Chapter 195: I know
The car ride after that call was a graveyard of unspoken words. The hum of tires against the road, the occasional laugh from the twins in the backseat, it all felt muted, like someone had turned the volume down on the world and left Mara alone with her thoughts.
She could still hear Rafaal’s voice. I love you more than life itself. And her own cowardly response. I know.
It tasted bitter now, settling in the back of her throat like old regret.
And then, because of course, Ethan couldn’t leave it alone, he chuckled again, shaking his head as though he pitied her.
"Wow," he said, glancing at her. "I mean... ’I know?’ Poor guy. Is that seriously the best you could do?"
He wasn’t even pretending to be kind. He just wanted to prove it, that she still felt something for him, that her heart hadn’t entirely made it to Rafael. That she was still that same girl, still carrying the ghost of him in the corners of her soul.
Mara turned to him, fury in her gaze sharp enough to draw blood. "Shut up, Ethan," she snapped.
He grinned, like he’d won some invisible game.
But neither of them said another word for the rest of the drive.
At the school, the mood lifted, if only slightly. The twins were ecstatic, bouncing in their new uniforms, their backpacks glittering under the morning sun. Mara made sure the security was tight, speaking with the head of school security and confirming the two personal guards stationed discreetly on campus.
Ethan, to his credit, handled the kids well. Audrey tugged at his sleeve, pointing out the jungle gym. Andrew clung to his hand until a cheerful teacher coaxed him away with the promise of paints and toy cars.