They Spoke French To Hide It, Not Knowing I Understood Chapter 04

They Spoke French To Hide It, Not Knowing I Understood Chapter 04

The next day, Ethan did something he never did. 　　“Let’s go see a movie. The one you kept mentioning.”

That film had been out for three months.

I’d brought it up three times. He’d forgotten all three.

At the theater he was almost painfully considerate—offering his jacket, blocking the seat for me, sliding the popcorn closer. Every gesture landed exactly right.

I nearly convinced myself. He does love me. He’s just careless.

As we walked out after the credits, he took my hand.

I looked down at our laced fingers, but the warmth I expected never came.

“Ethan! Elara! No way, what are the odds?”

Nova came out of the theater next door, popcorn in hand, smile crinkling her eyes.

Ethan let go of my hand almost without thinking.

“You’re seeing a movie too?”

He walked toward her, his whole tone lifting.

“Yeah, I’ve been waiting forever for this one!”

She held out the popcorn. “Try it. Caramel.”

He took some, chewed, and just like that they were off.

“I thought that last twist felt forced.”

“You don’t get it. That’s literally the director’s signature.”

“Ethan, do you have to argue about everything?”

They laughed, their shoulders bumping together again.

I stood two steps back, staring at my empty hand.

All that tenderness in the theater—it vanished the moment Nova appeared.

Then—pop, pop, pop.

Shots cracked from the end of the hallway.

Screams erupted. The crowd scattered.

I was swept forward and reached out instinctively for Ethan.

He was barely a step ahead of me.

Nova fell.

“Ah—!”

He heard her scream and whipped around.

I saw him glance at me. Then he shook off my hand.

He turned and ran for her.

I stood rooted to the spot, bodies slamming into me from every direction.

In the chaos I hit the ground hard, pain blazing through me.

That was the moment my mind flashed back to the summer after senior year, eighteen years old.

The sunrise over Lake Tahoe. The sky was purple and pink.

He pulled me up the overlook, both of us breathless, looked into my eyes, and took my hand. 　　“Ellie, I love you.”

The tips of his ears were red. His palm was soaked with sweat. 　　“Let’s never let go of each other, okay? Always like this—you next to me, me next to you.”

I nodded. I felt like I was holding the whole world.

Now the whole world was running.

And I was still on the ground.

I don’t know how long I lay there. The gunfire stopped. The sirens started.

I pushed myself up and limped out of the theater.

When I got back, the living room light was on.

Ethan crouched on the floor, carefully spreading ointment over Nova’s calf. 　　“Hold still. This might sting.”

Nova looked up, saw me, and smiled. 　　“Elara, are you okay? That was so scary. Thank god Ethan reacted fast.”

Only then did Ethan glance up. “You’re back. Glad you’re all right.”

I looked down at myself.

A bruise the size of my palm spread across my knee. My elbow was still bleeding.

My hair was loose, my clothes a mess.

His eyes rested on me for a second, then dropped back to her wound.

I wanted to demand answers, but only one thought remained, he already chose. His choice was her.

The instant those shots went off, his body was more honest than his mouth could ever be.

“Ellie?” He said my name, finally registering that something was off. “What’s wrong with you?”

I didn’t reply.

I walked into the bedroom, opened my suitcase back up, and threw in the rest of my things.

He followed me in. “Stop making a scene, okay? In that situation, I couldn’t just leave her—”

“I know.” I yanked the zipper shut. My voice came out steady. “So I made the choice for you.”

“On the way back, I booked a flight.”

I lifted my chin and looked at him. “The earliest one. It leaves in two hours.”

“Elara—”

“Ethan,” I cut him off. “We’re done.”

He clicked his tongue in irritation. “Elara, every time you get upset you threaten to end things. Can you just be mature about this for once? Cool off for a few days. We’ll talk then.”

I didn’t say another word. I grabbed my suitcase and walked past him out the door.

Ethan didn’t try to stop me. He turned and went back to the living room.

Three days later, he sent a text, [Have you cooled off enough?]

No reply.

Another text, [Where are you?]

A red exclamation mark.

He called. Her phone was off.

He bought a ticket and flew home immediately. Standing below her dorm, he called her roommate.

“Where’s Elara? Tell her to come down.”

The roommate hesitated. “Ellie went to the UK on exchange. Didn’t she tell you?”

Ethan froze.

The phone slipped through his fingers and hit the pavement with a crack.