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Chapter 2

Author: Lizzy
That afternoon, Ethan got a call.

He only said a few words before grabbing his coat and rushing out.

Not long after, someone started pounding on the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The flimsy apartment door shook with every blow.

I pushed myself up, went over, and opened the door.

It was the landlord.

The second he saw me, his face darkened.

"Mrs. Grant, the movers just told me you have terminal cancer. Is that true?"

He sounded annoyed.

"Why didn't you tell me when you signed the lease?"

He stayed in the doorway, making no move to come inside.

"If somebody dies in here, I'll never be able to sell the place!"

I was stunned for a second.

The landlord kept going.

"I'm giving you two options.

"Either you pay an extra six months' deposit right now, or you're out by tonight."

I held on to the doorframe, trying to stay on my feet.

Again and again, I explained our situation, apologized, and begged him to give us a little more time.

But he wouldn't budge.

In the end, he kept the remaining $500 of our deposit and left, cursing under his breath.

Then the door shut again.

I couldn't hold it together anymore.

I slid down the door onto the cold floor.

The tears came silently.

I sat there for a long, long time.

Finally, my gaze settled on a few old duffel bags in the corner.

They were filled with Ethan's dirty laundry from the past few days.

I wiped away my tears and forced myself to stand.

I figured I'd wash them before he got home.

At least that would be one less chore for him to worry about.

But when I picked up his coat, a neatly folded document slipped out of the pocket.

I bent down and picked it up.

The moment I unfolded it, I froze.

It was an informed consent form for a clinical trial.

At the bottom was a legible signature.

Participant: Ethan Grant

Study: Clinical Trial of a New Cancer Drug

One-Time Compensation: $30,000

At the very bottom of the form was a warning printed in bright red.

"WARNING: This investigational drug has cardiac toxicity that is not yet fully understood. Participants may experience severe arrhythmia, acute myocarditis, or other irreversible heart damage."

All the strength drained out of me.

Then the comments began racing through the air again.

[This is killing me... Ethan's lost his mind. He's gambling his life for $30,000.]

[But don't worry, everyone! Our Chloe is interning at that hospital!]

[Ethan develops a severe arrhythmia after taking the drug, but Chloe spots it in time and helps save his life.]

[That's how the two of them officially meet!]

[Yes, yes! It gets super sweet after this!]

[Too bad Ethan's so focused on Lena right now that he doesn't even notice Chloe.]

As I read the comments, my chest tightened painfully.

So...

This was where they'd meet for the first time.

With shaking hands, I folded the form back up.

I carefully matched every crease, then pressed the form flat.

Then I slipped it back into Ethan's coat pocket.

As if nothing had happened.

I couldn't ask him about it.

If I stop him, what will he do?

He's already sold the house, put the car up as collateral, and borrowed from everyone who would lend to him.

If I cut off his last option, I have no idea what he might do next.

Maybe he'll borrow even more money from loan sharks.

Maybe he'll do something even more dangerous.

I couldn't risk it.
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  • I Came Back Five Years After My Death   Chapter 25

    I held his face in my hands, my thumbs brushing beneath his eyes."Heaven brought me back to you, Ethan. You've suffered enough. I'm here to spend the rest of my life with you."Ethan's tears finally fell onto my chest in large, hot drops.He bent down, buried his face in my neck, and let out the sobs he'd held in for five years.That night, we didn't say another word.He kept checking, again and again, to make sure I was real.Dawn broke, and the first ray of sunlight slipped through the mist into the room.Ethan fell into a deep sleep, his fingers still laced tightly with mine.This time, the other side of his bed wasn't cold.Late autumn sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the lake house study.Ethan sat behind his wide desk, holding a photo.In the photo, the two of us sat close together against a pink background, my favorite color.I was in a simple white blouse, my expression relaxed and open.He wore a sharp dark suit and a small smile he couldn't hide no matter how ha

