Chapter 2 People kept walking past me. Nobody even glanced over. A girl falling asleep in a station waiting hall was nothing unusual Then I saw a tiny pair of hands pick up my phone from the floor. It was the little girl who’d been sitting beside me earlier. Back when I was still awake, we’d chatted for a bit and traded nicknames. She called me Miss Pretty, and I called her Little One. Little One looked down at the bright screen as if she were trying to read the message, but she’d only just turned five. She couldn’t really read yet.
She frowned, then studied my face with those huge serious eyes before gently placing the phone back into my hand. Like she was scared to wake me up, she whispered, “Miss Pretty, your phone fell. Hold onto it, okay?” When I didn’t answer, she ran back to her mother. A few minutes later, the phone buzzed again with another message from Ethan. [I’m already at Manhattan Medical Center.] [If you want to come, take a cab yourself.] I blinked. He told me to wait. So why wasn’t he coming anymore? Was he the one who wasn’t feeling well? The second that thought hit me, my soul shot upward.
Then I was at Manhattan Medical Center. And the first thing I saw was Ethan. He stood in front of a glass wall in a dark gray suit, phone to his ear, looking as calm and perfect as ever. Untouched Unbothered. I drifted closer and heard him say, “The doctor’s checking Finn. She should be fine.” Finn? Why was she here? The exam room door opened. Ethan hung up and walked over. “You okay?* Finn grabbed his hand and frowned prettily. “The doctor said I’m fine. But I still don’t feel well. Stay with me?” What a liar. What a little fraud I flew at her and tried to grab her throat.
My hands passed right through her. Then I saw it. The tiniest curve at Ethan’s lips. I knew it. He knew she was faking. And he still played along. Chapter 2 L Lera Romance romántico e fantasia INSTALL 22.22% “Okay,” he said softly. Ethan was tall, sharp-featured, cold-eyed. When he didn’t speak, he looked impossible to approach. But if he smiled at me, even just once, I used to think he was the gentlest man alive. He hadn’t smiled at me in a very long time. Then some of that softness faded, and he said, “Still, Ellie’s coming later.
I need to go with her for a heart follow-up.” A flash of hatred crossed Finn’s face and vanished fast. Then she smiled. “You’re seriously the best person I know. Ellie isn’t even your real sister, and she lied to you like that, but you still treat her so well.” That struck exactly where she wanted it to. Ethan’s face darkened. “This is the last time. If she comes to me again with another scene, I’m not seeing her.” I floated in the white hospital corridor, and the winter wind coming through the windows cut right through me. So this really was the last time.
I whispered, “I won’t bother you anymore, Ethan. I can’t. I think I’m already dead.” Finn looked satisfied and hooked her arm through his. Then Ethan’s phone rang. I drifted close enough to hear the voice on the other end. ‘Mr. Caldwell, do you have any news about Ellie?” Chapter 2 L Lera Romance romântico e fantasia INSTALL 22.22% ( George Orwell
