The air was thick with silence as I bit ny lip and finally spoke, "Since you''re olov, I''ll be leaving "Standing there, I had no idea what else to say to him, feeling awkward and uncertain


    "Eve." Ethan finally managed to say, but he only got that one word out before stopping


    I knew he wanted to call me, but that title felt like a joke between us now.


    sutting there, he gazed at me with those deep eyes, and Lcould tell he was struggling to articte his feelings. I, on the other hand, feltpletely disconnected from him.


    "Mr. Grayson?" I called, eager to wrap up this ufortable situation. My words seemed to break his silence, sparking a flicker of surprise and returning him to his mncholy state.


    At that moment, I felt an unexpected pang of sympathy. A fire ignited within me; after all, he had indirectly caused any grandmother''s death, and when we met again, I thought there would be nothing but resentment and anger.


    Yet here he was, besitating to speak, wanting toect yet afraid. It sitted something in me,


    +, provoking my anger.


    We exchanged silent nces, the atmosphere so tense that even the doctor felt it. "You two lovebirds should take your conversation home. Don''t just stand there like wooden dolls, the doctor said, waving his hand away, clearly annoyed.


    "We''re not a couple," I said coldly. Though I was spealing to the doctor, my gaze remained fixed on Ethan. I noticed his pale face grow even whiter, and then I added, "We''re just strangers who happen to know eachother."


    As soon as the words left my mouth, Erhan looked up at me. His dark, bright eyes seemed to dim, and his lips parted slightly, revealing that he had something to


    But I didn''t want to hear it. I instinctively averted my gaze, unwilling to listen to whatever he might say.


    we were merely strangers


    Seeing the disappointment on his face, I clenched my fists at my sides. I kept reminding myself that we had no connection, we we His intervention had been out of guilt, a desire to make amends. I shook my head, trying to banish those thoughts as I moved to leave. Erhan followed. We walked at a leisurely pace, neither of us spealding, as if we were both testing each other. Realizing how childish this was, I frowned in dissatisfaction and started walking faster to create distance between us.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.


    As expected, he didn''t try to catch up. When I nced back, there was no trace of him at all, Seeing this, I couldn''t help butugh at myself.


    I didn''t even know if I was mocking him or myself. Once I got back to my ce, I felt oft-probably because of the encounter with Ethan, who had thrown my mind into disarray.


    I bowed myself a pot of tea, hoping to calm my thoughts and avoid dwelling on him. Unfortunately, it didn''t help much, I maintained a stem expression, suppressing my anger, and poured myself a few bottles of wine, sipping leisurely.


    After finishing three bottles, I noticed the outside had darkened, the stars twinkling in the night sky. The night breeze helped clear my mind a bit. Rather than fixating on Ethan, I decided it would be better to call L over for somepany, with or without the wine. After a moment, the call was answered.


    "Evelyn, it''ste! Do you need something?" L asked.


    *Come over to chat and have a drink with me."


    I could feel L''s curiosity through the call