"Zach? What happened to him?" My eyes were blazing with anger, and my chest felt like it was about to explode.
Ethan shook his head, his voice thick with emotion. "Don't worry. He's fine. Murphy and the others treated him decently, and so far, he hasn't had to deal with anything tough."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "If Zach's fine, then why are you following me? What are you doing here?"
Ethan gave me a sad look and mumbled, "I knew it was you the moment I saw you at the gala. I could tell you were faking being a reporter to get in. I've been worried about you. Those people aren't who they seem to be."
He shook his head with a heavy heart. "They come off all nice and generous, but no one knows how much dirty stuff they've done behind closed doors. I was afraid they might go after you, so I've been following you."
My tears began to fall. "Ethan, you…"
He gave a dry laugh. "Evelyn, I'll figure something out with Zach. I swear, I'll get him back to you safely."
He held my hand tight.
My tears wouldn't stop falling, my voice choking up. "Ethan, I want Zach and also you. How are we supposed to go on without you?"
Ethan's eyes welled up, too. "Evelyn, I'm sorry... Maybe we're just not meant to be."
He wrapped his arms around me, holding me like he never wanted to let go. "Please, don't put yourself in danger again, okay? Let me hold you like this for a bit as our last goodbye."
Ethan kissed my forehead repeatedly, murmuring, "Evelyn, I love you. I'll always love you, but we can never go back."
He slowly pulled away, turning and fading into the darkness. All that was left were his parting words. "We'll find each other again in the afterlife if it's meant to be…"
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