Do we truly know those we consider as our family?
This is the last year before the beginning of the rest of Cara and Mia lives!
Mia Carter still has one more year to spend on Angel Island before leaving, with her best friend, for Montreal to pursue...
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Chapter 21 - All of this for that?
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Mia - ????
Tears well up in my eyes, and I choke back a sob of fear, anger, and confusion. A tear rolls down my cheek as I lock eyes with him.
"Ethan?... Why..." I trail off. He raises his eyebrows and straightens up. Given my seated position, his height frightens me; I am completely at his mercy. He runs a hand through his beard and scratches his neck.
"Why? Why am I doing this?" His voice is full of anger, and I shrink in my chair, terrified. "Because I'm a good guy, Mia. I've always been a great guy. Good grades, a good group of friends, I play sports, I'm handsome, intelligent." I watch him enumerate on his fingers. I stare at him, speechless, as he continues his tirade. "I'm a good guy, a perfect guy, okay?" He shouts the last word, and I flinch so hard that my chair wobbles backward. He catches me, and his face is just centimeters away from mine. "I would have done everything for her. Everything I did to please her, you have no idea what I did. Once I got the money, I would have convinced her to leave with me. We would have started over somewhere else, together, you understand?"
"No, Ethan, I don't understand anything..." "That's because instead of investigating, you spent your time fucking my best friend, Mia." He screams and abruptly moves away, causing the chair to fall forward. I steady myself with my feet, realizing that I'm no longer wearing shoes or pants. I'm only in a T-shirt and underwear.
"Did you know I lost my scholarship ?" He looks at me intently, and I shake my head. "Stupid fucking drug test before a match. I kept my spot on the team for appearances, but college without a scholarship? Impossible. She would have left me, Mia. She wouldn't want a guy who can't keep up with her."
He kicks a pile of crates next to him, and I flinch again as they crash, sending pieces of wood flying all over the room. "Damn it. And I managed to find a solution. You do know about Cara's father's trafficking, right?" He looks at me with disdain and pity in his eyes, and I nod. "Well, you're not as dumb as I thought. Good." "Anyway, I uncovered the truth, and at the same time, I find out that this bitch," he points his finger at my best friend, "decided to spend her summer with the local psycho. Can you believe it, Mia? She prefers a shitty drug dealer over me? It's inconceivable." He starts laughing, but it sounds fake, nervous.
"So, you kidnapped her? Why? Why go through all this, Ethan? What is the point?"
"The same as before!" He sighs and sits back down on his chair, staring at it. "I just need to remind her that before getting close to that dog, she loved me. She just needs to remember."
He's completely insane. "So, you think keeping your ex captive in your basement will help you win her back? But you're completely fucking crazy." "I'm not crazy!" His hand slaps my cheek, and I gasp for breath. He lifts my chin with his hand to face him and repeats that he's not crazy.
