Katelyn’s POV

I hadn’t expected Ethan to react the way he did that night. The way he threw himself at that man, fists flying, fury etched into every line of his body, it shocked me. Not because of the violence. But because, for the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn’t afraid. I was… moved.

He’d protected me.

Without hesitation, without thinking of appearances or consequences, he chose me.

I hated how touched I was. Hated how I couldn’t forget the way he looked when he ...