Chapter 68

He was terrified something had happened to Clara. Even after calming down, Ethan would rather believe she just disappeared than think she was actually in danger. And now, seeing Clara standing here, alive and well—looking even more at ease than back at the Blackwood home—Ethan felt bitter. Like, for that whole nerve-wracking month where he couldn't eat or sleep, he was the only one falling apart, while Clara looked like she hadn’t missed a beat. "Why?" Clara’s voice sounded distant as she took in Ethan’s words. She let out a faint laugh. "If I’d called you during an emergency, would you have picked up? You probably would’ve thought I was just trying to come between you and Miss Barrington." "You—" Ethan’s face grew darker. But as Clara dropped her gaze, Ethan caught a flicker in her eyes—one he hadn’t seen before. Disappointment. Aimed squarely at him. That look quickly morphed into helpless despair, and finally... nothing. Just a dull emptiness, like all her light had been snuffed out