Rejected and Pregnant I Fled The Pack (Evelyn and Damon) novel Chapter 215

215 /284

Nadia pov

I sat through the final negotiation session of the day, only half-listening to the tedious back-and-forth about trade tariffs and resource sharing agreements, my attention repeatedly drifting toward the window where I could see the training grounds below.

Where Ethan happened to be currently sparring, shirtless, with an audience of visibly interested young women watching from the sidelines.

I let out a long, tired sigh, watching one of them—Priya, I thought her name was, from the delegation I was traveling with—lean toward another woman beside her, whispering something with obvious, giddy excitement.

"He's incredible," Priya was saying, apparently unaware or simply uncaring that I sat close enough to overhear. "We've been talking for weeks now. I genuinely think this might be serious."

The other woman, someone I didn't recognize, laughed softly. "Everyone thinks that, initially. Have you heard about his reputation?"

"I've heard rumors," Priya said, something defensive entering her voice. "But he's genuinely different with me. He listens, he's attentive, he actually makes me feel special."

I felt my jaw tighten, disgust building sharp and immediate in my chest as I listened to this poor girl apparently convincing herself of exactly the same delusion Ethan had presumably cultivated in countless women before her.

"I want him," Priya continued, something almost desperate in her voice now. "Genuinely, more than I've wanted anything in considerable time. I keep hoping he'll finally settle down, choose someone properly rather than simply enjoying his freedom indefinitely."

"Good luck with that," the other woman said, something skeptical in her tone. "I've heard he's already moved on to someone else at least twice since arriving here."

I closed my eyes briefly, understanding exactly how thoroughly this scene confirmed everything he'd claimed contradicted just yesterday, standing at my door insisting he was genuinely different than his established pattern.