Chapter 20
ALICIA
Throughout the night, whenever I roused, Ethan was there. Two blue orbs burnt with emotion as his stare never wavered from my face, forever lurking and watching like a stoic sentinel.
Stalker creep.
However, as morning approached, he reluctantly fell into a deep sleep.
Ethan’s arms anchored around me as his soft snores puffed against my neck. I took one long second to bask in the comforting embrace before I let dreaded reality settle back in.
With the rising of the sun, our impasse had come to an end, and it was time to leave. I slipped out of his hold and sat on the side of the bed, letting my body adjust to the change in position.
I still had a killer headache, and the injured side of my face ached, but as I tentatively stood, my feet were steady.
Riffling through his closet, I swiped some sweatpants and slides, then went searching for my belongings.
My bag was on the couch, and when I checked my phone, Alexis had given me the all-clear to return to the apartment. I was glad she had left for Acacia Falls so she wouldn’t have to see my busted face.
That’s when a ghastly bang echoed from the kitchen, followed by an impressive list of curse words.
I ran in and stopped short before a middle-aged man who I immediately recognised as Ethan’s dad.
I’d previously noted their resemblance in passing photos, but seeing the man in the flesh—yeah, there was no denying their relation.
Great.
“Who—”
“You must—”
We both blurted at the same time.
I crossed my arms over my chest, self-conscious since I was in his son’s clothes, sans bra. I needn’t have bothered—he didn’t even register my attire. Instead, his gaze hooked on my face, his own blanching of colour when he catalogued my injury.
“Who—who did that to you?” he asked, borderline distraught.
Awkward. I didn’t reply. What the hell was I supposed to say?
Either way, I didn’t have to answer because he had already come to the right conclusion, his displeasure blatant by the trembling fists at his sides and the potent anger twisting his features.
“ Right , he’s done for.”
He shifted, grabbed a frying pan from the cupboard and raced past me in the direction of Ethan’s room.
Oh, no.
I followed suit but couldn’t keep up. Damn, old man has wheels.
When I reached the threshold of Ethan’s room, I was already too late.
Thump. “Ahhhh!” Thump. “Fuck!” Thump. “STOP!”
Ethan’s dad was standing on top of the bed, beating the frying pan against his son’s ass. It didn’t make much of an impact due to the thick blanket protecting Ethan’s rear. Although, based on his screams, you’d think he was being murdered.
I had to hand it to Daddy Harris, though—he was giving it his all, which gave me a sick sense of satisfaction, sprinkled with some nostalgic deja vu. I couldn’t help it when my mouth lifted into a smirk as I leant against the doorframe, invested in the show.
If only I had some popcorn.
Ethan soon escaped the mattress, chest heaving as he faced off against his father.
“What the fuck, Dad!? Are you insane!? What the hell did I do!?”
Oop . Harris Senior looked like he was on the verge of committing homicide.
“Look at her face! THAT’S WHAT YOU DID!”
Ethan’s beady eyes bounced to me, and his whole body pulled taut with awareness. A multitude of emotions played over his features, three taking precedence.
Devastation. Sorrow. But worst of all, guilt.
And his dad had no qualms interpreting that little gem. Mr Harris jumped off the bed, ready to destroy his son when I stepped between them.
He huffed. “Don’t protect him, girl, he’s not worth it.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. But it’s not what it looks like. I accidentally got hit in the head with a football, then landed on my face.”
His brow lifted high in a sarcastic arch. “That’s what you’re going with?”
“That’s the truth.”
His attention pitched to Ethan, who looked on the verge of crumbling to his knees. “I’d never hurt her on purpose, Dad. You know this.”
“ Again , you mean,” I said with the right amount of sass. “You wouldn’t hurt me again .”
Ethan flinched as his dad offered a charming smile and handshake. “You can call me Rudy.”
“I’m Alicia.”
“I know who you are—my idiot son’s one true love who he let get away.”
Well… shit .
Rudy drove me home alone.
Ethan wasn’t happy, but we gave him no choice. I wanted space, and it seemed like Rudy needed the same.
He kept on whispering a dialogue under his breath. From the few words I did catch, there were a lot of threats and expletives involved. As he pulled up to a set of lights, I caught the tail end of his latest tirade.
“Fucking report him to the police… take him for all he’s worth… and he’d bloody deserve it too…”
“Mr Harris?” I interrupted, but the call didn’t penetrate.
So I reached out and touched his forearm. “Rudy,” I said more assertively. His attention swung to me, his features softening in apology.
I gave a light smile. “Although I’m frustrated at Ethan, it really was an accident. He didn’t mean to hurt me.”
Rudy rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m scared for him, that’s all. He’s been working so hard to become a better man, someone worthy of you.”
I sat silent and dumbstruck, unsure of how to reply—or even if I should.
He read my hesitance and decided to fill the space. “I’m sorry if that’s unfair to say, and I know you don’t owe him anything. I may be selfish in asking this of you, but I’m going to ask anyway… Please wait for him, Alicia.”
My gaze was locked outside the window, but I didn’t process a thing. Instead, my ears perked, waiting on his very breath so I didn’t miss whatever else he had to say.
“He’s hanging on by a thread, and this legal trial is taking a heavy toll. All he ever wanted was to be loved by her, by his own mother. And she didn’t even give him that.”
Rudy shook his head. “Ethan has dismantled his world as he knows it and is now currently trying to rebuild it up, one brick at a time. It’s hard labour, the most torturous kind, but he’s willing to do all of that to improve himself.”
I sighed. “He’s never confided in me. He doesn’t tell me anything. He doesn’t trust me.”
“He’s ashamed. Ethan has many issues, and I know he lashed out and hurt you because of them. But you’re all he wants and thinks about.”
I scoffed. And that’s about enough of that. “He has bigger issues to worry about right now,” I said. “Let him focus on the trial. I refuse to make false promises.”
Rudy chuckled. “I apologise for my forwardness. I’ve heard so much about you that I feel like I know you already,” he said with a chuffed air as if he was impressed by my scathing reply.
“You are right, though, Alicia. Ethan must preserve his energy. ’Cause if I know anything about Audrey Collins, the worst is yet to come.”