Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 37636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37636 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 188(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 125(@300wpm)
"Everyone already thinks you two are going out," Thornton pointed out, "and giving her a bracelet in front of the whole damn town's just fanning the flames."
"Let them say what they want," Ethan dismissed.
"And Anah?" Aidan demanded. "Don't you care if she misinterprets—-"
"She won't," Ethan said without hesitation, remembering how guilty Anah had seemed when he asked her about liking a boy in her school.
The twins exchanged looks. Since Ethan was no idiot, how was it that he could be so damn blind and dense towards Anah's feelings?
Oblivious to his brothers' frustration, Ethan pulled his phone out and checked the Internet for the latest news about Guilia. He knew he shouldn't give a damn anymore, but after finding out she was involved in a car crash and had been rushed to a hospital a few hours ago...
Ethan breathed deeply. He had already been at the airport earlier when he changed his mind about flying out and drove to Anah's home instead. Guilia was no longer his girlfriend, and he had to fucking act like it.
Anah had just come out of the powder room when an anxious-looking Ember quickly pushed her back inside and locked the door.
"Look at this," Ember urged as she handed her iPhone to her friend.
Anah paled upon reading the headline. "Is she...is she alright?"
"I checked Twitter for the latest updates," Ember answered uneasily, "and they say she's still in the E.R."
Anah didn't let herself think. "Will you excuse me?"
Ember could only nod, with Anah already rushing past her. Had she done the right thing, telling Anah about Guilia's accident?
Ethan was immediately concerned when Anah asked to speak to him privately in a tremulous voice.
"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as they were away from the other guests.
After taking a deep breath, Anah just went ahead and spoke her mind. "You should go to Guilia."
He stiffened.
"I know you're worried about her," Anah said quietly. "That's why you were late, weren't you? You were on your way to her, but you turned back—-"
"Anah—-"
"Go to her," Anah urged. "I can see in your eyes you're worried about her, and I know you'll never forgive yourself for not being there if ever something..." Her voice trailed off, but the way he whitened told her that he understood exactly what she was saying.
A muscle ticked in Ethan's jaw. Anah was so damn young, and she had only known him for over a year. So how was it that she understood him so well?
"It's okay, Ethan," Anah said softly. "Please go."
A curt nod, followed by the softest kiss on her forehead, and then she was watching him walk away from her...and towards another woman.
He was the only one, Anah thought sadly, who didn't say she looked beautiful tonight.
And that said it all.
While all she could see was him, Ethan didn't see her at all.
Chapter Five
Ethan had come home.
He had only been gone for a year, but it felt as if he had returned decades older. Hopefully wiser, too, but since he hadn't even managed to resist Guilia's plea for one last fuck before leaving this morning...
Maybe he was simply damned to be an eternal fool, Ethan thought hollowly, where the woman he loved was concerned.
A cab from the airport had him arriving at his home in half an hour, and grim thoughts continued to linger in his mind as he slowly walked up the driveway. The twins were likely to be stunned to see him back, and there'd be no point hiding the truth from them.
When their parents' untimely demise had left Ethan and his older brothers vulnerable to money-hungry vultures hoping to take advantage of their youth, the three of them had made a pact. No matter what happened, they were to be truthful and loyal to each other, and it was because of that pact that Guilia's actions had left him no choice.
If she had asked him for the world, Ethan would've done everything to serve it to her on a fucking silver platter. But instead, Guilia had demanded from him the one thing he could and would not ever do. It would be tantamount to destroying the dreams of the people around him, and Ethan could not and wouldn't ever be able to live with such dishonor and betrayal.
Upon reaching the main house, Ethan found the foyer empty but heard laughter coming from the dining room. His spirits lifted as he recognized the twins' familiar voices. It would be good to be around his brothers again, and as he walked through the open doorway—-
"Ethan?"
A girl had clumsily shot to her feet, her face paling at the sight of him, and as his eyes clashed with hers, it was like feeling his entire world spin out of orbit.
Anah, he realized in shock.
She wore her hair much shorter now, red-gold locks falling just past her chin, and with a sideswept fringe that emphasized the oval outline of her face. She used to have cute cheeks that still carried a bit of baby fat, but that was gone now, along with her braces.