Chapter 17

As usual, Ethan didn't come home for dinner. On any other day, Emma wouldn't have thought much of it—at most, she'd just sulk a bit alone in her room. But today wasn't like usual. There was something she had to do. She needed to find a way to ask, without being obvious, what exactly David had done to make Ethan react so strongly. The clock kept ticking, and the front door stayed shut. One by one, the help gave in to sleep and went back to their rooms. In the end, the big living room was left with just her sitting on the couch, knees drawn up, looking like a lost kitten. She didn't even know when her eyes closed on their own. "Dummy..." A soft whisper brushed past her ear, and for a second, it felt like she was floating—like there was no ground under her at all. She was hugging something, a big human-sized pillow. It wasn't soft exactly, but it felt oddly right in her arms—solid and warm. It was like she was laid down onto a bed, the sheets silky against her skin. She let out a contente