The Red Light I Couldn’t See, The Love That Was Never There Chapter 04
When I opened the door, the living room lights were on.
Ethan was kneeling beside the couch, pressing the back of his hand to Lily’s forehead to check her temperature.
They were sitting very close together.
Lily tipped her face up, her eyelashes almost brushing his nose.
The warm, dim light fell over them, making them look perfectly in sync.
When he saw me standing in the entryway, Ethan shifted away a little.
“You’re still running a little hot. Did you take your medicine?”
“I did. It tasted awful.”
Lily wrinkled her nose and complained in a soft, whiny voice.
“That’s what you get for hiking in clothes that thin.”
Lily pouted and tugged at his sleeve.
“I’m hungry. I want soup.”
“Wait here.”
Ethan stood and headed for the kitchen.
As he passed me, he glanced over.
“Keep an eye on the stove. I’m heading downstairs to buy some ginger.”
I said nothing.
He grabbed his coat and walked out on his own.
Once the door closed, the living room fell quiet.
Lily pushed herself upright, looking pale.
“Sophie, don’t be mad. I felt awful with the fever this afternoon, so I called Ethan.”
I set down my bag and looked at her.
“Why did you call him instead of me?”
Lily froze. Her lips parted, but no words came out.
“You’ve been different for the past six months.”
“When you’re upset, he’s the first person you call. When you’re sick, he’s the first person you call, too.”
“We’re supposed to be best friends, but lately you’ve made me feel like an outsider.”
“You’re so close with him, and I’m the one getting in your way.”
Lily gripped the edge of the blanket until her knuckles whitened.
“Sophie, I…”
“Don’t. I understand.”
When they both stood me up on my birthday,
I sat alone at the restaurant until midnight and was nearly harassed by a drunk.
But on my way home, I saw them sitting by the river.
From the moment Lily leaned against him, blushed, and said, “I’m so glad I have you,” I understood everything.
I kept lying to myself because I didn’t want to face the truth.
But I didn’t want to keep living like that.
Lily’s eyes reddened, and she hurried to stand and explain.
“Sophie, listen to me!”
Her foot slipped, and she fell off the edge of the couch.
I bent down instinctively to catch her.
The moment my fingers touched her arm, my elbow knocked over the glass on the coffee table.
The glass hit the floor and shattered, a shard slicing across my lower leg.
Blood immediately began to seep out and run down toward my ankle.
I glanced down and bit my lip without making a sound.
That was when the lock clicked.
Ethan pushed the door open. His eyes went to Lily first, and his expression changed.
“Lily, what happened?”
He dropped the ginger and rushed over, his shoulder slamming into me.
I staggered backward several steps.
The movement pulled at the cut on my leg, and blood dripped onto the floor.
He didn’t even notice.
All his attention was on helping Lily up, his eyes full of concern.
“I fell…”
Lily’s voice broke.
“It hurts.”
Ethan pulled her into his arms and gently rubbed her swollen elbow.
Lily hissed.
He slowed down and soothed her in a low voice.
I stood three steps away, staring at the gash in my lower leg.
Blood was still flowing, gathering into a small dark red puddle on the floor.
Ethan never once looked up.
Suddenly, I saw no reason to stay.
I suddenly felt completely in the way.
So I turned, walked into the bedroom, and opened the closet.
I pulled out my clothes one piece at a time and stuffed them into a suitcase.
The cut on my leg scraped against the suitcase corner, and I sucked in a breath.
I crouched down, pressed a tissue to the wound, and watched it turn red at once.
I ignored it and kept packing.
When I dragged my suitcase out, Ethan finally looked up.
His gaze moved from my hand to the suitcase.
Then he looked at the blood on the floor beside my foot, his brows drawing together.
“What happened to your leg?”
I didn’t answer.
“You’re hurt this badly, and you’re still throwing a fit?”
I stopped and looked at him.
“I’m not throwing a fit.”
“Ethan, we should break up.”
