That night, Julian hid in my hospital room.
When the world had gone quiet, he snuck me out.
We climbed through the window–it was only the second floor, not too high.
He held my hand, and for the first time in a long while, my heart pounded wildly.
He wore a white shirt, his fingertips grazing my wrist.
There was no moon tonight, the light hazy and dim.
Just beneath his brow bone, at the corner of his eye, was the smallest beauty mark.
And suddenly, I started crying.
He crouched down, wiping my tears away with his sleeve.
“I don’t remember who you are, Julian.”
But why did he feel so incredibly familiar?
“It’s okay if you don’t remember. Alice, we have to keep moving forward.”
His ride was an old bicycle, and I sat behind him.
The night wind swayed and curled around us as we rode.
This hospital was right by the sea–if we followed the road long enough, we would reach the roaring waves.
He pedaled steadily, leading me toward the end of the road.
Behind us, the hum of several cars closing in broke through the silence.
In the end, even the most romantic encounters must yield to reality’s pull, regardless of how enchanting a moment might be, or how strongly one’s heart was drawn to another.
Julian pedaled in silence, but no matter how hard he tried, a bicycle could never outrun a car.
The wind roared over the cliffside, and at last, he was forced to stop.
The blinding headlights from the cars behind us cut through the darkness.
A figure stumbled out of one, striding toward me with unsteady steps.
Ethan pulled me into his arms.
The scent of smoke clung to him, thick and suffocating.
Chapter 11
I struggled, but no matter how hard I fought, I couldn’t break free.
His voice was hoarse, like he wanted to crush me into himself, to make me disappear inside him.
“Alice, if he dares try to take you away… I’ll kill him.”
I had a massive fight with Ethan, or maybe it was just me losing my mind.
After all, what could anyone do to touch someone of his standing?
