Chapter 34 No Answer

Chapter 34 No Answer
Zoey’s POV

Avoiding Ethan? I’d turned it into a sport. Honestly, I was getting good at it, timing my exits, inventing reasons to leave, glancing at my watch every time he showed up. If he caught my eye, I’d act buried in work or pretend I hadn’t slept in days. Anything to seem unavailable.

So when Leo dumped a fat stack of paperwork on my desk, grinning ridiculously and saying, “You don’t mind, do you, Zo-Zo?”

I almost wanted to thank him.

Almost.

Instead, I forced a smile. “Sure, Boss. Go have fun.”

He winked, tossed me the office keys like I was his personal maid instead of his secretary, and trotted out. His cologne and aftershave hung in the air, like he wanted the last word without saying it.

Once the door clicked shut, the place went dead quiet. I finally let out a breath and melted into my chair. Being alone made everything easier. No one to distract me. No one watching my every move. Especially not Ethan.

I buried myself in the paperwork, typing, signing, sorting documents, anything to keep my hands moving and my thoughts away from him. Hours blurred past. The only thing I heard was the clock ticking. 8:47 p.m. Then 9:25. Then 10:03.

My eyes burned from the screen. I stretched, rolled my shoulders, and leaned back. “Just one more file,” I mumbled, grabbing another stack.

Right then, the lights flickered. Once. Twice. And then, nothing. Total blackout.

The air conditioner cut out. Every electronic hum vanished. The silence was so thick it felt unnatural. Only now did it hit me everyone else had left. My heart started pounding, like it remembered something my brain didn’t. In the dark, one word echoed in my mind: no.

I grabbed my phone, but my hands just wouldn’t cooperate, my fingers shook so badly, my phone slipped and crashed onto the floor. The noise was way too loud in all that darkness.

“Okay,” I whispered, my voice all shaky, trying to sound calm. “It’s just a power cut. You’re fine. Totally fine.”

But I wasn’t. The darkness crowded in, every shadow started to twist into something else, shapes that looked like people haunting me.

And then, clear as day, that old voice from the past slid in. “Come on, Zoey. Don’t cry. Be brave.”

My knees buckled. I hit the ground hard. Suddenly I could hear them, the girls from school, the ones who shoved me into closets and laughed while the door clicked shut.

“Let me out!” I’d screamed back then. Nobody came. Not for hours.

The memory punched its way back, like a fresh wound. My breath turned shallow, fast. The darkness felt alive, wrapping around me. I stumbled for the office door, hands scrambling at the handle, but wouldn’t budge.

“Please,” I choked out, pounding on the door. “Hello? Somebody…please!”

No answer.

My heart slammed so hard in my chest it hurt. I couldn’t breathe. Tears blurred my eyes. I hit the door again, harder, sobbing. “Let me out! Please, I can’t…I can’t…”

My own crying echoed, loud, bouncing around the room and closing in on me. Then, out of nowhere, the door flew open.

A sharp, blinding beam of light cut through the dark. I flinched, stumbling back. Strong hands grabbed me, holding me up, and my fear snapped. “No!” I screamed. “Get away from me! Don’t touch me!”

“Zoey!”

That voice sounded familiar, but my brain just couldn’t grab onto it through the panic.

“Zoey, it’s okay!” The light swung around, and hit his face. “It’s me, Ethan.”

He dropped the flashlight, but I still squeezed my eyes shut. “Look at me,” he said. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

My chest heaved, way too fast, and tears blurred everything. I shook so hard it was embarrassing, but seeing him there, God, I felt a little relief slip in. My lips wouldn’t stop shaking. “E-Ethan?”

He nodded, softly now. “Yeah. It’s me.”

I just sort of folded, couldn’t help it. He caught me without any effort, slid his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. The flashlight tumbled away, its light dancing crazily across the walls. I pressed my face into his shirt. Warm. I could hear his heart beating, steady and real.

“I couldn’t… I couldn’t see,” I stammered. “It was dark, and I thought—”

“Shh.” He barely made a sound. “You’re safe now, Zoey. I’ve got you.”

He kept his arm around me. His hand moved up and down my back, thumb tracing slow, steady lines that matched his breathing. My own breath came in shaky bursts, but I started to fall into his rhythm.

His cologne, faint but there, filled my head. I grabbed onto it, like it could hold me up. The darkness didn’t seem so huge anymore. After what felt like ages, I finally managed to whisper, “I thought I was trapped again.”

He just held me. His chest rose and fell under my hands, calm and even. Then, so quietly I almost missed it, he said, “Again?”

I swallowed, trying to steady myself. “When I was a kid, some girls… they’d lock me in closets. For hours.” My voice gave out a little. “They thought it was funny. I’d scream until I passed out.”

Ethan’s arms tightened around me. I felt him tense up, his breathing change. “They did what?” His voice was sharp now, laced with anger.

“It was a long time ago,” I said, swiping at my face. “I’m fine now.”But my voice shook anyway, giving me away.

He looked down. “You’re not fine,” he said,“You’re shaking.”

“I just— It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” he cut in, firm. “Don’t say that.”

He reached out, paused, then gently brushed my hair from my face. His fingers stayed there, rough but warm against my cheek. I shivered, but not from fear. He spoke quietly, eyes locked on mine. “I didn’t know. You shouldn’t have been here by yourself.”

“Leo left,” I whispered, trying to act like it didn’t matter. “As usual.”

Ethan scoffed, almost to himself. “Yeah. Of course he did. He’s the party’s favorite.”

I let out a soft chuckle, feeling the tension in my body ease just a bit. I couldn’t help but wonder if he could sense how fast my heart was racing. Did his beat just as quickly?

“I’m sorry,” I finally whispered, my voice barely above a murmur. “You shouldn’t have been dragged into this.”

“I’m really glad I was here,” he replied, so softly that I almost missed it.

In that moment, wrapped in Ethan’s embrace with my cheek resting against his chest, it hit me, something truly frightening.

It wasn’t the darkness that terrified me anymore.
It was him.

Because if I stayed there, if I let him hold me for just one more second…
I might never want him to let go.