, picking up on things I thought I could hide. It wouldn’t be long before the bruises on my heart would become bruises she’d see on my face. And I wouldn’t be able to keep this from her forever.

A deep sigh escaped my lips as I forced myself to stand up. The weight on my chest felt even heavier as I rose. I caught Rosa’s worried gaze, her brows knitted together, her mouth slightly open like she wanted to say something but didn’t

“Good night, Rosa,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“Good night, ma’am,” she replied softly, though her eyes still followed me, filled with unspoken questions and concern.

As I walked toward the stairs, my legs felt heavier with every step. When I reached the hallway, I stopped outside Elena’s door, my hand resting on the handle. I hesitated for a second, collecting myself before slowly turning the knob.

The door creaked softly as 1 opened it just enough to slip my head inside. The sight of her small body wrapped in her pink blanket, sound asleep, tugged painfully at my heart. For a moment, I just stood there, letting the innocence of her sleep wash over me

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