Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 135: Maia grasped his shoulders firmly and looked him directly in the eye. "You once swore you'd protect me, remember?"

Ethan nodded fiercely.

"Then promise me - you'll never keep secrets from me again," Maia said quietly, her voice steady with conviction.

The dam finally broke. Ethan recalled overhearing Sandra say that Maia's money came from being some man's mistress. Though he had kept a calm facade, deep down, he had vowed to earn enough money so Maia would never have to degrade herself for financial reasons again.

Fumbling in his pocket, Ethan pulled out a wad of crumpled bills and thrust them into Maia's hands, his tears falling freely. "Maia," he sobbed, struggling to catch his breath, "please don't sell yourself short anymore. I'll take care of you. I swear."

A sharp ache tore through Maia's chest, as if an invisible hand had struck her heart.

Across from her stood Ethan, barely into his teenage years yet bearing the weight of someone who had already shouldered too many burdens.

A thick mist clouded her vision. Sniffling softly, she managed to whisper, "You've been working these past few days, haven't you?"

Without hesitation, Ethan gave a small nod. His voice scratched against his throat as he replied, "I picked up every job I could find, but this is all the money I made. I'm sorry, Maia. I feel like such a failure."

"Don't you ever say that," Maia said, reaching out to ruffle his hair with a gentle hand. "You're amazing, Ethan. Absolutely amazing."

Yet Ethan's frown only deepened, frustration etched into every line of his face. "Even so, I couldn't protect you. This morning… I overheard a nurse. They were gossiping about you, saying horrible things. They called you a thief. Said you were someone's mistress. I wanted to defend you, but I had no evidence and couldn't get the words out."

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Fresh tears pooled in his eyes, and he bit down hard on his lower lip.

Only then did Maia finally understand why he had been crying so bitterly. Maia's heart melted at the sight. She pinched his cheek playfully and flashed him a bright smile. "Do you trust me?"

Ethan stiffened, then gave a serious nod.

"Then hear me clearly," Maia said. "I've never stolen a thing in my life, and I'm nobody's mistress. Every cent I've earned came from honest work. Enough to take care of you and Kathie. As for the trash people are spreading online? Don't worry. I'll make sure every single one of them eats their words."

"But…" Ethan said, his voice trailing off.

Before he could argue, Maia straightened her shoulders and interjected firmly, "You're not supposed to be worrying about grown-up problems, Ethan. You're still a kid. Earning money can wait until you're old enough. Right now, your job is to study hard and live your life."

"Study?" Ethan blinked, as if he hadn't heard the word in years.

"That's right," Maia said, arching a brow. "You don't want to go back to school?"

Ethan dropped his gaze to the floor. "It's not that I don't want to…"

Patting his shoulder with a gentle thump, Maia said, "Then it's settled. No more odd jobs. No more worrying about bills. I'll handle the rest. You just focus on your studies. I'll get you enrolled soon, I promise. Now, come on - Kathie's probably awake, and I made pancakes. Your favorite."

Ethan hesitated, standing rooted to the spot for a moment longer. But finally, wordlessly, he followed Maia back toward the hospital room.

Once breakfast was over, Maia made her way to the nearest electronics shop and picked out two of the newest smartphones they had.

Halfway back to the hospital, a video landed in her inbox from an anonymous sender. It showed the Morgan family waiting to pick her up the day she walked out of prison, all caught on camera by the media.

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