Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 100: Chapter 100

"Do you really think Ethan is gonna end up with you, Lane?"

Lane looked over as Olivia approached, her words dripping with venom. When Lane met her gaze, Olivia didn’t blink.

"No fucking way," she spat.

"Because at the end of the day, Ethan is always gonna choose us. Not you, and definitely not your kid. So don’t go celebrating just yet."

Olivia didn’t even wait for a comeback. She just turned on her heel and strutted over to Tyler. Lane watched her lean down and whisper something to the boy, who gave a quick nod in return.

Lane’s brow furrowed, wondering exactly what kind of ideas Olivia was putting into her son’s head.

A moment later, Lane felt Ethan and Calvin settle in beside her. Ethan had offered to take Calvin to the bathroom, and even though she’d planned on going herself, he had insisted on stepping up.

"Daddy!"

Tyler suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Ethan’s hand. "Let’s go, Daddy. Come with us," the boy pleaded.

Lane looked away when she felt a tug on her own clothes. She knelt down to get on her son’s level.

"Mommy, isn’t Uncle Daddy coming with us?" Calvin asked. Ethan clearly caught the question because his head snapped toward them.

Lane’s mouth opened and closed, but she was totally at a loss for words.

After the enrollment, they’d planned a trip to the mall to stock up on school supplies and some other stuff for the week.

When Ethan heard about it, he’d volunteered to tag along. But now, with Tyler pulling at him to leave, she wasn’t so sure.

Deep down, she was desperate for Ethan to stick with them. If he flaked now, Calvin was going to be crushed.

"Tyler, I’ve got somewhere to be right now. How about I join you another day? You and your mom head home first," Ethan told him.

Lane couldn’t help it; a tiny spark of joy flared in her chest at his answer. But Tyler wasn’t having it. He immediately started throwing a massive tantrum.

"Daddy, I don’t want to go home by myself! I want you to come with me right now!"

"But Tyler, I already told you, I have plans," Ethan tried again.

"Daddy, come with us! Come with us!" Tyler wailed, over and over. He even started bawling.

When Ethan didn’t cave immediately, the crying only got louder.

Ethan shot Lane a look that practically screamed for help. He looked completely torn, like he was begging her to give him an out.

She looked away, refusing to make the choice for him. She held her breath, waiting to see if he’d stick to his guns or fold and go with Tyler.

Her heart was doing a frantic drumbeat in her chest. Then, the weight of disappointment crashed over her as she heard his final answer.

"Okay," Ethan sighed. Tyler stopped crying instantly, like he’d just flipped a switch.

Lane’s eyes drifted toward Olivia. Her cousin was wearing a smirk that said I told you so. Lane looked away fast, not wanting Olivia to see the hurt written all over her face.

"Lane, let me take you—"

"It’s fine," she snapped, cutting him off. She wouldn’t even look at him because she didn’t want him to see the pain in her eyes, though she knew her shaky voice was already giving her away.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to her son. "Calvin, let’s go."

She grabbed Calvin’s hand and practically pulled him away. She pressed her lips together, fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

"Lane..."

She heard him call her name, but she played deaf and just kept walking. She hailed a taxi right away, and she and Calvin scrambled inside.

She pulled her son onto her lap and hugged him like her life depended on it.

The tears finally broke through, but she wiped them away in a blur before Calvin could notice. She could feel him sitting there quietly, and she knew they were both feeling the exact same sting.

It didn’t take long to reach the mall. She dug some cash out of her wallet, paid the driver, and they climbed out. They were just about to head inside when a familiar voice shouted their names.

"Lane! Calvin!"

They both spun around. Lane gasped as Ethan practically jumped out of his car.

He sprinted across the pavement toward them. Before she could even process it, he was there, pulling them both into a fierce hug.

This time, Lane couldn’t stop the tears. As he felt her shaking, Ethan pulled them even tighter.

"You and Calvin are the ones I choose, Lane. Damn it! I’m not going anywhere without you two," he whispered into her hair, holding them like he was never going to let go.

__________

"Calvin?"

Lane’s eyes drifted to Ethan as they stepped into her condo. He had just dropped them off, but instead of heading for the door, he called out to their son.

Calvin turned around. "Yes, sir?"

Ethan dropped to one knee so he was at eye level with the boy. "Calvin, could you head to your room for a bit?" Ethan asked, his voice low and gentle.

"I just need to talk to your Mommy for a minute."

Lane’s heart started thumping against her ribs. She had a pretty good feeling she knew where this was going.

They were finally going to deal with the past and everything that went down earlier.

Their plan to hit the mall for school supplies had been a total bust. After Ethan found them and saw her crying, he’d hugged them and suggested they just go home.

He promised Calvin they’d go another day, and the boy had agreed. Lane hadn’t fought him on it; she just followed him back to the car, feeling like she was in too much of a haze to get any shopping done anyway.

"Okay, Uncle Daddy," Calvin chirped.

"Thanks, buddy," Ethan said with a small smile, patting his son’s head.

"You’re welcome!" Calvin looked up at Lane.

"Mommy, I’ll be in the room, okay?"

Lane couldn’t even find her voice. Her heart was racing so fast she just gave a stiff nod. Calvin took that as his cue and ran off toward the bedroom.

Once they were alone in the living room, Lane started nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ethan stand up and close the distance between them until he was standing right in her space. She kept her head down, staring at the floor like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"Lane," Ethan said, his voice firm but filled with emotion.

When she didn’t look up, she felt his fingers slide under her chin, tenderly lifting her face. "We need to talk," he said as their eyes finally locked.

"Please? I just... I need you to hear my side, Lane."

She stared into his imploring eyes for a long beat. He looked desperate for her to listen, like he was hanging on her every word.

Seeing that look, she realized it was time. This conversation was way overdue, and honestly, she needed the peace of mind just as much as he did.

She finally gave a slow nod. Ethan let out a breath of pure relief. He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the kitchen.

"Have a seat," he said, pulling out a chair for her.

Lane shook her head. "N-no, I’d rather stand."

Ethan just nodded. He didn’t say anything for a second, just searched her face. Lane felt a little exposed under his intense gaze, and he seemed to catch on to her discomfort.

He took a deep breath before he finally started.

"First off... I want to apologize, Lane," he began.

"I am so incredibly sorry for the way I treated you. I was blinded by rage, and I took everything out on you. I really thought you and your family had rigged the whole situation."

She’d heard this before. He’d accused her a million times of orchestrating the night they spent together and her father’s demand that they get married.

No matter how much she’d tried to tell him her family wasn’t behind it, his mind had been made up. But then, he dropped a bombshell that left her speechless.

"I believed Uncle Lucas when he told me you guys were scheming so your father could cash in on my family name," Ethan added.

Lane stayed silent, soaking it all in. She wanted to hear the whole story.

"I regret every single thing I said to your family. I regret the hurt I caused you. I am so, so sorry, Lane. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would never say those things. I would never hurt you like that."

He took a shaky breath. "And to be honest... I didn’t have feelings for you at first," he admitted.

Lane bit her lip, her heart aching at the blunt truth.

"At first," he repeated.

"All I felt was anger. I thought you’d ruined everything with Olivia. I blamed you for her leaving. But the more time we spent under the same roof, the more I got to know the real you. That anger started to fade, and I didn’t even realize you were carving out a place in my heart. I never expected to fall for you while I was busy being mad at you."

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