Chapter 102
[ 511 words ]
Chapter 102:
He took the seat across from me, concern plain in his eyes. “I saw what was being reported online. Lianne, those shameless media outlets will write anything as long as it gets attention. Don’t take it to heart.”
“I’m fine.” I nudged the ice in my glass with a stir.
“Fine? You look awful.” Frank sighed. “I know what’s really upsetting you. It’s not the comments online that hurt. It’s Ethan’s response, right?”
My hands froze.
“He cut off every chance you had to explain yourself, didn’t he?” Frank went straight to the point. “To protect Ivy’s spotless image, he’d rather let you shoulder everything. Lianne, is he really worth you wearing yourself out like this?”
𝖭е𝘄 w𝖾e𝗄𝘭y сh𝖺рt𝘦𝗿𝗌 𝘰n 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘯o𝘷𝖾𝗹ѕ.c𝘰𝘮
His words made my eyes sting with heat.
“Let’s not talk about him.” I drew in a breath and forced down the bitterness in my chest. “Thank you. Just stay with me for a little while.”
Frank and I talked about a lot of things from our time at Pack Academy.
I thought about those carefree days on the grass, training beside everyone else, drenched in sweat.
Those simple, untroubled memories now felt like the only place I could still hide.
“By the way, Harold is in the hospital,” I said quietly.
Frank went still for a moment. “Then take me to see him.”
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, I didn’t turn him down.
Lianne’s POV
Not long after, I stood outside Harold’s hospital room with Frank.
I drew in a steady breath before knocking lightly on the door.
When I stepped inside, Harold was resting against the headboard. His face still looked pale, but his mood seemed much better.
Rola sat beside him, carefully feeding him.
My eyes moved across the room, then stopped when I noticed the figure by the window.
It was Ethan.
A document rested in his hands, though he wasn’t reading it. His body was turned slightly, and his gaze was fixed on me, sharp and unwavering.
The moment our eyes met, I looked away at once and kept my expression composed.
Frank gave Ethan a polite nod before walking further in with the fruit basket.
“Rola, I brought someone to visit Harold,” I said, breaking the silence.
“Lianne, you’re here.” Rola set the bowl aside and turned her attention to Frank with a warm smile. “And who might this be?”
“He’s Frank Mill. We studied at the same university. We ran into each other today, and he gave me a ride here.”
As soon as I finished speaking, a cold feeling crept over me.
I didn’t need to look back to know how Ethan was staring.
Frank greeted Harold with ease. Harold seemed pleased to see him, and the two started talking about ice hockey.
Through it all, Ethan remained seated without moving. The air around him felt cold, and the way he looked at Frank carried clear hostility.
Frank didn’t stay long. He picked up on the tension and chose to leave soon after.
“I’ll get going now, Lianne. Take care of yourself, and send me a message when you can,” Frank said as he turned toward me. Before leaving, he gave Ethan a polite farewell.
Ethan only gave a short, indifferent response.
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