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.”
I knew from the twinkle in her eye
at her. “We‘re just friends,” I reminded her. I ran a hand over my belly. “Everything is okay with the
said. “It really won‘t
how that made me feel.
image of me lying in bed, pushing out my child with Seraphine‘s help, came to mind. The fuzzy form of a man next to me came into view, but I wasn‘t
next to me. Soren would be so supportive. He‘d probably manage to make
just fine. I‘ll be there with you every step
blinked a few times, trying to get the images out of my mind.
young and strong. I‘m sure this will be a perfectly normal birth where everything will go as planned, and before long, you will have your child with you to cherish and
and she got up to go finish packing her bag. I knew she had some other patients to see that day. I had other things to do as
I
baby blanket that I needed to hurry and finish, or it wouldn‘t be done in time for the
to pick some flowers. At least, that was what I told myself I was
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 this
like a teenage girl,
he didn‘t answer. Sol cut some flowers and went
still there. She smiled at me as I came in. “Do you
wonderful. Thank you,” I told her,
bothered to come here if he wasn‘t going to talk to
and I thanked her as I took the vase full
as I went to set the vase on a table. It slipped from my hands
over the floor, spilling water all over my
I said as Lola also cried out. “I‘m
Let me get a broom and mop. Pregnancy can
needed to clean up my
Lola returned, I reached for
waving me off. “You could hurt yourself.
that I’d created such a mess
just wasn‘t thinking straight. I was a danger to myself and
as
I still didn‘t
spent the next day in the garden, looking for any sign of him while I pretended to prune the trees, but I didn‘t see any trace. No footprints, no lingering scent, no evidence that he‘d come
think that perhaps he hadn‘t actually come
decided I just needed to get on with my life. Whatever it was that had brought Ethan back into my
in the baby‘s nursery, sewing the blanket, staring at nothing as Seraphine organized the
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