Chapter 61

Audrey’s POV

Tears blurred my vision as I stood beneath the flickering street lamp. Ethan hovered nearby, his confident demeanor replaced by awkward concern as he watched me fall apart. He fumbled in his pockets, finally producing a crumpled tissue.

“Hey, don’t cry…” His voice carried a gentle uncertainty I’d never heard from him before. “We’ll find Snow, I promise. The search area might not be big enough…”

The kindness in his tone only made the tears fall faster. I pressed my palms against my eyes, trying to stem the flow, but it was like trying to hold back the

tide.

“Audrey, please…” Ethan’s voice cracked slightly. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”

When I didn’t respond, he finally did what he’d clearly been wanting to do for the past hour – he pulled me into an awkward embrace. His college varsity jacket was soft against my tear–stained cheek as he patted my back with the careful uncertainty of someone who wasn’t used to offering comfort.

“Hey, um, maybe tone it down a little?” He gave a nervous laugh. “It’s past midnight. The neighbors might call the cops if they hear crying…”

The absurdity of the situation – a college student trying to comfort a dying woman over a lost cat – almost made me laugh through my tears. Almost.

“Listen,” he continued, his voice taking on an eager tone that suggested he’d just had an idea. “I’ve read about this – some cats have amazing homing instincts. They can find their way back to places they used to live.”

I pulled back slightly, hiccupping. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” He kept one steadying hand on my shoulder. “Maybe she’s going back to the place you lived before.”

“You really think that’s possible?” The words came out barely above a whisper.

Before Ethan could respond, harsh headlights suddenly flooded the street, temporarily blinding us. The deep purr of the engine filled the night air as a sleek car pulled up to the curb.

“Who drives like that?” Ethan raised one arm to shield my eyes from the glare, his other hand instinctively drawing me closer. “Ever heard of common

courtesy?”

emerged like a predator from its lair. The glow of a freshly lit cigar illuminated

hood.

too well. “Weren’t you just insisting at Mayo Clinic that there was nothing between you

ice. “Is

away from Ethan’s

defiance that made my blood run cold. ‘Earlier today, there was nothing

treat Audrey like dirt at the hospital?” Ethan

his gaze shifting to me, his

I frowned deeply.

to protect me. If I contradicted him now, it would

Blake might trouble him

a cold laugh. “You know what they say about silence being consent,

1/3

Chapter 61

her feelings clear.

you need

started walking towards us,

I finally found my voice. “This is between us. Don’t drag Ethan

clearly now, Even New York’s most

W

Blake’s POV

a cold laugh. “After saying these

I saw his varsity

and primal

lighting up every time I’d draped my suit jacket over her shivering shoulders, the way she’d curl into my warmth with that mix of innocence and seduction that had been uniquely her. Those stolen moments in the garden, her

was. When I’d nearly lost myself to this marriage that should have ended

stood, wrapped in another man’s protection.

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