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He read about her and found out that most of it he knew—she was from England and had an Art History and Drama degree. She had been acting since the age of twelve, when she had been cast in the chorus of a major West End production.
Ethan managed a wry smile at the omission, given he knew that she hadn’t actually made it to the show.
He read on about how, since moving to New York City, she had appeared in an Off-Off-Broadway production, and then found that he was properly smiling as he read she had also appeared in a prime-time TV show.
Merida must have got the part.
He thought back to the morning of her audition and how it seemed as if that was the last time the sun had properly shone.
Yes, it had been cold and foggy that morning, but it had felt to Ethan as if the sun had shone that day.
Even if it was summer now, the world seemed grey. Work had been hellish of late, with Ethan back and forth between New York and Dubai. And, despite his brusque appearance, hedidmiss Merida.
He’d caved once and called the gallery, under the guise of ordering a rug.
After a little probing a somewhat bitter man had told him that Merida had moved on to better things, and that she’d just been using the gallery as a stepping stone.
Good for her, Ethan had thought.
There was an announcement reminding everyone to switch off their cell-phones and he saw there was a missed call from Helene, but he chose to ignore it and turned off his phone.
If only his mind was as easy to switch off.
Ethan found that he couldn’t wait for the curtain to lift and to see Merida again. He’d missed her far more than he dared to admit.
He’d take flowers to her after the performance, Ethan decided. He’d have no trouble getting backstage. And then, after the after-party, they would have a party of their own.
It had been weeks.
No, it had been months.
Fourmonths, in fact, of sleeping alone.
Well, that ended tonight.
Ethan sat silent as the lights dimmed a notch, but then frowned when he heard another announcement.
‘Tonight, the part of Belladonna will be played by Sabine...’
It made no sense.
It was her opening night on Broadway, for God’s sake. No way would she miss it—unless she was sick, or she really had broken a leg. Or perhaps she was playing another part tonight.
The curtain was pulled back and the music struck up and he found that he was scouring the performers for Merida. When it was clear she was not performing Ethan knew that he could not sit through the show.
‘Where are you going?’ Abe frowned as his brother quietly stood.
Ethan didn’t know.
He slipped out to where the drinks were being set up for the interval, but of course none of the staff there knew anything.
He thought of going backstage to find out what the hell was going on—because something was. There was no way Merida would miss this.
Instead he headed the short distance to her home, but of course there was no answer at her door Then he remembered her giving the owner of the restaurant a wave.
‘Merida...’ The Italian owner shook her head. ‘You just missed her.’
‘When will she be back?’
