Ethan stared at the screen.
His pupils tightened.
For the first time, those eyes, always filled with unshakable confidence, flickered with disbelief and panic.
"Isla, are you serious?"
His voice had changed. He was no longer using the tone he used to coax a child. This was the low voice he used when he was genuinely angry.
"Asterbridge?" he said. "You're going to Asterbridge by yourself? Without me, how could you possibly survive?"
"I can handle it, Ethan."
"Can you? All these years you've always followed—"
He stopped himself halfway through. But the words were already out.
He knew. He'd always known I followed him. It was just that with Lila around, he'd stopped noticing.
"Ethan." I put my phone back into my pocket. My voice was very soft. "Without you, I can still take care of
