The Divorced Duchess

03. Hero

ETHAN
(edited)

When I was five, my parents introduced me to the most beautiful girl I had ever met. I did not mind the grass stains on her white sneakers or that her pigtails had loose strands of long brown hair flying with the wind. To me, she was precious the way she was. Since that day, I vowed to love and protect her for the rest of my life. Anything she'd ask for, I'd give it to her, even if it meant ending our lifelong engagement so she could be free to marry the man she loved.

That was the hold Eleanor Hastings had over me. She was my source of joy but also my undoing. After all these years, Eleanor was still on my mind and in my heart. That was why I was so furious that the man she had chosen to marry had shown up at my party with another woman in his arms and left with her a drunken mess.

"I cannot believe that was Eleanor's husband," Katie, one of my closest friends, said. "Why would he show up at a party with a woman who isn't his wife?"

"I asked around, and supposedly, she's his assistant." I took the last sip of my champagne and placed the empty glass on one of the trays passing by. "If that bloody bastard hurts Eleanor, I will make sure he regrets it."

Katie placed her hand on my arm to calm me down. "I am sure deep down he is a good man. Eleanor would not have sacrificed her whole life if he was not."

"I just do not appreciate the fact that he left extremely drunk with that woman. I do not trust either of them," I replied sternly.

"You were a little harsh earlier," Katie said with a slight frown. "Fred filled me in on the situation. Robert was quite hopeful you'd invest in his company. My guess is he wanted to wash away his sorrow with some liquor and went a little overboard with the drinking."

"Well, maybe if he had brought Eleanor instead of that bimbo—"

"Here is your drink, my sweet pea." Fredrick, Katie's annoying boyfriend, joined us. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing that concerns you," I said with a sour smile.

I flinched when Katie pinched my arm. She gave me a disapproving frown, and I rolled my eyes.

"We were just talking about an old friend," she said sweetly.

"Well, I came to ask for your beautiful presence on the dance floor." Fredrick extended his hand out, and Katie accepted his request.

"Will you be okay?" Katie asked, and I nodded. "Stay out of trouble, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said with a slight chuckle.

I watched as Katie and Fredrick joined the other couples on the dance floor. They all danced in sync with the melody of the song. I could not help but feel jealous of their happy smiles.

If I were in Robert's place, I would not have kept a woman as beautiful as Eleanor at home. She deserved to be here, smiling and dancing all night until her feet hurt. Then, I'd take her home and spend all night whispering sweet nothings into her ear as I cuddled her. But the reality was that I was not Robert, and all I could do was wonder what Eleanor could be doing. Knowing how sweet she was, she was probably tending to her drunken husband and nursing him back to a sober state.

"Lucky bastard," I said to myself as I grabbed another glass of champagne.

I hoped Robert knew how fortunate he was to have Eleanor as his wife. I would give anything to at least see her one more time. Anything. Even my Dukedom if it was necessary.

I swallowed the soft liquor inside the crystal-clear glass before replacing it with another. I brought the glass to my lips, but before I could drown in the sweet taste, my phone began buzzing against my chest. My face wrinkled with confusion as I pulled my phone out.