Chapter 49

Ethan carried Emma into the house. She sat on the couch, face pale. "Does it hurt a lot?" he asked, bending down to gently twist her ankle. Her face twitched a little, clearly in pain. "No, not really," she shook her head. The pain in her body was nothing compared to the one in her heart. Ethan gave her a look—still pretending to be tough, huh? He grabbed a chair, propped her foot on it, then turned toward the kitchen. He vaguely remembered the last time she fell—he'd used an ice pack. Seemed to help a little. In the kitchen, he grabbed an ice pack from the fridge, picked one that looked decent, and walked back to her with long, steady strides. He knelt down and placed it against her injured ankle. The cold felt sharp against her skin, making her flinch a bit. Her eyes naturally drifted to Ethan's face. His handsome features were laced with a kind of dark intensity. Staring at her swollen ankle, his brows furrowed slightly—he tried to hide the worry creeping up. "You should just rest a