I mirrored his casual tone. “Alex and I are
different too. I think of him as a younger
brother.”
“SARAH!!!” Ethan exploded, his voice echoing
through the terminal. I held the phone away
from my ear, noticing the curious glances from
the film crew. I hung up.
He immediately started calling again, video
calls, voice messages, anything to get through.
He was disrupting my work. I was forced to
answer.
<
“Sarah! Is that you in the video?!” He was
furious.
I calmly replied, “Work’s been crazy. Didn’t tell
you because I knew you’d make a scene. This is
business, Ethan.” I used his own words against
him.
He sputtered, “That’s different! I’m a man!
You’re a woman! Going on a trip with another
man! Have you thought about how this looks to
me?!”
I could hear him grinding his teeth. Suddenly,
someone started crying in the background.
“Ethan… Is Sarah mad because of me? Should I
apologize to her? Please ask her to come home.
It’s dangerous for her to be alone with a man.
What if something happens…” Chloe trailed off
strategically.
I could practically see Ethan’s face darken. He
roared, “Don’t you dare leave! Stay right there!
く
Sarah, I’m coming to get you, and we’re going
home!”
Alex suddenly appeared, offering me a coffee,
his voice soft. “Here you go, Sarah…”
“SARAH!” Ethan yelled from the phone. “Don’t
you dare! I’m on my way!”
I replied calmly, “Sure. I’ll listen to you next
time.” I hung up.
Due to bad weather, our flight was delayed.
Alex and I waited at the gate. Suddenly, a
man’s frantic voice echoed through the
terminal. “Sarah! Where are you?”
Alex looked at me. I remained impassive. Just
then, the announcement called for boarding. I
stood up, walking away from the commotion.
“Come on, let’s board.”
The plane landed, and the weather changed
12:21
<
784
again. The wind was strong, biting at my face. I
turned on my phone to a barrage of missed
calls and messages, all from Ethan. I ignored them.
At the airport, I met the crew who were there to pick us up. They were friendly, helping with our luggage and leading us to the car. “Sarah, you came personally this time?”
Alex smiled. “Sarah really prioritizes me.”
It wasn’t untrue, but paired with his smile, it had an ambiguous undertone. The crew exchanged glances. Before anyone could speak, my phone rang again. I declined the call, but Ethan
persisted. I finally answered.
His anxious voice filled my ear. “Where are you?! You really went?! With that actor?!”
“Just the two of you. You’re telling me it’s business? Do you really think that’s believable,
Sarah 2”
く
The wind whipped around me, a cold, sharp
contrast to Ethan’s heated words. I suddenly
felt a strange sense of amusement. “So you
understand how this works, Ethan.” I used his
own words against him.
There was a pause. He took a deep breath.
“Chloe and I are different. We’ve known each
other since we were kids. I think of her like a
sister.”
“Babe, be reasonable. Come home. Someone
else can handle this trip. I’ll book your ticket.”
He was pleading now.
As if that wasn’t enough, he added, “Remember
what we agreed to before we got married? No
funny business on work trips.”
I had said those words, yes. But back then,
