Chapter 2

When Chloe first left home for college, her "high-maintenance" behavior made her classmates shut her out.

The night she called me sobbing, I'd just finished a surgery.

I hadn't even changed out of my scrubs before I was frantically begging Ethan to check on her for me.

At first, he wasn't on board.

"She's an adult, Claire. She needs to learn to handle things herself instead of hiding behind you like some princess."

In the end, after I pleaded with him over and over, he let out a quiet sigh.

"Claire—you worry about her. But the only person I worry about is you."

Over the next two years, Ethan took on the role of a parent in my place.

He taught her the unwritten rules of getting along with people. He smoothed out every wrinkle in her life.

Chloe began to grow up.

And their relationship grew closer by the day.

Until Ethan took Chloe on a trip abroad.

And forgot that I'd finally gotten a rare stretch of days off.

Forgot that I was waiting in his empty apartment from morning until dark.

"Claire?"

The sound of my name pulled me back.

My chest felt packed with sodden cotton, each breath dragging through a dull, heavy ache.

I met Sophie's gaze. She looked so sure.

I gave a faint smile.

"No. He won't come."

And I didn't need him to anymore.

By the time I finished work, it was nearly ten.

I stepped into the elevator, pressed my back against the cold metal wall, closed my eyes, and didn't move.

I'd barely stepped out of the hospital when someone called after me.

"Claire! Over here!"

I turned.

Not far away, Chloe—who shouldn't have been here—was waving both arms, beaming as she ran toward me.

"Surprise! Didn't expect this, did you?"

Behind her, Ethan followed at an unhurried pace, one corner of his mouth turned up.

I stood there, stunned, unable to react for a long time.

It wasn't my fault.

I'd just imagined this scene too many times.

Walking home alone after a night shift with a stranger tailing me.

Struggling to open a jar lid.

Giving myself an IV while running a fever.

And now—now that I'd finally decided to give up for good—it had come true.

"See, Ethan? I told you Claire would cry when she saw us!"

Cry?

I raised a hand to my cheek.

Only then did I realize my palm was cold and wet with tears.

Ethan's gaze settled on my face.

He frowned immediately, catching my wrist with practiced ease.

"What happened to your face?"

I looked up at him, dazed.

"I was—"

But Chloe held up her phone, cutting in eagerly.

"Okay, okay, get in the car! We're gonna be late!"

"What?"

"Claire, didn't you check your messages? Ethan's taking me to the screening of the special edition!"

She stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

"I couldn't wait—I just couldn't hold out till tomorrow."

I went rigid.

When I looked at Ethan, his gaze had already drifted away.

He pinched Chloe's cheek, his tone both amused and indulgent.

"You…"

The two of them walked side by side toward the car.

Ethan held a hand beside Chloe's head to keep her hair from catching on the low-hanging branches along the sidewalk.

I stood there alone.

It felt as though a draft had slipped between my ribs and swept through me, leaving a cold ache deep inside.

How pathetic, I thought.

The way I'd softened. That pitiful surge of hope.

After a long time, I wiped away my tears.

"I'm not going. I'm going home."

I turned to leave.

Almost instantly, Ethan's icy voice reached me.

"Claire Bennett."

I stopped.

"We came all this way to pick you up, and now you're giving us attitude?"

The air between us seemed to harden.

Chloe looked at me, then at him.

Her face drained of color. She tugged timidly at Ethan's sleeve.

"Ethan… did I do something wrong? Does Claire not like the movie?"

That was my sister.

The half-sister I'd protected for over a decade, the one who'd always looked up at me with those big, pleading eyes.

And when it came down to choosing between me and a man she'd known less than three years—

She chose to lean on someone else.

Ethan took her hand and spoke gently.

"No, it's not that. Go wait in the car."

Once Chloe had obediently climbed into the passenger seat, he turned back to me, impatience flickering across his face.

"Chloe's been excited about this trip ever since she found out, and the first thing she did was make sure you had a ticket."

"You threatened to break up with me, and here I am, standing right in front of you."

"Claire Bennett, what more do you want? Do you have to ruin everything?"

I looked steadily at this man I'd loved for nearly seven years.

"And what about you?"

"What?"

"Do you know how long it's been since I've had a full night's sleep? Do you know how many days in a row I've been on shift? You worry that Chloe might overthink things, that she might get upset. So why can't you see how exhausted I am right now?"