apter city Light
The Marcits Hiew. Its blonde hair fitted him perfectly, and there was just something about his features that was softer than my ex husband.
For a long time, we just stared at each other. I couldn’t breathe, and my hands began to tremble as I couldn’t break away from his gaze. He didn’t say anything, nor did he make any attempt to sit. I knew I should say something, like ask him who exactly he was. But for the life of me, I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I couldn’t look away from him, and he just stood there and narrowed his eyes at me.
Finally, he spoke. And that moment was the craziest moment I’ve ever experienced in my life, hearing Marcus’s voice coming from someone who clearly wasn’t him. It almost brought back all my past trauma, until I reminded myself that he wasn’t the one.
That single word seemed to float right through my chest, and a flame that had gone out in my heart a long time ago suddenly sparked back to life.
“Hi,” I replied.
“I’m guessing you recognise me,” he said.
I simply nodded, while he slowly smirked. As I looked at him, so many memories came rushing back, and I didn’t know how to handle myself. The fact that he looked exactly like Marcus was throwing me off entirely, and I just couldn’t get past that.
“May I ask why you decided to throw your drink in my face the last time we met?” he asked. “I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, but I was always curious why you did it.”
I was so mortified that I wish I could get blasted out of existence in that moment. I couldn’t look at him anymore, and I chose to stare at his hand, where there was a single, long gash cutting across the back of his hand. It looked like an injury that had been stitched, and it was the only blemish on his skin. Otherwise, he was spotless.
Just like my ex–husband had been.
Could it be…
“I’m so sorry,” I said, staring down at my feet. “I don’t know what came over me. I guess you kind of reminded me of my ex, and I thought it was him. I’m really sorry for the misunderstanding.”
“You’re good,” he chuckled. “I mean I figured it was something like that. Believe it or not, that wasn’t the first time I got a drunk thrown in my face because I was mistaken for someone else.”
“I’m still sorry though,” I said. “You just look exactly like him.”
“I get it,” he said, and there was a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he leaned back into his seat. “Well, I’m glad that French dude exchanged his ticket with me.‘
“Why is that?” I asked.
1
“Because I’ve been thinking about you ever since the incident,” he said. “I mean as much as I’ve experienced that so many times in the past, something about you stuck with me. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I was hoping I would get a chance to run into you one day in the future. I guess that was destined to be sooner rather than later.”
It was as if some sort of invisible force was pulling me towards him. I couldn’t explain it, but I just couldn’t turn away from him. I was lowkey losing my mind, but he seemed so calm and charming that it was easy to feel comfortable around him.
Except I was a mess, and I felt like a charged battery that was about to explode.
.25 BONUS
Chapter twenty fight
“I’m Ethan, by the way,” he said. “Ethan Reynard.”
And then it hit me.
Ethan. Marcus’s brother.
The one I was never allowed to talk about.
Why the fuck didn’t anyone tell me that he was a twin?
It all made sense now. Like a puzzle piece finally falling into place, I finally figured out why Marcus hated him so much. I never realised they were twins. And knowing who Marcus was, I knew he would hate the fact that he was only known as one half of a pair. He always wanted to stand out in any room he was in, and I understood why there were no pictures of Ethan anywhere. I’d probably seen there, but simply assumed that it was Marcus himself.
“This is the part where you tell me your name,” he said, pulling me out of my reverie.
“Oh, sorry,” I said. “Olivia Carson.”
For a moment, he looked like he’d recognised something. But then he shook his head and offered me It’s a pleasure to meet you, Liv.”
his hand. ”
I felt a jolt as soon as I shook his hand. Something about the way his hand felt while holding mine was just surreal. And as he pulled away, I couldn’t explain the shiver that crept down my spine.
“Can I ask you something?” he said, and I nodded silently because I didn’t trust myself to speak.
“What was the name of your ex?” he asked.
SO
I couldn’t bring myself to say his name, so I simply said, “I’m sure you already know who I’m talking about.”
“Of course,” he said with a slight chuckle. “Marcus might be an idiot, but I like to tell myself that it’s never intentional.”
I said nothing, because I wasn’t about to open that can of worms.
“Whatever it is he did,” Ethan said, “I’m sorry. I know it’s not nearly enough to make up for his transgressions. But I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive him.”
“I don’t know if I can,” I said. “You don’t even know the half of it.”
“Trust me, I can guess how bad it is,” he said. “But I hope you can forgive him.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said, and he chuckled.
“Fair enough, Liv,” he said. “Fair enough.”
I leaned back into my seat and tried to fight back a whimper
This was going to be a long flight.
