ELLIE
In the end, Anna managed to corner me and even got me to help with the preparations throughout the week.
She actually decided to throw a small gathering to celebrate her pregnancy, and not only did she invite Jorrick, but also Will’s parents and a few other members of their family.
Even Jason and Neil came down from London, accompanied by Rosie and Phillipa.
But what really left me in shock on Saturday night was the sight of a completely unexpected guest walking through the door.
From a distance, I saw Anthony step into the room right behind Jack and Zara. My stomach churned a little. Damn it. Inviting Jorrick wasn’t enough?
Who else should I be expecting to run into tonight? Maybe she invited Todd too. Anna was clearly hitting her mark, driving me insane.
I wanted to disappear. So, I decided that escaping to one of the bedrooms seemed like a solid plan. Ethan hadn’t arrived yet, and I secretly hoped he wouldn’t come. Even though, deep down, I missed him.
No matter how hard I tried to hide the pain, I couldn’t help it. And as the days passed, it wasn’t getting any better.
On the contrary, the feeling was almost suffocating, especially at night. My chest ached so much, it felt like I couldn’t breathe. Every day, it became harder to keep the promise I’d made to myself not to cry over him.
“Ellie?” Neil’s voice stopped me as I made my way toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
I turned to face him. I’d already greeted him when he arrived.
“Yes?”
“Can I talk to you?” he asked, catching me off guard and piquing my curiosity.
“Sure.”
He seemed to hesitate for a moment before speaking.
“I heard about what happened in London when you went there.”
When I realized what it was about, I immediately felt uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be rude, but I wanted to tell him to stop.
“I want you to know that it was me who suggested he listen to her. And now I see it wasn’t one of my best ideas. I’m sorry, I just thought it might help him.”
“Did he ask you to talk to me?”
“No. I just thought you should know. I’m worried about him. We all know there’s still so much he hasn’t come to terms with.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s anything else I can do for him. Believe me, I followed your advice as far as I could, but…” I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and cleared my throat. “He’s the one who gave up. Anyway, thanks for telling me. Excuse me,” I said before turning away and heading down the hall.
So what if it had been Neil’s suggestion? That didn’t make what he did any less painful. He betrayed me.
Not because he had something with her, but because he abandoned me without a word and thought that listening to her could somehow help him—the woman who ruined him.
It hurt so much. He should have come to me. He should have sought help from me. But he made his choice. It didn’t matter anymore. I didn’t want to think about it.
But it seemed like everyone and everything around me was conspiring to make me remember.
\*\*\*
ETHAN
Will and Anna came to greet us when we arrived at their apartment. I was right behind my brother and Zoe.
As I waited for them to exchange brief pleasantries and for Zoe to hand over the gifts, my eyes scanned the room. There were more people than I’d expected.
Eventually, my eyes landed on Neil, and he nodded at me, making me feel a little relieved.
I nodded back. But when my eyes found her, that relief was replaced by a knot in my stomach.
She was talking to a guy in a corner of the room. I guessed it was the lab guy since I didn’t recognize him.
I felt a mix of anger and jealousy growing inside me. I took a deep breath, clenching my fists in an attempt to keep myself in check. I wanted to turn around and leave.
“Ethan!” Anna’s voice drew my attention. “How are you?” she said with a smile.
I blinked, swallowing the lump in my throat as I stepped forward to hug her.
“Once again, congratulations. This baby is lucky to have you two as parents,” I said.
“Thank you. I know you’ll be a great father someday, too,” she said as I pulled back.
That probably would never happen. Unintentionally, my eyes sought out Ellie again. She didn’t look entirely comfortable, but she was listening to the guy attentively.
As I continued glancing around, my eyes stopped on yet another unexpected guest.
Hell. This had to be a joke. *Anthony.* He was chatting with Jack and Jason.
“Are you okay?” Anna asked, pulling my attention back to her.
I looked at her, noticing her scrutinizing expression.
“You have a lot of guests. So I guess you wouldn’t mind if I left.”
“No. You’re staying.”
“Anna…”
“At least for a little while, okay?” She glanced around before whispering, “Don’t make it so obvious.”
I could bet she was involved in this. It was clear she was pleased to see me suffering.
Neil approached, stopping beside me.
“Well, I’ll go put these gifts away. Make yourselves comfortable,” she said, leaving us alone.
“How are you?” Neil asked, squeezing my shoulder.
“It amazes me that you’re not already aware of what’s happening here,” I said with a faint smile.
“Let me guess? You’re talking about the guy chatting with Ellie.”
“Let’s just say that’s one of tonight’s problems.”
“You’ll survive. You just need some alcohol.”
“You’re right, but first, I think I need to follow social etiquette,” I said, brushing past him toward the nearest group of guests.
In the end, the only one I didn’t greet was the jerk hovering around Ellie. They were still isolated in a corner, appearing deeply engaged in conversation.
I joined Neil and Bennett, who were drinking on a sofa. Jack, Jason, and Anthony soon joined us, starting a new topic of discussion. But my attention always drifted back to the same corner of the room.
Jorrick seemed to be making an effort to keep up appearances. His physique suggested he was in good shape, but he was shorter than me.
It was becoming increasingly difficult to watch, especially when he tried to make her smile. I tried to focus on my drink.
After a while, Anthony suddenly got up, surprising me by heading toward the two of them. A new wave of anger hit me.
My brother cleared his throat loudly beside me, pulling my gaze in his direction.
“Relax,” he said quietly.
I took a deep breath, trying to follow his advice. Damn. How long had it been since I got here? I just wanted to leave before I did something I’d regret. I was about to explode.
“I need some air,” I said, standing up and heading for the balcony with my glass of whiskey.
Outside, the night breeze hit my face, calming me slightly. Leaning against the railing, I rested my arms on it.
*Damn it.*
*How had we ended up here?*
I should just pull her out of there. That’s exactly what the irrational part of me wanted to do. But I couldn’t, and it was driving me insane.
Maybe I should have stayed in London. She didn’t need me around. She told me to leave. So why did I come back?
Because you can’t stay away from her.
It seemed I’d have to get used to the pain of watching her live her life without me.
The sound of footsteps behind me made me turn toward the doorway. It was her.
But when she noticed my presence, she suddenly stopped with a start.
“Sorry. I thought no one was here,” she said, turning to go back inside.
“Wait…” I said, standing up straight.
She stopped, hesitating for a moment before turning to face me again. Meeting my gaze, she remained silent.
As always, she was stunning, wearing a red dress that fell to her knees, with a slit along her left thigh. The color made her pale skin glow.
“You look beautiful,” I said without thinking, and she glanced away.
“Thank you.”
“How are your parents?”
I was still worried about what had happened after I left and wanted to make sure she was okay.
She shook her head, still avoiding my eyes.
“Let’s not do this.”
“I just… I hope everything’s okay.”
“It will be,” she said before turning to go back inside.
I tried to think of something to say to make her stay, but she suddenly stopped, focusing her attention back on me.
“I just want you to know I had nothing to do with this. I asked them not to interfere…”
“It’s fine. They’re just trying to show me something I already knew.”
She frowned as if she didn’t understand.
“That many people are willing to give you what I can’t,” I continued.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she didn’t look at me.
“Yeah, you always made that very clear. I guess I just didn’t want to see it. Good night,” she said before walking away, stepping back inside.
I didn’t know what hurt more: saying that or hearing her say this. But I hated how they felt like a goodbye.