Faking His Death Chapter 08

Faking His Death Chapter 08

If this had happened before—if Ethan had come to me and confessed who he really was—I would’ve been overjoyed and gone home with him.

But after seeing how tightly he and Brooke clung to each other, all I felt was bitter irony.

I yanked my hand free and stared at him like he’d lost his mind.

“My husband is dead,” I said. “So what is this supposed to be, you pretending to be him and hoping I’ll fall for it?”

Ethan reached toward me. “I’m telling you the truth. Look, the scar—”

I cut him off. “Scars can be faked. I’m not believing a word you say.”

His temper snapped.

He grabbed for me and tried to drag me away like I didn’t have a choice.

I fought hard, twisted out of his grip, and bolted the second he loosened his hold.

He lunged after me, caught me again, and that’s when a bright beam of light washed over us.

A patrol team rushed in, moved fast, and pinned Ethan face-down on the ground with practiced efficiency.

They’d been nearby on rounds, heard the commotion, and stumbled onto us in the dark.

And of all the people leading the patrol tonight, it had to be Ryan.

He didn’t waste a second.

He cuffed Ethan and looked me over, worry in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

I’d barely started to shake my head when Ethan started yelling.

“What are you doing?” he shouted. “Let me go. I’ll report you for abusing your authority!”

Ryan’s gaze turned flat and cold. “You tried to force a woman. Think about what happens to you next.”

The others stared at Ethan with open disgust.

One of them spat on him. “He looks just like Colonel Callahan, but I guess that’s all he has. Under the suit, he’s a predator.”

Ethan’s face flushed red with rage as he locked onto me.

“Lena,” he snarled, “you set this up, didn’t you? You knew I’d come and you trapped me on purpose!”

I didn’t answer.

Ryan lifted his hand and said calmly, “If you’re innocent, explain it to command.”

When we got in front of the duty officer, Ethan finally lost some of his arrogance and tried to invent a story.

“I went because I was worried about her,” he said quickly. “She’s a woman with a kid. How is she supposed to survive without a man?”

“I was trying to help my brother’s widow,” he insisted. “She’s the one claiming I forced her. That’s a lie.”

The duty officer’s voice turned icy.

“Lena has already told us she cut ties with your family,” he said. “So why did you drag her into the trees? What exactly were you planning to do?”

Then his tone sharpened. “Owen, this is a crime,” he said.

“You will be disciplined, and you’ll be publicly reprimanded.”

Ethan didn’t have a colonel’s rank to hide behind anymore.

If he caught an official write-up, he could lose his secure union job at the plant too.

Panic hit him all at once, and the truth spilled out before he could stop it.

“I’m a colonel,” he barked. “You can’t arrest me!”

For a second, everyone froze.

Then they laughed, hard and mocking. “You? A colonel? In your dreams.”

Ethan shouted over them, eyes wild. “It’s real. I’m Ethan Callahan. I’m the colonel.”

He turned on me like I was his lifeline.

“Lena, you know,” he begged. “Tell them. I’m Ethan. I’m your husband.”

All the eyes in the room shifted to me.

I kept my voice steady.

“You’re Owen,” I said. “My husband died, and you were the one who personally sent the body to be cremated.”

Ethan stared at me like I’d stabbed him.

“How can you not recognize me?” he demanded. “I am Ethan. The one who died was Owen.”

Hearing him say it out loud didn’t soften anything.

It only made the grief heavier, because he’d known the truth the entire time and still watched me become a widow in front of everyone.

I looked at him and said coldly, “Of course I’d recognize my husband.”

“You’re not him,” I continued. “You can imitate a face, but you can’t turn into a person.”

“Ethan is gone,” I finished. “Why are you still trying to drag his name out and keep him from resting?”

No one believed him.

Someone scoffed, “If you’re Ethan, why would you throw away your rank and pretend to be your brother?”

Another voice sneered, “He’s just trying to impersonate Ethan so he can dodge punishment with a colonel’s status.”

Ethan’s face went scarlet, and then his eyes suddenly lit up.

“I can prove it,” he blurted. “Brooke and my mom both know I’m Ethan!”