Chapter 97

Chapter 97: Treat You Better

Moana

I was so utterly, unbelievably stunned by Michael’s cruel ‘proposition’ and his rough mannerisms during

our dance that I was frozen to my spot. Even as he walked away and disappeared into the crowd, I still

felt as though my heart would beat straight out of my chest. I could already feel the vomit bubbling up in

my throat from the fear, which was the only thing that got me moving.

I quickly ran to the bathroom, which was thankfully empty. Tears welled up in my eyes as I burst into

one of the stalls and doubled over.

Nothing came up, thankfully. I gagged a bit, but that was it, so I took a deep breath and walked over to

the sink to splash some cold water on my neck and try to calm down.

Surely, Michael’s threat meant nothing. Edrick would certainly handle this; I didn’t need to worry. I

would tell him after the banquet so as not to ruin his fun, and for now I would just try to have some fun

of my own and not think about what Michael said. I just needed some fresh air, and then everything

would be better.

Taking another deep breath, I stepped out of the bathroom and followed the hallway until I came to a

door that led out to the courtyard; the same one that I had danced in with Ethan at the first banquet.

The air was hot, but there was a bit of a breeze. I made my way over to the fountain and sat down,

letting the cool spray hit my back as I sat and tried not to cry.

“Everything okay?” a familiar voice said.

I lifted my head to see Ethan standing in front of me. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking

down at me with a concerned look on his face.

“Everything’s fine,” I said, managing a weak smile — but as soon as I met Ethan’s soft gaze, I couldn’t

hide it. My eyes started to fill with tears, and my face twisted into a grimace. I covered my face with my

hands, not wanting to let Ethan see me cry. “I’m sorry,” I muttered into my hands. “It’s really nothing.”

Just then, I felt a pair of warm arms slide around me. I slowly looked up to see Ethan gazing at me with

worry drawn across his face. “You can tell me,” he said gently, reaching up to tuck a strand of loose hair

behind my ear. “It’s okay.”

I sighed, staring down at my lap and shook my head. “It’s just… Michael,” I whispered, biting my lip for

a moment. “He— He tried to give me money to make me ‘go away’. And he called me a whore.”

Ethan’s face twisted into a scowl. I could feel his arms tense around me.

“That bastard,” he said, shaking his head. “Do you need me to talk to him?”

I shook my head vehemently. The last thing I wanted was for Ethan to confront Michael; it would only

make things worse. Even Edrick would be upset that I confided something like this in Ethan. Edrick

didn’t even know that I told Ethan about the pregnancy.

There was a long silence. My chest quaked a bit with stifled sobs, but Ethan held me firmly and rubbed

my back. It was comforting to have a friend here at a time like this; if I told Edrick now, I knew that he

would instantly go to his father and cause a scene, but I just needed some comfort and someone to

confide in. I was glad to have Ethan as a friend.

“Moana…” Ethan’s voice was soft. I looked up to see him gazing at me in a way that reminded me of

the night that we danced out here, when we almost kissed.

Except this time he did kiss me.

He kissed me gently on the lips. His lips were warm and soft, but… I didn’t have an interest in him like

that. I thought that we had an understanding about that when he first mentioned his feelings for me

when we went out for dinner. I froze for a moment, shocked and confused, before pulling away with

wide eyes.

“What are you doing?” I asked, recoiling and wriggling free of his embrace. I stood, smoothing down my

dress. “You know that’s not what I want.”

Ethan frowned and stood, taking my hands in his as his eyes searched my face earnestly. “Moana, I

can’t deny how I feel about you,” he said. “And I think there’s a part of you that feels the same way. I

can sense it. You know I can treat you and the baby so much better than Edrick does. If we were

together, there would be no question about it; I would proudly take you as my wife. I would never hide

you from the public—”

I quickly pulled my hands away and shook my head. “No, Ethan,” I said, taking a step back. “I don’t

want that. You know I don’t.”

“Moana… Please. I care about you.”

I didn’t know what to say. All I could do was stare back at Ethan and blink incredulously, my eyes wide.

I thought that we agreed that we would just be friends, but… Clearly he didn’t seem to think that I was

serious when I told him the first time.

Ethan stared at me for a few moments before suddenly turning and walking away without so much as a

goodbye. I watched after him, watching as he disappeared in the direction of his studio.

I was alone again. More tears came, and I sat back down on the edge of the fountain. Now, more than

ever, I felt alone in the world because I didn’t even have a friend I could trust. It seemed that men only

ever wanted to use me, throughout my entire life. First, my boyfriend Sam only used me for emotional

support before leaving me for a model and a fancy job at WereCorp; then, Edrick only had a one night

stand with me and only saw me as the lowly human nanny, no matter how hard I tried; and now this…

Not to mention Michael, trying to throw money at me to make me disappear. Was I really not worth

anyone’s true love and affection?

I sat there for a while, not wanting to go back inside as I dabbed at my tears with a handkerchief. Part

of me really began to wonder if I should have just taken Michael’s money and left; at least then, I could

be free of all of this extra pain. With that money, maybe I could just raise my baby in peace. I could

even start over fresh, in a new city, if I really wanted to.

But at the same time, I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to leave Ella behind, and I couldn’t deny the

fact that I didn’t want to leave Edrick behind, either.

Suddenly, as I sat there staring into the fountain in deep contemplation, I heard the sound of heels

approaching on stone. I looked up and my heart dropped.

Kelly was headed my way.