shooting through my leg, but I reached out and grabbed her wrist. My

e twisting in annoyance. "Ethan, let go!

u abandoned me, you humiliated me, and now you're trying to steal from

I possessed. I let go of her wrist. The fight was pointless. The ring w

e since she' d burst in, she looked genuinely thr

eant anything m

tears that I now recognized as a performance. "We've been to

t away every time you lied to me, every time you ran back to him.

r manipulative playbook. "You're my rock, Ethan! You're the onl

love, now just sounded pathetic. She didn't love me; she loved what I p

mouth. "You seem to be doing just fine with him. You were hol

ice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I was confused. I'll make it up t

er. I just wanted her gone. I looked at her, my face a blank mask

new you'd understand." She clutched the ring box to her chest. "I'll just... I'll just show

ed my cheek, cold and meaningless. She didn't seem to notice. She p

my phone, my fingers flying across the screen. I pulled up an email I had saved for months, an offer from a prestigious research institute in Chil

the department, Dr. Evelyn Reed.

se. "This is Ethan Miller. I know the deadline has

ice came through. "Ethan. It's good to hear from you. As a matter o

said, looking down at the c

ke a physical force washed over me. I w