Game Over No Second Chances novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

LAUREN’S POV

At that, Ethan’s face darkened, his jaw tightening until the muscles stood out sharply against his skin. “I don’t care if you leave,” he hissed through clenched teeth, his voice cold enough to make the air feel icy between us. “But you see her? You’re not taking her anywhere.”

“I am,” ! shot back, the words slipping past my lips before I could second-guess myself. My heart pounded in my chest like a warning drum, but beneath the fear, there was something stronger – something fierce. “She’s my daughter too, Ethan. And she doesn’t deserve to grow up in a home where her father treats her mother like this.”

His eyes narrowed, and he took another slow, deliberate step forward until he was towering over me. The shadows of the room seemed to grow around him, making him look larger, darker, more threatening. “You can’t just walk out of here and take her,” he barked, his voice echoing in the silence of the

bedroom.

“So what do you want me to do?” I snapped, my voice rising despite the tremor I felt deep inside. “Leave my daughter here so you can run off to Sofia’s place and stay there, leaving her alone? What kind of father does that?”

“And who told you I was going to do that?” he shot back, but his voice wasn’t as sharp this time – it cracked slightly at the end, betraying a hesitation he couldn’t hide.

“Who told me?” I echoed, my laugh bitter and humorless. “Look at the past few weeks, Ethan. You’ve barely had time for your own daughter. You hardly ask about her day, you don’t even notice when she’s hurting – and we both know why.” My voice softened just slightly, heavy with exhaustion rather than anger. “You’re too busy with your mistress.”

His lips parted as if he might argue, but the words never came. Instead, silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. I could see it in his eyes: he knew what I was saying was true, even if he’d never admit it out loud.

“You think I can’t leave with her?” I pressed, taking a small step back so I could look him in the eye without him towering over me. “Watch me,” I breathed out, the words shaking but certain. “I’ve been quiet long enough, Ethan. I let you humiliate me. I let you talk down to me. I even let you put your hands on me.” My hand unconsciously drifted up to the faint bruise still lingering on my cheek. “But am taking her with me”

His face hardened again, his eyes darkening like a storm rolling in. “Lauren, don’t test me,” he growled, his voice dangerously low.

“And don’t test me,” I fired back, surprised at how steady my voice sounded, how strong I felt in that moment. “Elena deserves better than this. Better than to grow up thinking this is what love looks like. And deep down, Ethan, you know that too.”

He glared at me, the silence between us so heavy it felt like it might crush us both. For the first time in what felt like years, I saw something flicker behind his eyes – something like doubt. His gaze wavered, dropping for the briefest moment to the floor. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished, buried beneath that cold, unfeeling mask he’d perfected over the past few weeks.

“You won’t do it,” he finally said, his voice quieter but still sharp like broken glass. “You can threaten, but you won’t go through with it. You don’t have the strength.”

Without replying to what he’d just said, I turned back to the wardrobe, wiping the tears from my cheeks, My heart felt like it was breaking all over again, splintering into pieces I wasn’t sure could ever fit back together – but I forced myself to breathe, even if it came out shaky and uneven.

Behind me, his cold, detached voice cut through the silence.

“I want you to know something, Lauren,” he began, every word sharp enough to pierce. “You can’t survive out there without me. Both financially and emotionally, and we both know it. This is your last chance to stop this foolishness right now. I’ll overlook all the stupidity you’ve displayed tonight, but if you walk out that door – if you choose to leave that gate – I don’t ever want to see you step foot in this house again.”

For a moment, my fingers paused on the handle of the suitcase. His words should have made me turn around and beg him to reconsider, the way the old me might have.

Was this really his way of stopping me? By trying to crush what little strength I had left? Telling me I couldn’t survive out there without him, like I hadn’t existed before I met him? Like my entire worth was tied to his presence in my life? He wanted me to stay, not because he loved me, but because it would keep him in control.

1/2

Slowly, I turned around, my heartbeat loud in my ears. My voice was quiet but firm, steady in a way I hadn’t felt in weeks.

“You think I can’t survive out there without you?” I repeated, letting out a small laugh that held no humor at all.” Let’s see.”

He didn’t say another word – just stood there, arms crossed, staring at me like I was making the biggest mistake of my life. Maybe I was, but I knew for certain that staying here would be an even bigger one.

I turned back, adding the last of my clothes and a few pairs of shoes into the suitcase, my hands still trembling slightly. When I finally zipped it shut, it felt like I’d sealed away a part of my old life, ready to step into something new-even if that new life terrified me.

Without sparing him another glance, I pulled the suitcase out of the wardrobe, its weight grounding me. My legs felt heavy as I dragged it across the floor, each step echoing in the silence that had settled over our bedroom. Ethan didn’t move, didn’t try to stop me. He just watched, eyes cold and empty.

Stepping out into the hallway, my chest tightened painfully. This house had once been my home, filled with laughter, plans, and whispered. conversations at midnight. Now it felt like nothing more than walls trapping in all the hurt.

I walked quickly to Elena’s room, my suitcase trailing behind me. I stopped at her door, hand hovering over the handle for a moment as I gathered the courage to do what I had to do.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify