Regret Came Too Late

In Ethan's sight, a slim silhouette broke through the sea of white, the crimson flower in her hand burning like a tiny flame.

Grace went into the car, shaking the snow from her hair before pulling the door shut.

She immediately held out the magnolia to him.

Ethan didn't reach for it. His gaze stayed locked on the petals, on the snow melting slowly there.

Grace thought he hesitated because of the cold and leaned in to brush the snow away, only to be stopped by his question.

"What if this tree belonged to someone else?"

Without missing a beat, she answered, "When I pick them, they become yours."

Just as Ethan reached out, her words caught him off guard. His hand curled into a fist, and the veins on the back became rigid.

Grace, noticing his strange reaction, quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

He ducked his head and hummed quietly before taking the magnolia carefully.

"Thank you," he added in a soft voice.

Grace could tell that his mood had brightened.

She scrambled to the driver's seat, starting the car with quick, nervous moments, afraid he would change his mind and ask for something else.

As the car kicked into gear, the soft fragrance of magnolias from the back seat brushed against her senses.

"Do you like magnolias, Mr. Henderson? How special. Most people just see the winter's blank whiteness, but hidden inside... there's this bold flash of red, like..."

Realizing her words might be stepping over a line, she clamped her mouth shut. Ethan was a lot like winter itself. On the surface, he was cold and unapproachable -yet the moment he fell sick, he asked for flowers.

The contrast was almost ridiculous.

"I do," he said softly. "No one's ever given me any."

He sounded a little stronger now, and Grace was glad she hadn't brushed him off.

At least he seemed more like himself again.

and

and have them send a helicopter. With the roads

worried about

Her smile faltered.

now—not bad,

Henderson. I can't just

she realized they had absolutely nothing to show for the trip. Her

nothing but ruins. If you had told

you all the way out here while you were still

nose, a faint smile brushing

"I didn't know."

Grace went silent immediately.

blame someone for what they didn't know. Perhaps

that spot once, remembered it, and never

the rearview mirror, and their

swinging it back and forth, clearly in a good

you want to

just... near the ruins, there was this sinkhole. I remember talking about it with my boyfriend once when we were kids, we got trapped inside. Some things happened. Just now, bits of that ald conversation came back think... I promised to

so sudden and patchy, she couldn't even tell if it

to

his Adam's apple

people appreciate magnolias. Your

gave him a sidelong look,

of complimenting

Ethan's grip tightened-hard enough to

he caught himself

hit Grace then that what she

might

to

and my boyfriend you both

his gaze, running a light fingertip across

stay with him and

nothing, eyes locked

asked Ethan to contact his people in Druville, then leaned