Hearts in Turmoil

Chapter 12 – The Little Secret

Ethan's gaze was calm, almost cold.

It was obvious that this was a subject he was reluctant to talk about, and it might have even upset him.

Lily averted her gaze. She honestly couldn't remember sending Ethan a letter back in college, let alone what it said. But from the look on his face, it was clear that whatever had been written wasn't your typical thing.

After all, Ethan still helped her study for the exam afterwards. No wonder he had always seemed so distant, cutting their sessions short to just ten minutes, and then bluntly telling her she wasn't his type.

Luke's voice broke through her thoughts with a hint of amusement. "Lily, it's not that you're casting a wide net, but flirting with me and Ethan is a problem. That's not fair to anyone. "What's next—are we supposed to share you?"

Lily, who had always considered herself pretty level-headed, felt her face flush with heat. She replied hastily, "It was just a dare..." I lost a game of truth or dare. "I didn't mean to offend either of you."

Luke arched an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Calling me big doesn't seem like a big deal."

Well, he didn't seem upset, at least.

Lily let out a breath, her chest rising and falling. Just as she was about to respond, Luke added, "But I think Ethan might still be upset about it."

Her entire body tensed up again.

Luke didn't go on, though. Instead, he glanced at her and said, "If you'd rather not, feel free to head to the lounge."

Lily didn't need to be asked twice. She didn't waste any time in leaving.

Meanwhile, Luke kept his eyes on Ethan for a moment before the latter broke away from his conversation with a local business magnate to address Luke. "Why are you hanging around with Jason's ex?"

Luke gave a shrug. "She's trying to get my attention."

Ethan took a moment to think, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at his friend.

"I don't remember her name, but I've seen her around campus more times than I can count," Luke explained casually. "Back in school, I used to tell my colleagues how attractive she was."

Then, one day, she'd dropped off that infamous letter at his dorm.

Luke had actually admired her courage.

If he hadn't gone to study abroad in his third year, she might have managed to win him over.

Ethan, who was always pretty detached, just replied, "Stay classy."

Luke's grin got even wider. "You've only got Eva, so of course, you wouldn't get it." Do you know girls like Lily? "Let's just say they make it worth your while."

Ethan didn't respond, just giving a slight, noncommittal smirk.

"Come on," Luke teased. "Have you slept with her?" It doesn't really matter either way. "Eva's got you on a tight leash anyway."

Ethan's expression turned more serious. "Eva doesn't matter."

Luke let out a short laugh. "She didn't matter much when we were both chasing after her for years, did she?"

Without another word, Ethan walked away.

Meanwhile, Lily, who was now safely tucked away in the lounge, immediately messaged her old college friend, eager to find out what was written in the letter she had supposedly sent to Ethan.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally got a reply. Her friend had saved a photo of the letter on their cloud drive.

When Lily opened the image, she was blown away.

The letter had just one line in it:

"Lily, I saw you in the bathroom the other day...and I have to be honest with you..." "You're really small."

You know, just a little small.

The letter said she was really small.

Lily felt light-headed.

Grace came into the lounge just then and saw Lily looking pale as a ghost. "What's up?" "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I told Ethan... he's small," Lily said quietly, her voice trembling.

Grace gasped, her voice rising in surprise. "You're saying that Ethan, who's tall and handsome, is actually... small?"

The lounge was right next to the bathroom.

Lily was in trouble because Ethan had heard everything she said.

His face darkened instantly, and the air became noticeably tense.