The Paper Wife’s Empire novel Chapter 155

She hadn’t meant to hide anything back then; she just assumed that, since this was nothing more than an arranged marriage, no one would care to hear the unsavory details of her past.

But now, things were different. She saw Florence and the rest as family.

And then there was Ethan… She cherished him, cared deeply about his feelings. She didn’t want even the slightest shadow to come between them.

The truth was, Ethan didn’t want Ramona to bare her soul like this. Zadkiel was rigid and harsh—hardly as understanding as the rest of the family.

Besides, he knew… these were Ramona’s old wounds. He’d already learned most of the story from Ash, but no matter how much he understood about her heartbreak and mistakes, hearing someone else recount the pain made his heart ache in a way he couldn’t describe.

It wasn’t that he minded her past, just that he felt a deep, unspeakable empathy.

Still, even when Ethan tried to stop her, Ramona went ahead, peeling back the scars herself and telling the whole story, every last detail.

Ethan stood quietly at her side, holding her hand tightly as she spoke.

Ramona’s expression was perfectly calm, as if she were talking about someone else’s life.

But Florence and Shelby listened with aching hearts, unable to imagine that Ramona had endured such misery.

Even gentle Phineas couldn’t hold back. “That man’s an absolute beast!”

“Ramona, you’ve suffered enough all these years,” he added, his voice thick with emotion. “But with Ethan by your side now, no one will ever dare hurt you again. Maybe this is fate repaying you at last.”

Shelby looked at Ramona, her eyes full of compassion, searching for words of comfort.

A woman born into privilege, yet left alone from childhood, then to have suffered so much at the hands of the wrong person. And now, even the Covington family seemed distant and unwelcoming.

Florence’s expression turned grave. She asked directly, “Is the Holt family still bothering you? If you want, Ethan could help you settle the score.”

“Such sentimentality.”

Finally, after a long silence, Zadkiel spoke.

Now that Ramona had explained everything with Jotham, his face had lost much of the anger he’d shown at the dinner, but he was still far from pleased.

Even though Ramona was clearly the victim and hadn’t tried to hide her “marriage history,” the fact remained: she’d been entangled with another man for six years, and now she’d rushed into a marriage with Ethan. Who knew what problems that might bring?

Besides, the Jordon family wasn’t obliged to fix a woman’s past or seek revenge on her behalf.

“Zadkiel, don’t be like that,” Shelby cut in, her tone unusually firm. “Ramona had no choice. If I’d gone through even half of what she did, I wouldn’t want to talk about it, either.”

Shelby was usually indulgent of Zadkiel’s temper, always smoothing things over. But today, she stood solidly in Ramona’s corner.

“I’ll handle my own affairs, Dad. You don’t need to worry,” Ethan said, his voice cool. “It’s late. We’ll be going now.”

Without another glance at Zadkiel, he took Ramona by the hand and led her away.

“Ethan!” Zadkiel shouted after them, but Ethan didn’t stop.

When Ramona tried to look back, he pulled her firmly into his arms.

Seeing this, Florence quickly motioned for Shelby, who hurried to take Zadkiel’s arm.

“Oh, Zadkiel, you’ve said your piece. Let the kids handle their own lives, don’t be so stubborn.”

“Outrageous! Does he think getting married makes him untouchable? I’m telling you, Ramona’s nothing but trouble!” Zadkiel, furious, shook off Shelby’s hand and stormed back to his study, venting his anger at Ramona.

Ethan led Ramona out of the Jordon family estate, his grip unwavering.

She looked up at him, worried. “Ethan, your father just wants what’s best for you. Was it really okay for us to leave like that?”

“He doesn’t care about what I want,” Ethan replied quietly. “He only cares about what he thinks is right. You don’t need to worry about his opinion. As long as you get along with Grandpa and Grandma, that’s all that matters here.”

His voice was calm, but Ramona could hear the lonely resignation beneath it. All she could do was gently lay a hand on his shoulder, offering what comfort she could.