Chapter 86: Would He Ever Come Back?
I walked through the garden for a few moments, looking around the bigger hedges and bushes, trying to find Ethan, but I didn‘t see him anywhere.
It was like he had vanished from my life again.
With a hand over my baby, I walked back home and went inside, closing the door behind me.
It seemed so lonely inside now. Not long ago, Soren and I had been sitting at the table eating dinner, laughing, and having a good conversation about our day. Now, the entire house seemed still and quiet.
“What was Ethan even doing here?” | asked myself aloud. I had no idea.
He said he‘d come there to see me, but why?
How did he even figure out where I was?
I wanted to talk to Ethan again. I wanted to find him and make him sit down and answer a thousand questions.
But that wasn‘t going to happen.
I lay backward on my bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering if I‘d ever even see him again. There was a chance he would just go back home. Perhaps all he wanted was to see me, and now that he had, now that he knew that I was alive, he would just turn around and head right back to Madalynn‘s open arms.
Madalynn… and her ring.
I decided there was nothing more I could do, so I got ready for bed.
However, In my restless dreams, I kept seeing Ethan again but not being able to speak to him.
When I woke up, I couldn‘t stop thinking about him.
Seraphine was there to check my vitals, and Lola was tidying up the cottage. We were all friends, but I knew | couldn‘t talk to them about this. I couldn‘t risk them finding out the truth about my past.
Thad left that all behind.
Or at least, I thought I had.
“Ro?” Seraphine asked as she put her stethoscope back in her midwife bag. “Are you okay? I‘m done checking the baby, and you usually ask me a thousand questions. Today you‘re just staring off into space.”
“Oh. I‘m sorry.” I shook my head, smiling at her. “I guess I‘m just distracted this morning.”
right?” she asked me, and I knew from the twinkle in her eye that she was prying. “I know
her. I ran a hand over my belly. “Everything is
course,” she said. “It really won‘t be that
how that made me feel. Was
came to mind. The fuzzy form of a man next to me came into view, but I wasn‘t quite sure who he was–was it
who it was next to me. Soren would be so supportive. He‘d probably manage to make it fun. Ethan, on the other hand… would he even be paying attention to
to me. “I know giving birth is never easy, but you‘ll be just fine. I‘ll be there with you every
few times, trying to get the images out of
a perfectly normal birth where everything will go as planned, and before long, you will have your child
packing her bag. I knew she
business, and I needed to check
needed to hurry and
pick some flowers. At least, that was what I told myself I
was looking
own home. How had he managed to reduce me to this state again? I had come so far, only to be thrust back into
girl, pining after
didn‘t
She smiled at me as I came in. “Do you need a vase, Miss
you,” I told her, still
come here if
I thanked her as I took the
set
all over the floor, spilling water all
no!” I said as Lola
okay, Miss Ro. Let me get a broom and mop. Pregnancy can make your grip weaker than
hurried off to get the tools she needed to clean up my mess, and I backed away from the glass and
for the broom. “Let me
no,” she said, waving me off. “You could hurt yourself.
I felt awful that I’d created such a mess
I was
as
passed, and I still
garden, looking for any sign of him while I pretended to prune the trees, but I
that perhaps he hadn‘t actually
after he‘d shown up in my garden, I had decided I just needed to get on with my life. Whatever it was that had brought Ethan back into my life for those few fleeting moments, he‘d gotten it. Now that he had what he
the baby‘s nursery, sewing the blanket, staring at nothing
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
The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!