Chapter 35

Ethan stood there alone, unsure where the anger bubbling inside him even came from. But it was there—hot, irrational, especially when he saw her with Michael. He tried hard not to dig into the why. He just kept repeating to himself that he couldn't betray Lily. Scenes from his dream flashed again. Lily's face appeared vividly in front of him—still beautiful, just a little worn out. "Lily, are you doing okay over there? Do you still think about me... the same way I can't stop thinking of you?" Meanwhile, Emma lay in bed, childhood memories slowly surfacing one by one. She remembered that party so clearly—the one where she slipped and fell into the pool. Loads of people were yelling from the edge, but the only one who jumped in after her was Ethan. Her dad was busy with a business deal inside at the time. Emma had often wondered—if Ethan hadn't been there that night, would she have even survived? That image of him pulling her out of the water... stuck with her forever. Maybe that was whe