My Great Escape Led Me to You novel Chapter 50

On the other end, Ethan Lane stared at the text message on his phone, a slow grin spreading across his face.

One of his buddies nudged his shoulder. “Well? Is she coming or not?”

“Oh, she’s coming. I invited her—why wouldn’t she?” Ethan’s confidence was unmistakable, his smile practically beaming with smugness. “You guys never saw how clingy she used to be. Always calling me ‘big brother,’ hanging onto my every word. She’s so damn naive, it’s not like she’d ever dare go against me.”

His friend laughed. “Alright then, we’ll get everything set up. Time to help you blow off some steam.”

Ethan nodded. “Go on.”

As he scrolled through the messages again, Ethan finally let out a breath he’d been holding. No one else noticed, but he could feel it—relief, subtle but real.

His friends couldn’t see the difference, but he could.

Emily Blair was nothing like she used to be. The old Emily had been timid to a fault, eager to please and terrified of defiance. She’d looked at him with the wide-eyed admiration of a kid who actually believed he was her brother.

Back then, Ethan only paid attention to his “little sister” because her meekness amused him. He’d toy with her, watching her light up with gratitude over the smallest scraps of kindness. It was entertaining, nothing more—a harmless pastime.

But now, since coming back, he couldn’t help but notice the change. Emily’s eyes no longer held that blind adoration. Instead, there was a sharp, stubborn defiance—a tension that hadn’t been there before.

It rattled him more than he cared to admit.

Sure, part of his outburst at Emily was because he wanted to stand up for Isabella Austin and Amelia Lane. But deep down, he also wanted to see Emily cave—wanted her to fall back in line, call him “brother” again, and trail after him like she used to.

He just never expected her to resist so completely, to keep her chin up no matter how harsh he got.

For days, he’d been uneasy.

Today, when he texted her to come over, she finally gave in. That alone eased his nerves.

Maybe Emily Blair hadn’t changed as much as he’d feared. Maybe things really could go back to how they were.

Still, that didn’t mean he was ready to let her off the hook.

He glanced down at his phone, then reached for the pale pink cocktail dress he’d set aside earlier.

He’d picked it out himself—a strapless number with a cleverly designed back. One gentle tug on the ribbon and the whole thing would slip right off. The dress was his idea of an “apology gift” for her to wear that night.

If tonight went as planned, he’d let Emily back into his good graces, treat her as his sister again, and pretend nothing had changed.

He was still lost in thought when someone knocked at the door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sound was gentle, measured. Ethan’s eyes lit up.

“That’s Emily—someone get the door.”

His friends exchanged skeptical glances. “How do you know it’s her? There’s a ton of us out there.”

Ethan’s voice faltered for a second. Even he hadn’t realized how well he knew Emily’s habits.

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