Caught By My Predator✓

Chapter 14- Who said this was love?

Ida's POV

I was brushing my teeth absentmindedly and just thinking about mom, where she went, and how I will find her.

Was I planning on finding her? Hell yes.
Any clues on where and how to find her? Hell no.

"You know, I have been here all this time, right?" Ethan's voice snaps me back from my thoughts.

I look at his deep and dark eyes through the reflection, "of course I know."

"Then you must also know that you have brushed three times in total," he casually walks inside the washroom, and I immediately rinse my mouth.

"You know, you can cry. You don't need to try to hold it back in front of me,"

My heart felt a sudden jolt like lightning hit it. My eyes became watery, and tears started to roll down my cheeks. I was not crying. At least I thought I was not.

I am in complete control. I thought.

Ethan took me into a warm hug
"no, you are not in complete control. Don't hold anything back. Not in front of me. Ever," in the name of God, I swear hearing such words weakens me.

I push him back and wipe away the never-ending flow of tears. But remembering how that hell of a father said 'maybe never' killed me.

I felt pain, anxiety, and my goddammit heart would not stop throbbing.

"Fuck!" I scream
"Don't say things like that. It's stupid" I look at Ethan, who just kept looking at me burst out.

"Do not! Do not act naive. We both know this very well. In the end, all this love and compassion and bat shit are going to go down the sewer. No one cares. Dad doesn't," I shrug.

"Is this what you think?" Ethan asks with hurt.

"It's all an act right. Love? Love is bullshi-" before I could finish Ethan lashes, "who said this was love?" and storms out of the washroom.

"Fuck!" I curse under my breath, feeling a little hurt at his words.

I searched the house and outside, but there was no sign of Ethan anywhere.

×××

"Ugh," I groan. My back was aching after sleeping on the couch.

Either way, I wanted to sleep more, but I had rejoined my part-time at the small restaurant with more working hours.

There was no sign of Ethan, no call or text at all, since yesterday. I feel awful for lashing out at him because of all this frustration, so I decided that I would start a hunt for my mother or else I will never be at ease, and will hurt the people around me in the process.

Who said this was love?
This sentence pricks my heart each time I thought of it coming out of Ethan's mouth.

But it is correct. Who said this was love at all? We had never talked about the thing going on between us. But the question is, is there anything going on between us? Were there any feelings involved, or are these just my fantasies?

I walked across the corridor, apathetically looking at the different things placed around- the chair, the door, the bowl with a key, the shoes-
Stopping in my tracks, I look at the bowl again.

The car keys.

This is going to be a lot of help.

I got dressed as quickly as I could and grabbed my phone that had been charging for... a very long time.
Dangerous, I know. But I went to sleep, and I am not used to being alone. There was Mom all the time, helping me out.