Chapter 72
Ines hobbled down the stairs, faintly hearing the chaos behind her. Silas was calling the ambulance, while Emma and Shirley were calling out non–stop.
“Ms. Ines, what happened?”
Eda heard the noises upstairs and emerged from the kitchen, but Ines was already out of sight.
Ines was walking like a marionette, unsure of where she was headed. She thought she heard the sound of an ambulance. It was only after she had walked a considerable distance that she realized she had left in such a hurry and forgotten her bag. She was in a familiar yet unrecognizable place. In this city, the only people she could rely on were Ethan and Phoebe. She let her mind wander and walked aimlessly. After a while, she heard the sound of a ferry and realized she had ended up by the river. Many people were enjoying themselves by the water.
She found a seat among the many benches by the river. After a while, a young couple sat down next to her. The girl was petite and sat on her boyfriend’s lap. They were college students on a date.
At first, they were just whispering sweet nothings to each other, but gradually the sounds of their kissing became more conspicuous. Out of the corner of her eye, Ines saw the guy’s hand slide under the girl’s shirt as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Ines gave a bitter smile and stood to leave.
Ethan didn’t get home until after 11 p.m. He noticed it was pitch dark as soon as he opened the door. Usually, Ines would leave a small light on in the living room. Could it be she hadn’t come home yet?
Ethan strode into the bedroom to find the bed made and no sign of Ines. She clearly hadn’t come home.
He checked his phone but there were no missed calls or messages. He tried calling her several times but couldn’t get through.
This was unlike her. Even when they first got married, she would always let him know if she was changing her number or going to see friends or work late. What could have happened that she’d ignore him completely?
Frustrated, Ethan browsed through his contacts only to find he didn’t know much about her, not even one of her friend’s number.
He ended up calling Noel Yates, who seemed to have already gone to bed and complained when he picked up the phone. “Ethan, I thought you’d completely forgotten about me since you got married. Did your wife kick you out tonight? Is that why you’re calling?”
Ethan had no patience for Noel’s banter and cut him off. The daughter from the Wagner family, could you find her contact information for me?”
Noel suddenly perked up and sat up in bed. “What do you need her for?”
“I’m looking for my wife, so cut the crap and find her number for me.” Ethan was in no mood for jokes.
Noel could tell his friend was upset and didn’t ask further about Phoebe and Ines” relationship. “No need to look it up. I have her number. I’ll send it to you right away.”
Ethan dialed the number, but was disappointed to learn from Phoebe that she hadn’t heard from Ines either.
Ethan grabbed his coat and drove to Ines‘ workplace, the firm. The office building was dark and deserted.
A clock in the distance chimed midnight. He rolled down the car window and let the cold wind blow in, but it did nothing to alleviate his anxiety and frustration.
Ethan checked every place he could think of, then decided to head home in the hope that Ines would return on her own. As he pulled into their complex, the security guard on duty looked up sleepily. “Mr. Meyer, why are you home so late? Mrs. Meyer seemed to have forgotten her keys tonight.”
Ethan’s eyes lit up. “When did she come home? Do you know where she went?”
The guard pointed in a general direction. “About two or three hours ago. She seemed to want to leave, then changed her mind and headed that way.”
1/2
11:04
Ethan drove off like a shot, leaving the confused guard behind. He parked haphazardly and started searching the area, calling out her name. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted a pair of silver shoes. He remembered them clearly; they were a pair he had specially ordered for her. She wore them often.
His heart leapt. He turned on his phone’s flashlight and moved quickly.
Ines was sitting on a stone bench, leaning against a tree, her hair a mess. She was sleeping soundly with her arms crossed over her chest. His initial anger quickly turned to worry when he saw the clear handprint on her face.
He scooped her up in his arms. She woke up at his touch and stared at him for a moment before speaking uncertainly. *Ethan?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Ethan’s voice was low as he carried her.
Ines stayed quietly in his arms, her cold body pressed against his chest, her icy arms wrapped around his neck. She murmured quietly, “Ethan, can we not fall in love?”
Ethan’s face changed drastically. But when he looked down, Ines had already closed her eyes, making her words seem like a figment of his imagination.
The cold wind continued to blow outside. Ethan quickened his pace and carried Ines straight to the bathroom to run a warm bath. She remained still, like a lifeless doll, allowing him to clean her up.
He noticed that in addition to her face, her ankle was scraped. She winced when he touched it, so he tried to be as gentle as possible, avoiding the scrape.
After getting her tucked into bed, Ethan went to the kitchen to brew some tea, given that she’d been out in the cold for so long and was likely to catch a cold.
On the big bed, Ines was curled up into a ball, her eyebrows knitted together, sound asleep with her eyes tightly shut. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow beneath her eyes that made him shake his head.
“Izzy, wake up. Have some tea before you go back to sleep,” Ethan gently patted her cheek.
“I feel cold.” Ines barely moved her lips. Ethan’s eyes flickered as he touched her forehead, which was scorching hot, alarmingly so.
