For a moment, they locked eyes. But then, to her utter disbelief, Ethan looked past her. Right through her, like she wasn’t even there. He turned and walked away, his posture calm and indifferent, as though nothing had happened.
Mia stood frozen, her mind racing. Did he really not see her, or was he pretending? Before she could dwell on it, she heard his voice responding to someone, his tone steady. “No, it was nothing. I'm fine." he said, loud enough to carry across the garden.
The words jolted her back into motion. Shaking herself out of the daze, Mia rushed to the gardener’s shed, grabbed a ladder, and dragged it toward the perimeter wall. Her hands trembled, her breath shallow as she propped it up and climbed, her every movement fueled by raw desperation. She didn’t stop until she wa
