The Game Where I Lost My Last Finger And Him Chapter 07

The Game Where I Lost My Last Finger And Him Chapter 07

He was standing at the courtyard gate when I looked up and 

saw him. 

For a second, I went still. Then I turned and went back to my 

room. 

“Audrey!” 

He chased after me and blocked me at the door. 

“Listen to me.” 

“There’s nothing to say.” 

I kept my head down, refusing to meet his eyes. 

“How did you know I was here?” 

“Your dad told me.” 

I was silent for a few seconds before turning sideways to close 

the door. 

He reached out and braced his hand against it. 

“Audrey, I can explain what happened that night.” 

“Explain what?” 

I finally raised my eyes to him, the rims still red. 

“Are you going to explain that you and Chloe really are 

together, or explain that you’ve wanted to get rid of me for a long time?” 

“I’m not with her.” 

“Then why did you let her kiss you?” 

“It was a dare.” 

“A dare.” 

A laugh slipped out of me, brittle and hollow, as something in my eyes seemed to break piece by piece. 

“Ethan Shaw, on your seventeenth birthday, when we played truth or dare and I lost, I was supposed to kiss you. Do you remember what you said then?” 

“Don’t kiss people so casually.” 

His face went pale for a moment. 

“I remember.” 

“You remember?” 

My voice trembled. 

“You remember, but you still let someone else kiss you? You remember, but you still gave her the good–luck pendant? You remember, but you stood there in front of everyone and 

watched me get drenched like a joke without saying a single word?” 

“I…” 

“You don’t need to say anything.” 

I shoved the door hard. 

“I don’t want to see you.” 

The door slammed shut. 

I leaned against it as tears slid silently down my face. 

He stood outside for a long time, but I never opened the door. 

That night, Dad called. 

“Audrey, are you having fun in Lake Tahoe?” 

“I am.” 

I curled up under the blanket, my voice muffled. 

“Did Ethan come looking for you?” 

“Did you two… have a fight?” 

I stayed quiet for a long time before asking something completely unrelated. 

“Dad, why did you fall in love with Mom?” 

The other end of the line went quiet for a few seconds. 

“Your mom…” 

Dad’s voice softened. 

“She was good to me. Not the kind of good people talk about. 

The kind you feel because someone means it.” 

“Then what do you think love should feel like?” 

Dad was silent for a while. 

“Silly girl, when someone truly loves you, you know it in your heart. Real love makes you feel cherished. It doesn’t leave you constantly wondering, ‘Does he even love me?“” 

The corner of my mouth tugged upward. 

“Dad, Ethan doesn’t really love me.” 

“He’s just used to having me around.” 

“Like an old family dog he can’t quite bring himself to throw 

out.” 

“But Dad, I don’t want to be that dog.” 

On the other end, Dad let out a long sigh. 

“Then don’t be. Audrey, I’m on your side.” 

The next day, I went out to clear my head. 

Ethan followed me the whole time. 

The sun was blazing, and he carried an umbrella. 

He had severe sun sensitivity. When we were little, he barely dared to go outside in the summer. If he stayed in the sun for even a short while, red rashes would break out across his skin and itch so badly he could not sleep all night. 

“Can you really handle this?” 

His eyes lit up. 

“Are you worried about me?” 

“If you’re trying to get yourself killed, don’t do it next to me.” 

I kept walking without looking back. 

He did not leave. 

When I rented a e–bike and rode around the lake, he rented one too and followed behind me. 

The sun burned his face bright red, and rashes began to rise along his neck. 

When I went to the market to buy flowers, he followed from more than ten steps away. 

When I stopped, he stopped too, like a shadow I could not 

shake. 

On the third day, he ended up in a hospital near Lake Tahoe.