Chapter 6

When I came to, I was in a hospital room.

A nurse came in to check on me.

She glanced toward the door and asked, almost as an afterthought, "No family with you?"

I shook my head.

Ethan wasn't coming. And I didn't want him to.

I had spent enough years squeezing every penny until it hurt.

I checked myself out immediately and went home to pack.

Ethan was still at the hospital with Rena.

I was rolling my suitcase out the front door when Rena posted on her Instagram.

"What's meant for you always finds its way back. No one can take what's yours."

That actually made me laugh out loud.

She wasn't wrong.

What belonged to Ethan should go back to him.

I pulled up a contact I had saved a long time ago and sent over Ethan's location.

Then I stopped thinking about it.

I got on a train headed back to my hometown.

As the scenery outside the window grew more and more familiar, something in me went quiet.

Then Ethan called.

"Holly, you cleaned out the whole apartment. What is wrong with you?"

"Just because Rena came back, you pull this little stunt? I'm telling you, I'm not falling for your manipulation again."

The fury in his voice came through the phone like heat.

I could even hear things being thrown and broken in the background.

Go ahead.

Everything he could throw was already his. Everything I'd bought, I'd taken with me.

I waited until he ran out of steam before I said anything.

"Didn't I leave a few things behind?"

"Someone will be delivering them to you shortly."

Ethan went quiet.

He started to say something, but the door flew open before he could.

No knocking. No warning.

"Hey. You know why I'm here. Time to pay up."