She Saved Herself for Her Foster Brother, Not Me Chapter 03

She Saved Herself for Her Foster Brother, Not Me Chapter 03 No Going Back
I wanted to save whatever dignity this marriage had left. But that afternoon, Stella called a livestreamed press conference for the whole base. She stood there in her dress uniform, looking every bit the righteous soldier. “What I have with Zach was built through life-and-death missions. Ethan? He guilt-tripped me into marrying him.” “Every medal I earned came from my own blood. What did Ethan ever sacrifice? When Zach was dying, all Ethan cared about was himself. He used marriage like a leash, trying to keep me locked up as his personal property.” “I’m my own person. Not his prize.” By the next morning, I was public enemy number one. They were the tragic lovers, torn apart by a forced marriage. The internet went crazy. Everyone called me ungrateful, a disgrace, a traitor to the uniform. Some even showed up at my door, smearing garbage all over it and spray-painting “TRAITOR” in big red letters. I tried to ignore it. But Stella stormed in with her people anyway. “Ethan! I only said what I said on the stream to protect Zach. And you filed a complaint against him?” “He’s suspended now. Under investigation. He’s so broken he’s talking about ending it all. Are you happy now?” She pulled out her phone and went live, shoving the camera in my face. “Ethan, get on your knees. Apologize to Zach right now. Beg him not to do anything stupid.” “Tell everyone you lied. Tell them you’re the one who chased me, who wouldn’t let go. Swear you’ll stay away from us for good.” It was so insane I almost laughed. “Stella, you cheated on me. You stole credit for my work. Why the hell would I kneel? Why would I apologize?” I was about to call for help when she shoved a tablet in front of me. One look and my blood turned to ice. My mother. My sick, frail mother—tied up inside a cage at some training compound. Three tigers prowled outside, starving. Saliva dripping from their fangs. “Who else would pull something this dirty? Apologize, Ethan. Or your mother dies.” The cage door started to rise. I couldn’t breathe. My eyes nearly split with rage. “Stop! I didn’t do it! If you have a problem with me, come at me! Let her go!” She didn’t believe a word. She grabbed my hair and slammed my face into the wall. Pain exploded. Blood poured down my face. Everything went black for a second. But I didn’t fight back, even as I bit down so hard my teeth nearly cracked. I couldn’t. If she gave the order, my mother would be dead in seconds. “Last chance, Ethan. Kneel. Or I’ll have that rope cut.”