Speaking without thinking, that's a real problem., As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I'd stepped in it big time. I was scrambling to think of a way to smooth things over when Ernest just said,

"Okay.

", Wait, what? He agreed? Just like that? No making a fuss to save face? No macho refusal to borrow money from me?, But Ernest didn't refuse. He must really be strapped for cash. He probably really wants to get his sister the help she needs. Thinking about it, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the guy., That feeling flashed by, and I immediately knew it was out of place. I cleared my throat,

"Has your sister seen a doctor? If you have any medical records, give them to me. I might know someone who can help.

"

"Sure,

" he agreed., Well, that left me with nothing more to say. So, I got up, saying,

"Thanks for today. I'm heading out.

", He looked at me, replying,

"If you're feeling unwell again, give me a call.

",

"Yeah, sure,

" I replied with a smile, turning around and letting out a silent sigh of relief., Feeling cared for like this was unexpectedly stressful., Back home, I leaned against the door, trying to catch my breath and calm my emotions. Before I could fully recover, my phone started buzzing like crazy. I walked back to my bedroom to pick it up and saw it was a call from Conrad., I had no idea why he was calling, and frankly, I wasn't in the mood to listen to anything he had to say. Gross., The call ended on its own, and that's when I noticed there were over twenty missed calls, all from Conrad except for one from Ivan., No need to ask. Ivan's call was probably Conrad's doing too., With him calling non-stop, he must have something important to say. So, when he called again, I answered,

"Hello?

",

"Felicia, where are you? I want to see you,

" Conrad's voice was filled with anguish, and it sounded like he was drunk., I ignored him, and he chuckled bitterly,

"Right, you don't want me anymore.

", I stayed silent, and Conrad softly called out,

"Felicia, do you really not want me anymore? We've been together for ten years. You've always liked me...

", So, he knew. But he also took advantage of my feelings, didn't he?,

"Felicia, talk to me. Tell me, is it really over? Can't we be together anymore?

" As Conrad spoke, I could hear the sound of something being smashed. He must have been really drunk. I didn't want to listen to his nonsense anymore,

"Conrad, I'm hanging up.

",

"Don't hang up,

" he pleaded,

"Felicia, if I ended up with Haley, would you be hurt?

", That was a low blow!, Now he was twisting the knife.,

"Conrad,

" I said his name firmly,

"Is it that you want me to end up like Aiden before you'll understand what 'hurt' means?

", There was immediate silence on the other end, as if the line had been cut. But I knew it hadn't. He was still there., I didn't hang up either. This was a barrier, a weight on Conrad's heart he dared not face, and I had just brutally torn it open., He must have been in agony., I could almost picture him convulsing with pain., But it was all a pain he deserved to feel; no agony could compare to the loss of a living soul.,

"You knew...

" After a long pause, Conrad finally spoke in agony, and then the call ended., Listening to the dial tone, I couldn't put down the phone for a long time, feeling like my heart had lost its anchor, plummeting rapidly., I didn't sleep well that night; my dreams were haunted by Conrad, replaying every moment we shared, from our first meeting to a decade of growth., Our past played out like an old movie in my dreams, over and over through the night., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.