Chapter 19: Getting Knocked Down by Jessica Again
"Who should you know? I hate people lying to me the most," Jessica Jones took a long swig of her drink, her voice slurring slightly with frustration.
"When did I ever lie to you?" Ethan Hayes, feeling slightly annoyed, responded, his tone betraying his growing irritation.
"Since you moved into Hell's Kitchen," Jessica muttered, lowering her voice as her frustration built. "You never told me the whole truth."
"Jessica, you're drunk," Ethan said coldly as he stood up. "I told you why I came to Hell's Kitchen, and that's the truth. Believe it or not."
Without waiting for her reply, Ethan dropped a hundred-dollar bill under the wine glass on the bar. "I'm leaving."
He stormed out of the Blue Moon Bar, feeling a surge of frustration. Ethan hated it when things escalated like this, even with Jessica, his first lover. He wasn't going to stick around when the situation was spiraling out of control.
Jessica, who had been stunned by Ethan's sudden departure, grabbed her black jacket and chased after him. "Ethan!" she called out, but her voice was shaky, and her vision swam as the alcohol coursed through her system.
Memories—dark and painful—began to flood her mind, memories she had long tried to suppress. Tears welled up in her eyes, her makeup running in streaks down her face. In a daze, Jessica stumbled onto the street. She was about to call out again when a taxi pulled up, and without thinking, she climbed inside, leaving Ethan behind.
Ethan sat in his car, fuming. He felt the weight of losing someone he had grown close to, someone he shared a unique bond with. But as he sat there, he saw Jessica rush out of the bar. She seemed distressed, crying uncontrollably as she stumbled into a taxi.
"Purple Man," Ethan whispered through clenched teeth. "Kilgrave."
Just as Ethan started his car to follow, a woman appeared at his window and tapped on it.
"If you want to save Jessica, you'll go to this address," she said, slipping a note into his hand before disappearing into the night.
Ethan hesitated only for a moment before driving in the direction of the address. He had no intention of letting Kilgrave take control of Jessica's life again.
When Ethan arrived at the address, a run-down hotel, the air was thick with tension. He stepped into a dimly lit room where Jessica stood by a window, her body trembling as she tried to fight Kilgrave's control. Her lips moved silently, her eyes pleading for Ethan to turn and leave before it was too late.
But Ethan didn't back down.
"You," Kilgrave said as he appeared from the shadows, his voice dripping with malice. "No one can steal my woman."
A strange, sinister force accompanied Kilgrave's words, attempting to take hold of Ethan's mind. Ethan felt the pressure of the command compelling him to obey.
"Climb up the window," Kilgrave ordered.
Ethan's body began to respond, moving toward the window as Kilgrave's power tried to bend him to his will.
"Jump," Kilgrave's voice followed with cold authority.
"No!" Jessica screamed, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to break free.
Just as Kilgrave's smug grin widened, Ethan stopped, turning away from the window. "What are you thinking? Jumping would kill me, you know," he said with a smirk, stepping back into the room.
Kilgrave's expression faltered, his confidence crumbling. "Impossible," he muttered, his eyes widening in disbelief. "No one resists me."
"You picked the wrong guy to control," Ethan replied coldly, his body unaffected by Kilgrave's powers. "It's sad that such a powerful ability belongs to someone like you."
Ethan knew Kilgrave's powers were pheromone-based, influencing others by manipulating their mental state. But with his Psychic Immunity and the ability to elementalize with the Frozen Fruit, Kilgrave's influence had no effect on him. Ethan's body could freeze and neutralize any traces of Kilgrave's pheromones.
"Get back!" Kilgrave yelled, but it was futile.
Ethan's face darkened as he raised his hand. "You want to see how small ice crystals can be?" he said before his powers surged to life.
Kilgrave's face twisted in fear as frost began to creep over his body, his limbs freezing solid. Within moments, he was nothing more than a statue of ice.
With a flick of Ethan's wrist, the ice shattered, melting away into a pool of cloudy water. He watched coldly as the remnants of Kilgrave were flushed down the drain. His control over water allowed him to dissolve any trace of the villain, making sure Kilgrave wouldn't return.
Turning to Jessica, who had finally broken free from Kilgrave's influence, Ethan gave her a reassuring smile. "It's over. He's gone for good."
Jessica, still shaken, jumped into the room from the opposite window, her enhanced strength allowing her to cross the gap easily. She stared at Ethan in awe, her mind reeling from what she had just witnessed.
"If you're still looking for Kilgrave, he's been washed out to the Pacific," Ethan said nonchalantly, leaning against the wall with a grin.
Jessica's eyes welled up with relief, and for the first time in a long while, she felt a weight lift from her chest.
"He's really dead?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"He's not coming back. No goddess of resurrection will bring him back," Ethan said softly, stepping closer.
But before he could say more, Jessica pushed him down onto the carpet, the tension between them igniting once more.
Ethan growled in frustration but quickly flipped the situation, pinning her to the bed. His powers flexed as he used water-shaped hands to draw the curtains, shutting out the world once more.
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