Page 78 of Crushed Vow

It embedded itself into the headboard of Ethan’s bed—mere inches above his head.

Ethan flinched violently, his eyes going wide with terror, his body rigid under the hospital blanket.

“Cassian!” I shrieked, spinning toward him. “Are you out of your mind? You could’ve killed him!”

“I meant to miss,” he said calmly, walking forward. “Barely.”

He gripped the knife’s hilt and yanked it out in one smooth motion before sliding it back into his pocket like it was nothing more than a pen.

“You’re insane,” I breathed, my voice shaking.

“The thing between you two?” Cassian said, his voice low and lethal, eyes never leaving Ethan. “It’s not something I can tolerate anymore.”

“You’re in her heart,” he went on, each word deliberate. “And I hate it. I hate the way she breathes easier when you’re in the room. The way she still tries to protect you.”

His voice darkened as he stepped closer to Ethan’s bedside.

“She belongs to me. Whether she wants to admit it or not. And I will burn the world before I let her give that part of herself to anyone else.”

“You don’t get to talk like that!” I snapped, stepping between them. “He’s barely recovering, Cassian. He’s not your enemy.”

Ethan, ever calm despite the threat of death, sat up a little straighter. “I’m healing,” he said, his voice steady but hoarse. “Doc said walking might be rough for a few weeks, but I’m not dying.”

“Oh my God, Ethan...” I exhaled, walking to the foot of the bed, trying to keep distance between him and Cassian. “I’m so sorry. I was terrified. I didn’t know if you’d made.”

He gave me a tired smile. “It’s okay. But thank Cassian, not me. I didn’t have a dollar when I got here. He sent one of his best guys. Said he had orders to make sure I got the best care. Got me into a private wing.”

I blinked, stunned. “What?”

Cassian didn’t react. He just stood there like a marble statue with a blade tucked in his suit.

If I hadn’t heard it from Ethan, I wouldn’t have believed it.

Cassian, the same man who just threw a knife at Ethan—also made sure he didn’t bleed out.

“Thank you,” I said softly, glancing at Cassian. The words stung on my tongue. But they were real.

He didn’t respond to me.

He just turned his cold, unreadable stare back to Ethan.

“I want you out of New York. For good,” he said, voice flat. “If I see you again, if I feel your presence near her again, I swear I’ll put a bullet through your spine and not lose a minute of sleep over it.”

His hand curled slowly into a fist at his side, but his tone never rose, never cracked. That made it worse.

“I can’t stand how much of her heart you occupy. She shouldn’t care this deeply about any man who isn’t me. She shouldn’t worry like this—shouldn’t look at anyone the way she looked at you just now. That’s mine. It was always supposed to be mine.”

He took one small, deliberate step forward, like he could end Ethan with just that movement.

“You accept my offer or not?” he asked, voice colder than steel.

Ethan sighed. It was a quiet sound, but it carried years of pain, war, and weariness.

“When I can walk again, I’ll go,” he said. “I want to see my daughter anyway.”

My heart stuttered.

“You... you have a daughter?”