There's One Thing I Like About Him

Chapter 20

Isabelle

"Where have you been?" I asked Cliff as soon as he slid into the passenger seat of my car, slamming the door behind him. My heart raced, a knot of anxiety twisting in my stomach. I had already texted him the news the moment I saw the article—Ethan was awake. A realization struck: everything we had meticulously planned was unraveling faster than a frayed knot.

"I know, I know, I should've been here sooner," he said, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He looked more frazzled than I had ever seen him. "But I didn't expect him to wake up so soon. What happened? I thought you were going to sedate him until our plan worked out."

Frustration simmered beneath the surface. "I did! He was doped up on enough sedatives to put a bull elephant to sleep. Sometimes I wonder if these nurses even know how to do their jobs. I swear I'll get to the bottom of this. I can't have someone like Ethan remembering anything about us—or what we did."

Cliff jumped in. "It's too risky now. If he remembers even a piece—"

"Then everything we've built crumbles. I can't let that happen, Cliff! We need to act now." I took a deep breath, trying to steady my shaking hands on the steering wheel. We had been so close to achieving our goals, only to have the rug pulled out from beneath us at the most critical moment.

Cliff glanced at me, his brows knitted tightly. "What's the plan, then? If we can't get to Ethan, we need to minimize the risk. Can we—"

A loud bang signaled my phone buzzing incessantly in the cupholder. I grimaced and picked it up, shooting a glance into the rearview mirror.

Paranoia crept into my veins; the sunlight glinted sharply off a few headlights behind us—too conspicuous, too watchful. I couldn't afford to let anyone meddle in our affairs. Not now.

"It's Ethan's mom," I muttered, looking at Cliff. "She's been asking too many questions. She suspects something."

Cliff bit his lip, thinking hard. "Why? You know we can't trust anyone right now."

I had already taken measures to offload the truth into a carefully curated lie, but could we risk dragging her deeper? I glanced back at the headlights. Could they be her guards?

I silenced my phone. Whatever it took, I wouldn't let anyone slip into our world like that. "Let's head to the old place. We need to regroup—figure this out before that nurse realizes how badly she messed up."

As I pulled away, I felt like the noose was tightening around us. Every turn and bend in the road felt like a countdown, the clock ticking down to something chaotic and inevitable. Cliff's panic illuminated the cracks in our carefully composed façade.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, trying to calm the storm of panic swirling in my chest. Cliff was losing control. He was too emotional, too attached to Trisha. And if he wasn't careful, he was going to ruin everything we had worked for. Ethan's sudden recovery had thrown a wrench into our plans, but I wasn't about to let that stop me. Not after everything I'd sacrificed.

Cliff had been useful, loyal even, but his feelings for Trisha were becoming a liability. He wasn't thinking clearly. He didn't understand what was at stake. I would have to take matters into my own hands.

Pulling out my phone, I dialed a number I had hoped I wouldn't need to use. When the voice on the other end answered, I spoke quickly, my words sharp and decisive.

"It's time. Ethan can't stay awake for long. Make sure it's handled."

"I'm not really sure about this anymore, Isabelle," he said, his voice wavering slightly. I shot him a sharp look, my eyes narrowing.