"This is what she had become."
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Cleopatra Banks' last week in the small town of New Chelsea is nothing like she would have imagined it, but nothing could have prepared her for the stinging betrayal she's faced with and suddenly the prospect of...
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"Could you please come outside, I...I need to talk to you," is what I wake up to when I answer my phone long after the neighborhood has dozed off.
"Right now?" I croak into the line, not sure if I'm dreaming this or not. After going so long without hearing his voice on the other side it is possible that I'm just imagining this.
Ethan breathes tiredly. "Yeah," he says.
I pull my phone away from my ear and squint my eyes at the brightly lit screen to see that it's close to 02:00.
"Are you okay?" I ask when I put my phone back to my ear, still huddling up further in the warm confines of my blankets and absolutely dreading the bitter cold weather outside.
"I don't think so," he says and the distress in his voice is what ultimately causes me jump out of my bed in search of warmer clothing. After the disastrous day I had yesterday, the last thing I want is to further increase my chances of catching a cold.
"Okay just give me a minute I'll be out just now," I reply, stifling a massive yawn from escaping. "Okay, I'm outside," he says. This time I do give way to a full yawn as I avoid stepping on a random slipper on the floor just before grabbing the hoodie Ethan gave me. I toss my previously water soaked phone over the bed and throw the hoodie over my own fluffy onesie. I also grab my night gown and slip into it and my sock clad feet into a pair of fluffy boots.
I probably look like a fritter right now but I'm not taking any chances.
The rest of my family is quite beat seeing as how mom was still running all over the place last night, luckily she's only putting a few minor touches to the coffee shop and after some delay it will finally be open in a week from now, and dad slept late after evaluating some contract so this time around I'm sure that none of them will be awake if I decide to go on a late night drive with Ethan.
Just the thought of being on the open road with him yet again brings a smile to my face.
I'm rushing downstairs in a matter of time and when I finally open the French doors, Ethan is on the other side with two steaming mugs of what smells like hot chocolate and his blue polar fleece blanket is draped over his shoulders.
I give him a huge smile and quickly close the doors behind me.
"Hey, what's the matter?" I ask whilst he hands me my own piping hot mug. Ethan motions for me to sit next to him by the doorstep and scoots closer to me once we're seated, making sure that I'm as comfortable as can be.
"Hey, I'm really sorry I called so late. I know you must be cold right now and really sleepy too but...I didn't know who else to talk to," he says with his eyes trained on the mug in his hands. "It's okay. I'm here for you," I tell him. He averts his gaze towards me and gives me a tight lipped smile.
"My mother didn't came home last night. Sam's at the hospital now," he says, swallowing audibly. My eyebrows rise up and I run my tongue over my dry lips in an attempt to anticipate whatever news Ethan has to deliver.
