Ethan Storm’s Dark Awakening novel Chapter 1

The email hit Ethan’s inbox at 10:37 p.m.

Subject line: “Stop calling, your wife is busy.”

Ethan frowned. He had already called his wife more than a dozen times, but received no response. And now, this strange email had suddenly appeared in his inbox.

Ethan opened the video attached to the email, and immediately, a string of obscene sounds filled the air: A half-dressed woman appeared on screen, clearly enjoying herself with a man!

"Who’s behind this sick joke?!" Ethan snapped, anger rising. But just as he was about to close the video, he noticed a distinctive tattoo on the woman in the video.

In that instant, his blood ran cold.

That small, distinct moonflower inked on her back!

That tattoo was incredibly unique—only he and Sierra knew about it. Which meant… the video couldn’t possibly be AI-generated!

Ethan’s hands trembled. In the video, the woman was bent over a desk. That was Sierra’s office desk. Even their photo together was clearly visible beside it!

Every detail in the video pushed Ethan closer to the brink of collapse. He couldn’t accept what he was seeing and quickly shut the video off.

Then, he looked at the sender of the email: Marcus Lang.

Wasn’t that the business partner Sierra had mentioned recently?

Ethan was seething. The truth was, Sierra didn’t need any business partner—because Ethan himself was her biggest partner.

He owned Nova Pact, the largest company in the entire city, which also happened to be Sierra’s most important collaborator.

But Sierra didn’t know his true identity...or even worse, she simply didn’t care.

Ethan slumped onto the couch, drained of all strength, and let out a bitter laugh.

Suddenly, the front door banged open.

Sierra stumbled in, her heels clicking unevenly across the marble floor, a bottle still dangling from her fingertips.

“You’re still up?” she slurred, wrinkling her nose as she spotted him.

“Ugh. Figures. God, Ethan, you have one job—keep the house clean and not be in my way. You can’t even do that, huh?”

She tossed her heels aside, slumping into the couch.

Ethan stood still, eerily calm.

"Where were you?" Ethan asked coldly, his tone sharp enough to make Sierra feel instantly uneasy.

Sierra rolled her eyes and snapped back with a sneer, "Where was I? Obviously working—working to support a useless man like you! I stay late at the office every night, and you? All you do is sit at home enjoying the fruits of my labor. What right do you have to question me?"

Ethan looked at her with deep disappointment. Without a word, he turned his laptop around and hit play on the video he had received.

"Working, huh? This is what you call work? Fooling around with another man in your office?"

His voice was icy and filled with fury. Sierra’s heart skipped a beat as panic crept in.

"Wh—where did you get that?!" she shouted, trying to cover her panic with outrage. "Did you hire a hacker to break into Marcus’s phone? Or get a private investigator to spy on me? We're husband and wife—shouldn't we trust each other?!"

"I never said the man in the video was Marcus, thanks for telling." Ethan replied calmly.

But behind that calm, it was clear—his heart was already in pieces.

"I…" Sierra was at a loss for words. Something flickered in her eyes—guilt? Panic?

She recovered quickly.

She crossed her arms, chin lifting.

“So what? You want an apology? Please. Grow up.”

His eyes narrowed.

“You think this is about an apology?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Look, maybe if you weren’t so dull, always waiting for me like a houseplant, I wouldn’t have needed someone who actually felt like a man.”

Ethan blinked.

“A man?”

“Yes, Ethan. A real man. Not someone who hides behind spreadsheets and takes orders like a trained dog. You think standing by me means you’re strong? No, it just made you a doormat.”

Something twisted inside him.

"Enough, Sierra!" Ethan suddenly raised his voice, cutting off her relentless rant.

"If that's really how you feel, then let's get a divorce." He took a deep breath, the decision finally solidifying in his chest.

Sierra stared at him and burst into a mocking laugh.

Ethan tucked the papers away and replied coolly,

"Don’t worry. I wouldn’t want anyone to know I ever married someone like you. It’s the biggest disgrace of my life."

"You—!" Sierra was livid. She was a high-powered CEO, and Ethan was just a kept man. How dare he speak to her like that?

"All talk," she sneered. "If you were half as capable as Marcus, you wouldn't be in this mess! He actually got me the deal with Nova Corp!"

"You said Marcus got you that deal with Nova Corp, right?" Ethan said coldly. "Then I hope he keeps it. Just don’t be surprised if Nova terminates the contract."

Sierra let out a scornful laugh. "Keep dreaming. Marcus is Nova Corp’s manager. He’s not like you full of empty bravado!"

Ethan chuckled, genuinely amused by her confidence.

She had never cared to find out the truth that the man she just mocked, Ethan Storm, was actually the owner of Nova Pact, the biggest company in the city. His name had appeared many times on Nova Pact's internal VIP guest lists.

If Sierra had ever cared enough to look, she would’ve known the truth.

But she never had. And now, it was too late.

Without another word, Ethan turned and walked away.

The night air hit his face as he stepped outside.

He didn’t look back.

Not at the house.

Not at her.

Each step forward felt like breathing again.

Then—

A sleek black luxury car pulled up beside him.

The door opened.

A woman stepped out—elegant, poised, radiant.

She walked straight to Ethan and bowed slightly, voice soft but sincere.

“Excuse me, Sir!”