Chapter 86: Would He Ever Come Back?
I walked through the garden for a few moments, looking around the bigger hedges and bushes, trying to find Ethan, but I didn‘t see him anywhere.
It was like he had vanished from my life again.
With a hand over my baby, I walked back home and went inside, closing the door behind me.
It seemed so lonely inside now. Not long ago, Soren and I had been sitting at the table eating dinner, laughing, and having a good conversation about our day. Now, the entire house seemed still and quiet.
“What was Ethan even doing here?” | asked myself aloud. I had no idea.
He said he‘d come there to see me, but why?
How did he even figure out where I was?
I wanted to talk to Ethan again. I wanted to find him and make him sit down and answer a thousand questions.
But that wasn‘t going to happen.
I lay backward on my bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering if I‘d ever even see him again. There was a chance he would just go back home. Perhaps all he wanted was to see me, and now that he had, now that he knew that I was alive, he would just turn around and head right back to Madalynn‘s open arms.
Madalynn… and her ring.
I decided there was nothing more I could do, so I got ready for bed.
However, In my restless dreams, I kept seeing Ethan again but not being able to speak to him.
When I woke up, I couldn‘t stop thinking about him.
Seraphine was there to check my vitals, and Lola was tidying up the cottage. We were all friends, but I knew | couldn‘t talk to them about this. I couldn‘t risk them finding out the truth about my past.
Thad left that all behind.
Or at least, I thought I had.
“Ro?” Seraphine asked as she put her stethoscope back in her midwife bag. “Are you okay? I‘m done checking the baby, and you usually ask me a thousand questions. Today you‘re just staring off into space.”
“Oh. I‘m sorry.” I shook my head, smiling at her. “I guess I‘m just distracted this morning.”
all right?” she asked me, and I knew from the twinkle in her eye that she was prying. “I know you had dinner with Soren
I ran a hand over my belly. “Everything is okay
said. “It
that made me
me lying in bed, pushing out my child with Seraphine‘s help, came to mind. The fuzzy form of a man next to me came into view, but I wasn‘t quite sure who he was–was it Ethan,
very different based on who it was next to me. Soren would be so supportive. He‘d probably manage to make it fun. Ethan, on the other hand… would
be just fine. I‘ll be there with you
few times, trying to get the images out
baby is healthy, and you‘re young and strong. I‘m sure this will be a perfectly normal birth where everything will go as planned, and before long, you
I knew she had some other patients to see
business, and I needed to
blanket that I needed to hurry and finish, or it wouldn‘t be done
least, that was what I told myself I was doing… but honestly, I
looking for
he managed to reduce me to this state again? I had
a teenage
I called a few times, but he didn‘t answer. Sol cut some flowers
as I came in. “Do you need
be wonderful. Thank you,” I told
come here if he wasn‘t going to
as I
I went to set the
over the floor, spilling water all
as Lola also cried out.
Ro. Let me get a broom and mop. Pregnancy can make your grip weaker
tools she needed to clean up my
reached for the
waving me off. “You could hurt yourself. I’ll get
I felt awful that I’d created such a mess for her to have
straight. I was a danger to
as
night passed, and I still
pretended to prune the trees, but I didn‘t see any trace. No footprints, no lingering scent, no evidence that he‘d come
to think that perhaps he
day after he‘d shown up in my garden, I had decided I just needed to get on with my life. Whatever it was that had brought Ethan back into my life for those few fleeting moments, he‘d gotten it. Now that he had what he wanted, he was gone
the blanket, staring at nothing as Seraphine organized the drawers of
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9xfgqZ01n+63i0XDm6k13kzragaMZJjw6wGxDUufqy2CTzPkbR06WOGhrTpF8t5VO3sXQQxRzVgo0r3Z4KB5hFyJ6K8jkwOCt6LMAnuvEFkD2AqQHt84rzvcKH3xsA/Ays5G/uCFbikH1KQdohNWXjXnzMjZhbc4HdodNnvH88WKGP7W4oqVKaF08CE8Fz9YrHT7
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