Hearts in Turmoil

Chapter 14 – Lingering Thoughts

Lily felt a bit woozy in the lounge.

Ethan had suddenly pulled away, leaving things unfinished, when his phone started buzzing with an incoming call.

His face had turned cold, and he was looking at the screen. After a brief pause, he answered in a voice that was cold and distant, "Why are you calling?"

Lily, who'd been eavesdropping, froze for a moment.

Had she misheard him, or was there more to his tone than just coldness? Was there a hint of frustration? Was he resentful?

Her mind went to the woman who had broken Ethan's heart, the one he'd chased after for years, leaving him in an emotional wreck.

Ethan ended the call quickly, looking distant as he sat on the other couch in silence. He seemed a bit distracted, lost in thought.

It wasn't until Lily stood up to fix her dress that he got up and helped her zip it up from the back.

She didn't mention the call again. Instead, she changed the subject back to her own concerns. "You said you'd help me deal with Jason. "You're not going to renege on your promise, are you?"

Ethan, who was still clearly distracted, said, "No, I won't." "I had a few too many today and I made a rash decision."

He thought back to why it happened. She looked a lot like someone else in that black dress. On top of that, her earlier insults had stirred something inside him—a desire to teach her a lesson.

He now regretted his impulsive behavior.

He never planned for things with Lily to go this far after the second time, but here we are. He was frustrated by his lack of control, and as a result, he felt increasingly annoyed by her presence.

"Okay," Lily said, noticing his distant expression. "Why don't you give me a phone number?" I get the feeling you don't plan on seeing me again. "But since you've promised to help with Jason, we'll need to figure out a way to stay in touch."

Ethan gave her a few numbers to call and rubbed his temples. "This is my secretary's number."

Is this really necessary? Not even his personal number. He was keeping her at arm's length, as it turned out.

Lily kept her cool, thinking, "You should ask yourself who started this." I didn't seduce you.

"All right." She smiled, though her words were a thinly veiled threat. "Dr. Li, I really hope you keep your promise. I'm a pretty straightforward person. I tend to trust what people tell me. "But if you lie to me, I might just show up at your office and slit my wrists."

Ethan narrowed his eyes and gave her a cold stare.

Meanwhile, the phone that had caused all the disruption continued to ring, but he neither answered nor turned it off.

Lily watched him closely, understanding more than he was aware of. Despite seeming annoyed, he was waiting for that call. If he really didn't want to speak to the caller, he'd have blocked their number by now.

Ethan was the kind of guy who knew how to end things when he wanted to.

His earlier expression of disdain was pretty clear, so even Lily knew not to expect anything more from him.

When Ethan left, Lily sent Grace a text, asking her to come by with makeup in hand to help her touch up.

Grace showed up shortly after, looking a bit frazzled. Jason was right outside the door earlier. "If he'd found out, things would've gone south really fast."

Lily laughed and sat down, letting Grace fix her makeup. "It's none of his business who I sleep with. "Even if I slept with his dad, that cheating bastard has no right to say a word."

Grace blinked, taken aback. "Jason's dad?" He's not just ugly, he's downright hideous. "How would you even go about doing that?"

Lily laughed at the joke, but her smile faded, replaced with a more serious expression.

"What's up, Lily?" Grace furrowed her brow. "Did Ethan...?"

Lily wasn't upset with Ethan's behavior, as such. Instead, she found herself envying the way he had once loved his ex-girlfriend. Why couldn't she find a man like that—someone who was so devoted, even after being dumped?

But she didn't share her thoughts. Instead, she simply said, "Ethan's a jerk."

"I knew he wouldn't let you off the hook easily," Grace said, shaking her head. "I just didn't think he'd do this to you again."

"Well, he stopped halfway through and didn't even finish the job," Lily said with a dry laugh. "He left me in the lurch."

Grace was momentarily speechless.

Lily laughed again, as if shrugging off her emotions, then turned back to the mirror and carefully fixed her makeup.

Grace moved closer, narrowing her eyes. "You're not just pretending not to care, are you?"

"I'm fine," Lily said, without going into more detail.

To avoid running into Jason, she decided to leave through the back entrance.

Just as she was about to call for a cab, she saw a familiar car pull up. The window rolled down, and she saw Luke inside.

"Do you need a lift?" He gave her a quizzical look.

Lily took a moment to think it over before getting into the car. She figured it was only fair to apologize for the silly dare from back in college.

Luke smiled, clearly amused. "You're really fixated on that, aren't you?" It was just a joke. We went to school together and we're pretty good friends.

Even though he teased her, he always behaved respectfully, which made it difficult to dislike him. After spending some time with him, Lily was sure he wasn't interested in her romantically.

They stopped at a red light, and Luke casually asked, "You saw Ethan earlier, didn't you?"

Lily didn't see the point in denying it. "How did you find out?"

"I could smell it," Luke replied with a glint of humor in his eyes. "That same citrusy scent you have—it rubbed off on him." "You must have been close."

Lily stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond.

Luke glanced at her, his tone becoming more serious. "You nailed the look today, from the big busts to the black dresses. It's exactly like Eva's." "She loved wearing black, too."

"My name's Lily," she corrected, her tone firm.

Luke was taken aback, then broke into a grin, flashing his pearly white teeth. "I was just going to tell you not to get your hopes up about Ethan." "Even if you're one of the few girls who can get close to him, he's already got someone else on his mind."

"I know that," Lily replied quietly. "I'm not delusional."

Luke let out a sigh. Ethan isn't the best guy. It seems like he's only interested in Eva. Those two are a match made in heaven—they're perfect for each other. "If anyone else tries to get between them, they'll just end up getting caught in the crossfire."