Chapter 261
Vanessa's sobs echoed through the sterile hospital room, raw and pleading. "Ethan, don't walk away!"
Her fingers clutched at the sheets, knuckles white. "Is one mistake enough to make you give up on us?"
Ethan exhaled sharply, his voice low. "I just need air."
The door clicked shut behind him, sealing away her hysteria. Relief washed over him—he couldn’t stand another second in that suffocating space.
The hospital corridor was quiet, the fluorescent lights humming overhead. He leaned against the cool wall, lighting a cigarette. The smoke curled around him, dissipating like his patience.
His feet moved on their own, drawn by an invisible force. Before he realized it, he was standing outside Evelyn’s room.
He needed to see her.
There were words clawing at his throat, things he had to say.
Inside, Evelyn slept peacefully, barely a ripple under the thin hospital blanket.
A bitter laugh escaped him. She ruins everything, then sleeps like nothing happened.
The injustice of it burned.
He wanted to shake her awake, demand answers.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he watched her, the rise and fall of her chest, the way her lashes fluttered slightly.
And hated himself for still caring.
His lips parted slightly as he carefully shut the door behind him, the soft click barely audible.
Ethan Caldwell's pulse hammered in his ears, each beat louder than the last.
The room was silent—so silent he could hear the faint rustle of fabric as he moved closer.
Standing over Evelyn Carter’s sleeping form, he studied her delicate features, mesmerized by the way the moonlight traced the curve of her cheek.
His chest tightened, his breath hitching as if his lungs refused to cooperate.
Why does she still affect me like this?
He swallowed hard, his gaze locked onto her face, unwilling—or unable—to look away.
An invisible force pulled him forward, his body moving of its own accord.
Flashes of her laughter, the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, played behind his eyelids like an old film reel.
A deep ache settled in his chest, one he had buried for years.
The truth hit him with brutal clarity—he had never stopped loving her.
All this time, he had been lying to himself.
It was Vanessa Hart who had twisted his perception, who had made him believe his heart belonged elsewhere.
But now, with Evelyn so close, he couldn’t deny it any longer.
He wanted more.
More than stolen glances.
More than memories.
More than this unbearable distance between them.
Ethan's gaze lingered on Evelyn's soft, inviting lips, but the memory of Alexander having kissed them sent an unexpected pang through him.
A wave of irritation crashed over him. Before he could stop himself, he leaned in, his hands gripping her shoulders firmly.
His eyes fluttered shut as he moved closer, his lips just inches from hers.
At that exact moment, Evelyn's eyes snapped open.
She hadn't been in deep sleep—just a light doze after a peaceful night. She had sensed someone entering but hadn’t bothered to look.
But the warmth of another’s breath so close to her skin sent alarm bells ringing.
When she saw Ethan hovering over her, about to kiss her, instinct took over. Her palm connected sharply with his cheek.
It wasn’t a brutal strike, but it was enough to snap Ethan out of whatever haze had taken hold of him.
Their eyes met, and the disgust in Evelyn’s glare was unmistakable.
That look alone made Ethan’s stomach twist with shame.
Evelyn shoved him back and sat up abruptly. “Ethan, have you lost your damn mind? What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Ethan Caldwell froze, his pulse hammering in his throat.
Guilt coiled tight in his chest, sharp and undeniable.
He couldn’t understand it—why Evelyn Carter had this power over him, why she pulled him in like gravity itself.
Right now, all he could think about was closing the distance between them.
But it wasn’t just a kiss he craved.
No.
The truth was far more dangerous.
Ethan wanted everything.