Page 96 of The Toy Maker

The girls seemed to be satisfied with that excuse and sent me on my way with a few pats on the back.

--

I dragged my feet over the asphalt, every step feeling heavier than the last. The night air was frigid, pressing against my skin, but I barely felt it. My mind was stuck—replaying the moment before I walked out the door with Ethan by my side, before Jason had completely shattered whatever delusions I had left.

I should’ve known better.

Ididknow better.

And yet, there I was, feeling like someone had reached inside my chest and twisted.

A sharp blare of a car horn snapped me out of my daze, and my body jerked to attention.

The driver threw up a hand in frustration before speeding off, and I forced myself to move again, quickening my pace until I reached my apartment.

I expected to walk into an interrogation, with my mother waiting with her usual arsenal of relentlessly nosy questions. I had been dreading the inevitable conversation leading to her sighs of disappointment and passive-aggressive remarks about my questionablecareer choices.

She thought being an accounting assistant was bad.

Just wait.

I expected a fight, but I was greeted with silence.

I flicked on the light switch to find everything how I had left it. Cereal crumbs were scattered on the floor from breakfast, and my dress from the night was tossed over the lampshade.

“Mom?” There was no answer, so I made my way to the guest room and peered inside. The bed was untouched. Not even a wrinkle in the covers. A sticky note sat in the center of the comforter, her neat handwriting staring back at me.

“I’m sorry I interrupted your life. -Mom”

I stared at the words for a long moment.

Then I scoffed, crumpling the note in my fist before tossing it onto the bed. I slumped down onto the floor, my back pressed against the nightstand.

Figures.The moment I could actually use some motherly advice, she was gone, leaving me with no distractions, only misery.

My fingers idly peeled at the label of the bottle Jade had slipped me earlier. She meant well. But I knew exactly what I was about to do, and Iknewit wouldn’t help.

Still…

Now you see the alcohol.I twisted off the cap.Now you don’t.

As soon as my lips touched the glass, there was a knock at the door.

I froze. A small, stupid part of me wanted to believe it was Jason coming to beg for forgiveness, coming to tell me that it wasn’t what it looked like.

But deep down, I knew that was highly unlikely.

So I pushed myself off the ground and put on my best poker face for whoever had decided to stop by. And sure enough, when I pulled open the door?—

It wasEthan.

His dimples were visible as he grinned, like he wasn’t catching me in the middle of a downward spiral.

“How do you know where I live?” I sighed, too drained to pretend I was happy to see him.

“Kitty told me.”Great.Just when I had started to like her again. “She also told me what happened today,” he added, his expression softening.

I sighed, trying to push down the ridiculous lump forming in my throat. The last thing I needed was pity from the one person in the perfect position to scream,‘I told you so’.