Page 450 of One More Kiss

“I love you,” he whispers across the shell of her ear, causing her to shiver.

Smiling, she bites her bottom lip and whispers the words back to him. How could two star-crossed lovers find their way back to one another so easily? Knowing this might be her last chance to spill her heart before leaving, she goes to him, and presses her lips so softly against his and steals the words that were teetering on his tongue.

Is it possible to be jealous of fictional characters? I’m half-tempted to delete what I’ve written in this chapter and tear the two lovers apart, only to leave the reader as heartbroken and confused as I am. However, instead of doing something rash, I pick up my phone and schedule an Uber.

When I walk out of the cottage, I look up at the tower and see Ethan staring out the window on the other side. I’m glad his back is to me because I don’t think I could look him in the eye without feeling some sort of guilt or awkwardness.

He never mentioned having a daughter, so a nursery was the last thing I expected to see when I opened the door. Having a child means he got someone pregnant and knowing his record, it could’ve been from a one-night stand, or maybe it was from an actual long-term relationship. If it’s with an ex he loved, and they had a child together, maybe that relationship is strained, so he doesn’t have custody? Or maybe he only sees his daughter every other week? Different scenarios play in my head, wondering how he could’ve never mentioned it to me. I know it’s not as if he lied to me because we weren’t supposed to get personal, but I crossed the line the moment I opened the door that led to his daughter’s room. If I could take it back, I would. The look on his face is one I won’t forget. His furrowed brows, his intense stare, and his cold tone. He was furious, and everything about his stance and words told me he couldn’t trust me. That hurts the most.

Ethan’s a broken soul, and while I want to dig deeper, I can’t help but feel like I’ve worn out my welcome.

Dread washes over me as his body turns, and I rush through the garden and hop inside the car that’s waiting by the curb.

I don’t know where I’m going, but I need to get away and clear my mind.

The countdown until I leave for Chicago begins now.

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