Wow.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this old dog move so fast.
His happy hand licks bring back bittersweet memories. Like how Ethan used to think the dog was such a burden, only to wind up with a new best friend.
…but why is Ares with Margot?
My heart sinks.
“Hey, boy,” I whisper, dropping to my knees so Ares can lick my face, chasing back my tears before they start. “Long time no see.”
Margot turns to Mom, her always stylish heels glittering in the yellow sunlight.
“Is Ethan here?” she demands, almost winded.
Ethan again.
I should’ve known.
His name rocks through me, and I straighten up, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand. Only to wipe away Ares’ drool, of course.
“Ethan?” I ask.
“Yes, Ethan,” Margot says impatiently. “I guess that’s a no? If he is,do not let him back in easy.”
I don’t understand.
“Why would he be?” I’m so stunned it’s hard to speak.
“I don’t know. I just thought he’d—never mind. Honestly, I don’t knowwherehe’s gone.” Margot rakes a hand through her hair. “He left hours ago, last night, but it was so abrupt. Someone had to stay with Ares and I couldn’t go chasing afterhim. I—God. After the way he acted, I really thought he might come here, but—”
“There’s no reason for that, Gigi,” I say flatly. “He hasn’t said a word to me since I left.”
“Total knuckle-brain,” she mutters. “Well, in that case, I’m out of ideas.”
“What happened?” Mom interjects. “This seems serious.”
“Long story short, I went to see him last night to tell him about Cooper Daley suing the company. He got pissed and left.” Margot’s heels click the asphalt, her words almost too fast to keep up with. “He told me not to come after him, but you know Ethan—when he’s emotional and angry, bad things happen.”
My brain whips back to the night we broke up.
The churning storm, his violent anger, and underneath it all, the hurt.
His grim determination to push me away and lock me out.Forever.
Barely sealed cracks in my heart reopen.
Margot gives us the rundown of what happened with the lawsuit.
“So you just told him? Hoping he’d grow up?” I force my voice to stay neutral.
“I didn’t have a choice. He’s the only one they’ll deal with in that contract,” Margot says. “He was ignoring everything from the office. Not even reading emails, no matter how urgent. He just quit life and decided he wanted nothing more to do with anything Blackthorn. Ridiculous.”
My heart skips.
The crushing weight that’s been piling up on me since the breakup threatens to crack through. “And what did he say? Did he freak out when you told him?”
“Yeah, but not like you’d think. It wasn’t anger, more like… icy calm. He said he was going to make Cooper pay and just left.”Margot tries to straighten her hair, which looks like she slept in it without a good brushing—a first for her. Oh, this is bad. “And now he’s gone and I don’t knowwhereto find him. I don’t like the state he was in at all.”
