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I almost want to scream at them. Why aren’t they in here with Ethan? Why aren’t they worried?

He still hasn’t woken up.

I take another look at him. He’s all bandaged up now, dressed in a thin hospital gown with several white blankets tossed over him. If it weren’t for me, he’d only have one, but I insisted on more.

An IV is stuck in his hand and he looks paler than usual, but that might be because of the bright white lighting in the room.

I’m about to put my hand over his when I hear footsteps and the door swings open.

“Oh, Ethan,” a feminine voice whispers from behind me.

I look over to see a woman with the same blonde hair as him come rushing over to his bedside.

“Good Lord, what happened?” she asks as she places her hand on his chest, and then she looks up at me. Her eyes take in my face. I take a little bit of a step back, as to not crowd her. I straighten my shoulders and take a breath, trying not to appear as distressed as I feel.

“You must be Ethan’s mother,” I say quietly, but confidently. “I’m Dante Romano.”

“Yes, I’m Anne Moore. Oh, you’re…Dante, yes. He told me all about you this morning,” she says, and her brow furrows.

My brows rise. “He did?”

“Yes, he did. I can’t say I approve of your background, so to speak, but I’m glad he’s found someone,” she tells me, and then looks at Ethan again. “Oh…poor thing.” She brushes her fingers gently through his hair.

I look at her, uncertain. How much did Ethan tell her?Whydid he tell her?

What does she mean by “found someone?” Does this mean Ethan told her that he wants to be with me?

I shake the thoughts out of my head. They aren’t important right now. Ethan is.

“He was attacked from behind,” I tell her quietly. “He didn’t see it coming. It happened in the coffee shop parking lot.”

She gasps. “In the middle of the day?” she asks. “And no one saw?”

I clear my throat. “I got there while it was happening,” I explain, my hands balling into fists.

“You saved him?” she asks. “He said you saved him before.”

I shake my head. “No, he saved me, Mrs. Moore.”

Her eyes soften. “It seems you’ve saved each other.” She sighs. “Will the police be involved, then? Since you caught the attacker.”

I look at Ethan, then down at myself. I have his blood all over me. It’s not just Ethan’s blood, though.

“No,” I say, and look right into her eyes. “The fucker’s been taken care of.”

She stares back at me, and I see fear cross her face, but she just nods.

“Good.” She turns to Ethan again. “My sweet boy. How bad is it?”

I step closer. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but they say he will.”

As I’m about to continue explaining, two more people walk in. This time, I recognize them immediately.

“Why the fuck weren’t we called earlier?” Nathan huffs as he walks in with Lena at his side.

“They said they called you earlier, and you didn’t answer,” I say to Nathan. I don’t look at him, just talk to him with my eyes on Ethan.

“Dante…what are you doing here?” Lena asks.