Chapter 3: Looking for the Woman He Had Lost
Ethan ran through the hotel lobby.
The bench was empty.
The concierge shook his head.
"She left about twenty minutes ago."
"Where?"
"A taxi."
He called her.
Voicemail.
Again.
Voicemail.
Again.
Nothing.
His attorney finally answered instead.
"Mrs. Carter is unavailable."
"I need to speak to my mother."
"You needed to speak to her before you had security remove her."
Ethan closed his eyes.
"I made a mistake."
"You made several."
The line went silent.
Then the attorney continued.
"Do you know why she sold the lake house?"
"What?"
"The wedding."
Ethan stopped walking.
"The lake house your father built."
"No..."
"She sold it six months ago."
His knees nearly gave out.
Every fishing trip.
Every Christmas.
Every memory.
Gone.
To pay for flowers.
Music.
Food.
A wedding she wasn't even allowed to attend.
The attorney's voice softened.
"She asked only one thing."
"What?"
"That you never knew."
The call ended.
Ethan stood alone in the lobby.
May you like
For the first time since childhood...
He cried.
