Chapter 2

When I first found out Ethan had a childhood friend, I was seriously bothered.

Even though it stung every time, I couldn't stop obsessively watching their every move.

Surprisingly, she added me on social media first.

I found out later that Ethan gave her my handle.

He said, "I'm busy with work. Maddie's alone in Aethelburg. If she needs anything, you can help look out for her."

So I, someone who rarely checked social media, started scrolling constantly.

And then I'd fight and argue with Ethan over the flirty interactions she posted with my boyfriend.

In the past, I would've been furious, calling Ethan immediately and demanding an explanation.

But now, I just left a like and commented. [Well, you two make a great match, so just get together already.]

My supervisor, Victoria Monroe, called. I answered.

"Grace, I talked to upper management. We can raise your salary to $60K, okay?" she asked.

The company was expanding.

They urgently needed a director in the Spirecoast office.

They specifically asked for me.

But I'd always refused, saying it was too far from home.

"And," Victoria continued, "I got approval for you to have two weeks' vacation every five months. You can still come back to see your guy, okay?"

So Victoria had seen right through me all along. It wasn't about the distance from home.

It was about the distance from Ethan.

I smiled. "No need for the vacation time, Victoria. When do I start?"

She paused, then her voice brightened. "End of this month. It's settled then. No backing out. I'll start the HR transfer tomorrow."

*****

I was working on my laptop, dealing with piled-up tasks, and didn't even hear the door open.

When I looked up, Ethan was standing there, frowning slightly.

"Why aren't you answering your phone?" he asked.

I quickly checked my phone. Sure enough, there were several missed calls, all from around midnight.

"I went to the hospital to pick you up. You weren't there," he said, a hint of anger in his tone.

"Oh, really?" I feigned surprise. "Oops, sorry. I thought you weren't coming tonight, so I just took a cab."

He seemed to think he'd misheard.

In the past, even if he was late, I would've definitely called to demand an explanation.

Which would lead to him giving me the silent treatment over my 'unfounded suspicions'.

No way would I ever just do my own thing without checking with him first.

He sighed. "Actually, Maddie fell again. She has a congenital bone condition, even a small fall could be serious. I couldn't just leave her there. At the time—"

"Yeah." I didn't even let him finish, replying flatly.

"Grace?" He seemed confused.

"Hmm?" I looked up from my laptop files as if I hadn't quite caught what he said.

His frown deepened. "Aren't you angry?"

"About what?" I smiled. "You're childhood friends. I know. It's fine."

He took a deep breath and sat beside me. "You're still mad, right?"

"No," I smiled. "I stopped caring about that a while ago."

He sighed softly and grabbed my hand. "I know I was wrong. This time, I'm apologizing. Can we just let this go?"

I tilted my head, smiling lightly. "Really, it's fine. You don't have to do this. You're making a big deal out of nothing."

Shock flashed in his eyes.

This was the first time he'd taken the initiative to back down.

And he never expected me not to take the offered way out.

But when someone's not in your heart anymore, you really can't muster the energy to be angry.

I checked the time and closed my laptop. "It's late, Ethan. I want to sleep."

I stood up, but a sharp pain shot through my leg, and I fell to the floor.