Chapter 674
[ 478 words ]
Chapter 674:
On one side of the ocean, Ethan was shutting everyone out in jealous silence. Here, Frank had let feelings he never should have nurtured take root.
Standing beneath the streetlights, I watched my shadow stretch across the pavement, long and lonely. I knew that if I didn’t end this misunderstanding now, Frank was bound to get hurt.
“Frank.” I cut him off softly, my voice carrying a calm, unmistakable distance I’d never shown before. “Thank you for the flowers, but I can’t accept them. The truth is, there’s already someone in my life. A coworker who’s always had my back, who takes care of me in every way. I’ve decided to see where things lead with him.”
Even as the lie left my lips, Ethan’s face filled my thoughts.
His burning skin whenever he came down with a fever. The tenderness in his eyes whenever he looked at the children. Even the image of him sulking alone in his room right now, too stubborn to admit how hurt he was.
The line fell into a suffocating silence.
It lingered so long I could almost hear Frank trying to swallow his disappointment. Finally, his hoarse voice broke through. “Lianne, if Ethan never existed, would you still refuse to choose me?”
I closed my eyes, forcing myself not to waver. “I’m sorry,” I answered quietly. “Frank, this is the last time I’m saying it. Please let me go. Don’t waste any more of your time on me.”
The call ended. In an instant, every ounce of strength seemed to leave my body.
Just then, a taxi rolled slowly to the curb.
I bent down and picked up the oversized bouquet, which now felt heavier than ever. But instead of carrying it to the waiting cab, I turned toward the roadside trash bin.
𝖥in𝘥 𝘯𝘰vel 𝖯D𝗙𝗌 𝗼𝘯 g𝘢𝗅n𝘰𝘃𝗲𝗅𝘀.𝘤o𝘮
Without the slightest hesitation, I tossed the gorgeous roses into the overflowing garbage.
They landed with a dull thud, like the final farewell to a feeling that never should have bloomed.
I climbed into the taxi and stared out the window as the city lights streaked past in a blur, my eyes burning with tears I refused to let fall.
Ethan’s POV:
It was well past midnight in Nshire when my phone lit up.
At the very top of my messages was one from Lianne. “Noah told me you’re refusing treatment. Ethan, don’t punish yourself over something like this. Please, go get your infusion, okay?”
I stared at those words for what felt like forever, my thumb absentmindedly brushing the edge of the screen. Countless replies came to mind, yet I couldn’t bring myself to send a single one.
Three cross-border merger agreements lay open on my desk, each one vital to Thorn Pack’s long-term expansion.
Drawing in a slow breath, I forced myself to turn the phone facedown and buried myself in the endless maze of legal clauses, trying to drown out that faint flicker of warmth her concern had stirred.
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