ETHAN
Rosie had not been able to find out anything in her attempt to reach Ellie. After seven long hours on a flight back to New York, I was nearly convinced that all of this might be related to Charlotte’s presence in my apartment.
But it would be too much of a coincidence for Ellie to have seen her. And how would that even be possible if she didn’t even know who Charlotte was? Fate must have been playing a cruel joke on me.
I was exhausted, and she still wasn’t answering any of my messages, leaving me increasingly desperate. It was late afternoon when I landed in New York and went straight to her apartment. But when I knocked on her door, she didn’t answer, and a fresh wave of frustration hit me.
I knocked for several minutes, wondering if she might be ignoring me, but it seemed she really wasn’t home. Where the hell could she be? I had to turn to the last option I had left.
If anyone knew where she was, it had to be Anna. I dialed her number, still standing in front of Ellie’s door.
“What do you want, Morgan?” Anna answered, sounding annoyed.
Of course, she was mad at me too.
“All right, I know you must be angry at me right now, but I need to know where she is.”
“And why would I tell you?”
“Please, Anna,” I begged.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going on between you two, but maybe now isn’t the best time.”
“Please, just tell me where she is.”
She sighed on the other end of the line, seeming to consider.
“Santa Barbara. She texted me earlier but didn’t explain much. She just asked me to let her work know. Do you have something to do with this?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Do you think something happened to her parents?”
The possibility made me worried.
“I don’t know. She just stopped answering me.”
“All right, thanks.”
“Whatever’s going on, Morgan, fix it,” she said before hanging up.
Damn it. Looked like I had another long flight ahead of me. I was starting to get really worried. Why would she go to California so suddenly?
As I headed back to the airport, I sent her another message, begging her to tell me what was going on.
*
At the airport, the fastest flight I could get was to Los Angeles, which meant a few more hours of driving once I got to California. The jet lag was already leaving me disoriented and exhausted. The fact that Ellie wasn’t responding was driving me crazy. I had lost track of how long I’d been awake.
*
I landed in Los Angeles after eleven at night, and after about two more hours on the road, I arrived in Santa Barbara in the middle of the night and went straight to her parents’ house. But again, no one answered when I knocked on the door.
Damn it. I was completely exhausted, and out of ideas. Once more, I had to resort to the last option I had left. Grabbing my phone, I called her mother.
Mrs. Brown picked up quickly.
“Mrs. Brown, it’s me, Ethan,” I said as I heard her breathing on the other end. “Is everything all right?”
“Oh, Ethan! Hi! How are you?”
“First, I’m sorry to bother you at this hour, but I just got to Santa Barbara and no one answered at your address. Anna told me Ellie would be here, but I haven’t been able to reach her. It seems like no one has, actually.”
“Oh, I see. Please forgive her; she’s going through a difficult time right now.”
A knot formed in my stomach, and I felt my worry grow tighter in my chest.
“What happened?”
“It’s a sensitive matter; maybe it’s better if she tells you herself, okay?”
I had to take a deep breath to keep myself from exploding, trying to summon whatever patience I had left.
“I understand. Can you tell me where she is?”
“Of course, I’ll give you the address.”
Mrs. Brown gave me the address of the hotel where they were staying, and to my surprise and confusion, I found out they were in San Diego.
She also gave me the address of the hospital where she said they were currently located. I grew apprehensive when she mentioned a hospital, but she assured me that Ellie was fine, as were she and Mr. Brown.
But I still had no answers, and it seemed like only Ellie could give them to me. I didn’t know what to think anymore, and I was also afraid of her reaction when she saw me. I didn’t know what to expect, and that was the worst part.
By the time I finally arrived in San Diego, it was already morning, and this time I had to stop at the hotel, where Mrs. Brown said they were staying, to drop off my bags before heading to the hospital. Exhaustion had taken over.
On the way to the hospital, I was apprehensive and anxious. I just needed to see her. To be sure she was okay. Not knowing what the hell was going on was driving me insane. Damn it. I felt like a zombie.
When the taxi finally dropped me off in front of the hospital, I walked through the automatic doors with quick, anxious steps. My heart was pounding in my chest, filled with expectation and unease.
I needed answers. My eyes scanned the signs frantically as I moved toward the reception desk. The distinct smell of the hospital hung in the air, mingling with my nervousness and the muffled voices of people echoing in the background, beneath the chaos of my thoughts.
Looking around, I searched for any sign of Ellie or her parents in the area, but I found nothing. Stopping in front of the reception desk, I addressed one of the women behind the counter, and as I waited for information, I could barely contain my impatience.
Every second of waiting felt like an eternity, and the weight of apprehension bore down on my shoulders like a ton. Doubt tormented me, churning in my mind and feeding my worries. And, no matter how hard I tried to cling to her mother’s words, I knew I wouldn’t calm down until I saw with my own eyes that she was okay.