ELLIE"You two seem quite intimate now," Anna said, sitting next to me, both of us leaning against the tree trunk. "I'd even say a bit lovey-dovey.""Don't exaggerate. You know what's going to happen tomorrow.""And if he decided to try, what would you do?""Please, don't encourage that," I pleaded."Do you like him?""Anna..." I shook my head.I didn't want to talk about it. I was trying to suppress any feelings. Just thinking about it was enough to make my chest ache. Luckily, Will suddenly approached us. Ethan was right behind him. The two of them seemed suspicious."Hey baby, it's a bit hot, don't you think?" Will leaned over Anna to kiss her."A bit," she admitted, puzzled. "What are you up to?""I thought we could cool off a little," he said before wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up."What are you doing?" She laughed.I glanced at Ethan, who tried to hide a smile, making me understand what Will had in mind. Shit."Anna!" I warned, trying to get her attention. But it
ELLIE I went down to the pool area, finding Neil, Will, and Jack sitting on one of the edges. I approached a lounge chair and sat down on it. I closed my eyes, feeling completely relaxed and satisfied with my revenge. "The water is warm enough if you want to get in," Neil said, opening one eye and looking at me. He sat down on the lounge chair to my left. "Thank you," I replied. "It's been a long time since I've seen him like this." It took me a few seconds to understand what he was talking about. "Since..." he hesitated. "Since he found out about the betrayal?" "Did he tell you about Charlotte?" He seemed surprised. Charlotte, so that was her name. The woman who made Ethan think it wasn't worth trying anymore. "I would say he just mentioned something." We had never delved deep into this subject. Ethan had only said that he found out about the betrayal a week before the wedding. I couldn't imagine how difficult that must have been. Dishonest people were a true evil, playing
ELLIE As much as I tried not to think about it during dinner, it kept tormenting me. There were times when I thought I would simply start crying. I avoided making eye contact with Ethan, unsure if I could look at him without falling apart. When we had finished eating and were all settled in the living room near the fireplace, I sat down as far away from him as possible. I tried to concentrate on the surrounding conversation but ended up getting lost in my own thoughts as I stared into the flames. What could I do? Keep insisting even though it was already hurting me? I knew I should just distance myself before making things worse. Why insist if all his signs were telling me to do otherwise? Even if I were strong enough to take the risk, he didn't seem open to it at all. "Ellie?" Zoe called my attention, and everyone was staring at me. "Yes?" "Rosie was saying she has a friend in Santa Barbara; that's where your parents live, right?" "Yes." "I thought you said you were born in Sa
ELLIE When I arrived home on Saturday, I simply sank into my bed, throwing my suitcase in some corner. I just wanted to sleep because I couldn't stand being in my own mind anymore. My thoughts were consuming me. I couldn't sleep for more than ten minutes during a flight of just over seven hours. The tightness in my chest hadn't gone away, and it seemed to be getting worse. I had a lot of time to reflect, enough time to come to the conclusion that Ethan was just following the plan, and he wasn't to blame for any expectations I had of him. We had an agreement, an agreement that was my idea. I didn't have the right to be hurt by him simply distancing himself. Maybe I just expected that after everything, he could at least speak to me. Seeing him leave the airport without saying goodbye or even looking at me had added another burden to my chest, which felt like it weighed a ton. All of this was my fault. It was my choice. I knew he could never offer me what I wanted, and despite that,
ELLIEI walked briskly to my car, trying to prevent my tears from overflowing. My chest hurt so much that I couldn't breathe properly. When I finally got into my car and closed the door, I collapsed.My body trembled as tears streamed down my face incessantly, all while I tried to breathe through slightly parted lips. I knew this pain already, the pain that wasn't really physical but hurt so much more.I needed to go home. I couldn't stay here. It was the only thing I could think of. I started the car, but my vision was still blurred from the tears.Why? Why would he do something like this? Why couldn't he just talk to me? What he had just done was so cruel. Why did I think he wouldn't be capable of something like this? So foolish. So naive. This was the ultimate proof that he had never really cared about me.How could I be so stupid? Ignoring all the damn signs, once again. Haven't you learned anything from the first time, you idiot? All that shitty honesty. To hell with it.The tear
ETHANI knew that speaking up wasn't exactly what Anna intended; she would tear me apart. I stared at the blonde sitting beside me on the couch. I was being a jerk to her too. Using Ashley just to push Ellie away. Bringing her here probably made her think I was interested. She would be disappointed when I took her home at the end of the night.“Excuse me,” I told her, and she simply smiled and nodded.I followed Anna down the hallway, each of her steps heavy with anger. I stopped as she did the same in front of me."What the hell is wrong with you, thinking you can bring that woman here?"I didn't have an answer. And I was already expecting this reaction, so I decided to stay silent. She shook her head, furious."She didn't deserve this. She was willing to risk everything for you. And is this what you do?""I can't give her what she wants...""No, you can't, because you're a coward! That's what you are! But that woman... that amazing woman with traumas you can't even imagine, she had
ETHAN When I finally got home, I opened a bottle of whiskey and sank into the chair in my office in a failed attempt to get some work done. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep. What I was feeling was a huge void. There was only one thing on my mind, and closing my eyes didn't make any difference. Because the only thing I could see was her face, and when I took a deep breath, I could almost smell her perfume. How could I let this happen? Even with my attempt to keep a safe distance, she had succeeded. Will thought I was a coward for not letting anyone in, but what he didn't know was that she had already done that. And that was enough to bring back the familiar pain that had accompanied me for a long time. It tied a knot in my throat and tightened my chest. But there was always something bigger than all of this, something that made me hesitate and kept me safe. Fear. It was the only thing left from my shitty relationship. It was always with me, serving as a reminder that if I s
ETHAN What the fuck did that mean? I didn't even want to imagine. I swallowed hard, feeling my blood heat up as I clenched my fists. The damn guy furrowed his brow."Can I help you?"Help? I used all my self-control not to punch him in the face."Where is Ellie?" I asked through gritted teeth, clenching my jaw tightly."I don't know who you are or what you did to leave her in that state, but I think you should just leave. She doesn't need someone like you."I took a deep breath, holding myself back from breaking all the bastard's teeth."Sure, because you're the perfect guy for her, aren't you?" I spat out the words with as much sarcasm as I could muster.Maybe I wasn't the best for Ellie, but the worm in front of me wasn't worth much more. "I'm not interested in wasting my breath on you. Where is she?""I think she doesn't want to talk to you.""I don't give a damn about what you think."Honestly, my patience was running thin."Who's there?" The voice came from inside the apartment,