?Chapter 1242:


    “Back off,” Ethan said, his tone cold as steel.


    He swiftly deleted the photo and checked for any backups. Satisfied there were none, he tossed the phone back to her.


    “At first light, you’re going back to your ce. Don’t ever step foot in my house again.” His voice hardened. “If you do something like this again, you’ll be sent back to Norview.”


    Gracie bit her lip, feigning hurt, as if Ethan were the one in the wrong. “I was just scared, Ethan. I feel safe with you. I love you…” Seizing his brief distraction, she lunged at him.


    Ethan dodged before she could reach him, and Gracie stumbled, copsing onto the bed, her body shaking with sobs.


    Ethan grabbed some clothes from the closet, slung them over his arm, and left without a word.


    Gracie stared after him, despair in her voice. “Do you really hate me that much?” Ethan stormed out of the house, not even changing his clothes, and drove to a different apartment of his. He showered repeatedly, scrubbing hard to erase any trace of Gracie’s scent on him.


    Even after that, he still felt Gracie’s scent lingering. If Brenna found out about this, she would certainly be upset.


    Gracie retreated to her room, consumed by regret. She shouldn’t have acted so rashly or listened to Rosie’s advice. She knew Rosie was trouble, yet she had followed her advice anyway. Her foolishness gnawed at her.


    Sleep eluded her until dawn.


    Gracie rushed through breakfast and drove to the office, her mind racing with how to exin the incident to Ethan.


    While she was driving, a ck sedan suddenly veered dangerously close, forcing her to m on the brakes to avoid a crash.


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    “Are you blind?” she eximed in anger.


    As she prepared to confront the driver, several masked men in ck emerged from that car and the cars nearby, wielding metal pipes. She noticed the license tes of their cars were obscured.


    The men quickly began smashing her car with force.<fnadf4> Checktest chapters at findnovel</fnadf4>


    The impacts only grew louder, with the ss threatening to break at any moment.


    Terrified, Gracie stayed inside, too scared to step out. She fumbled for her phone to call Ethan but dropped it in her panic.


    As she reached down, the window finally gave way. The attackers yanked open the door, dragged her out, and beat her.


    Gracie curled into a ball on the ground, their blows unyielding despite her pleas.


    Each strike felt like it could shatter her bones.


    “Why are you doing this?” she cried, shielding her head in fear.


    “Sell your shares and pay your debt, or we’ll kill you!” They kept striking, the pipesnding blow after blow.


    Graciey still, barely conscious. Some onlookers called the police, others called an ambnce.


    When she came to, she was in a hospital bed.


    Ethan sat on a nearby couch, his face impassive as he spoke on the phone. “We need to catch those people,” he said before hanging up and approaching her. “Do you know who did this to you?”


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