  • I Came Back Five Years After My Death   Chapter 24

    "I won't." I took hold of his fingers. "Ethan, I'm not leaving again."He looked down and closed his hand around mine.His hands were warm and dry now, the knuckles strong and defined.But I knew the old scars were still there, even after five years.Then he spoke softly, his voice barely audible over the night breeze. "The morning you left..."I searched every corner of our apartment. You were wearing that cream-colored coat when you left. I remember buying it the year we got married."I asked, "Do you still have it? That coat?"He looked up at me, his eyes red-rimmed in the moonlight."No. The water ruined it. The funeral home made me sign a form authorizing them to dispose of it."I couldn't bring myself to throw away the pieces. I kept them in a file folder for three years. Then I lost them when I moved."I squeezed his hand. "It wasn't worth much. I'll just buy another one."He shook his head. "It's not about what it was worth."He didn't finish, but I understood.That coat was th

  • I Came Back Five Years After My Death   Chapter 23

    I had just returned and was changing my shoes in the entryway when I heard a phone buzzing in the study.Then Ethan answered, his voice low and cold."Tony's people? I won't see them. If anyone sends another person to the house, blacklist them."He paused. Whoever was on the other end seemed to say something, and he fell silent for two seconds."What? She's seen Lena?"I leaned against the entryway wall and listened as his voice carried from the study, edged with a chill he couldn't hide."Who let her in here? Tell John to put every deal with the Pratt Group on hold."After he hung up, the study went quiet for a few seconds.Then I heard him coming toward the door. He pushed it open, saw me leaning against the wall, and stopped short."You heard."I nodded. "Yeah."He came over to me. The entryway light fell across his face, casting faint shadows over his brow.His expression was calm, but I noticed his Adam's apple bob."From now on, nobody's going to send anyone here again."I looked

  • I Came Back Five Years After My Death   Chapter 22

    My hand was on the door handle."You barely have anything here." His voice was level, and he didn't look at me. "Move in. The guest room's empty."I didn't hesitate. "Okay."I moved in on a weekend, and for once, Ethan stayed home.When I carried my few belongings into the guest room, he glanced up but said nothing.But when I went to the kitchen for water, I noticed he'd quietly folded my T-shirt and put it in my backpack.After dinner, he worked in his study, and I sat on the living room couch reading an old magazine.As I flipped through the magazine under the floor lamp, I came across a profile of Ethan.It was called "Ethan Grant of the Grant Group: The Loneliest Builder of Our Time."It said that in three years he'd put up more than a dozen buildings and helped design four landmarks, but he'd never shown his face at a single ribbon-cutting.At the end, the article quoted him saying, "None of the buildings belong to me once they're finished, so I don't care whether I see them or n

  • I Came Back Five Years After My Death   Chapter 21

    The edges had yellowed, and the creases had almost worn through. Someone had clearly opened it more times than anyone could count.My tears fell onto the page, blurring the same line I'd stained with tears years ago.I put the tin back where it belonged.That afternoon, I went to a nearby grocery store.On my way back, I ran into a woman wearing a champagne-colored skirt suit at the entrance to the gated community.She was carrying an elegant paper bag and talking to the security guard."Which house belongs to Mr. Grant from the Grant Group? I'm with the Pratt Group. I'm here to drop off some documents."The guard pointed the way. She thanked him and headed inside. A few steps later, we came face-to-face.When she saw me, she stopped short.Her eyes narrowed as if she'd just stumbled across an interesting coincidence."Hi," she said with a small smile. "Did you just move in?""I... live around here." I didn't explain.She was quietly sizing me up."You're so pretty. I haven't seen you

  • I Came Back Five Years After My Death   Chapter 20

    The clock above the liquor cabinet chimed eleven. Outside, the sound of crickets faded into the night.Ethan pushed himself upright against the arm of the couch, the corners of his eyes still red from drinking.He reached out, and this time he finally touched my face.His fingertips brushed my cheekbone and came to rest at the edge of my ear."It feels so real," he murmured, almost to himself. "This dream feels so real."His hand slid along my jaw to my neck, and his fingertips came to rest over the pulse at the side of my throat.My pulse beat beneath his fingers, warm and steady."...Alive," he repeated, his breathing suddenly quickening.He leaned in abruptly and pressed his forehead to mine, his breath hot on my face."You put sleeping pills in the milk you gave me before you left, didn't you? You were afraid I'd wake up and stop you.""...Yes.""Lena." He sounded as if he were crying and laughing at the same time. "How could you be so cruel?"I slipped my arms around his shoulders

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