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.

My heart burned with excitement and nervousness when I read the caller ID. I shakily swiped the answer button and moved the phone to my ear.

"Ellie?" I asked nervously.

I could hear her shaky breathing before she finally answered, "I need your help."

Her voice was soft but filled with pain. I could tell she had been crying because she kept sniffing and trying to control her breathing. I knew that bastard was the cause of her distress.

"Send me your address. I'll be right there," I said as I went into serious mode.

"O-Okay," Eleanor replied softly before ending the call. She did not take long to send the address I had asked for.

I slipped my phone back into my suit pocket and walked toward Katie and Fredrick. Katie's smile faded once she noticed my frown.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Party's over. I need you to help me get everyone out," I explained. "By the time I return, I want this place empty."

"Did we do something, man? Is this about Robert?" Fredrick asked, and it took all the patience I had not to punch him.

I ignored his question and turned to Katie. "It's El. She needs me," I whispered into her ear.

Realization dawned on her. "I'll get everyone out," she replied assertively.

I gave her a grateful smile before walking toward the mansion's garage. I picked up the first set of keys I found and hopped into their designated car.

"I'm coming, Ellie."

***

I did not know what to expect upon arriving. Would Eleanor be a mess? Would she be angry? I thought of all the possible scenarios, but none prepared me for the reality.

There she was, standing on the staircase of the large building, with only a small duffle bag in her hand. Eleanor, the girl I had loved since we were five. Only that she did not look like that girl I once knew. Her once glowy skin was now dull and drained of color. The twinkle in her eyes had disappeared, and her smile—the smile that always brought me joy—was gone.

He had broken her, my kind, beautiful Eleanor. He had stripped her of all the joy and life she had, leaving behind a crushed and lost soul. There was no trace, not even a fragment of the little rebellious girl with a bright hope for the future I had met all those years ago.

I turned on my hazard lights and parked in front of the building. I did not care that people were honking at my crooked parking. All I could focus on was the broken girl in front of me.

"Precious," I called out the nickname I had given her when we were little. She looked up at me with bloodshot eyes. It broke my heart to see her like that. "I am here."

"Ethan," her voice came out as a whisper. I had longed to hear her say my name. I just never thought it'd be like this.

"I'm here." I opened up my arms, and she fell into their warm embrace. "You're not alone anymore."

Her body began to shake as she let the tears fall. I held her close, rubbing her back as a sign of comfort. I knew I could not take away her pain, and all I could do was try and soothe her heart.

If I had known my prayers to see her once more would be answered like this, I never would have asked for our encounter in the first place.

"H-He loves h-her," Eleanor said in between sobs. "I-I gave up everything for him, and he loves her. It was never me, Ethan. It was a-always her."

I knew Robert was no good. I knew it.

"Don't worry, Ellie. I'll make sure he never hurts you again." I promised as I grabbed the duffle bag from her hand. "Now, let's get you home."

Eleanor looked up at me with a mixture of surprise and guilt. "I-I can't go back," she stuttered.

"Yes, you can." I gave her a gentle smile. "You are not alone, Ellie. You have friends and family that have been waiting for you. You have me."

Eleanor's eyes swelled with tears again, but I knew this time they were from gratitude and not the pain Robert had caused her. 

I extend my hand out for her like I had done all those years again when we were little. Eleanor looked down at my hand and hesitantly slid her palm into mine. I could feel an electric shock charge through me at the contact, but I pushed the feeling aside. I locked our pinkies and connected our thumbs before gently kissing the top of our hands. It was the handshake we did whenever we made a promise. Right now, Eleanor needed a hero, and that was what I would be.

Word Count: 1,500

Author's Note: Hello my lovelies! Happy Monday! I hope you are all doing well. As promised here is chapter 3 of The Divorced Duchess. A little bit shorter than the last two, but I wanted to introduce our second-male lead before we went back to Eleanor's POV. Any favorites thus far? Lemme know your thoughts in the comments. Right now I am going to focus on, The Broken Hearts Club, so the next chapter will be posted next Thursday. Hope to see you then! Adios for now my lovelies!