Page 30 of Awakening

“You can’t stay here, Olivia. It’s clear he has feelings for you,” Ethan says, glaring at Anthony. “He needs to respect our commitment. Now, let’s go home. We’ll get through this together.”

I shake my head as tears start to fall, and I say just above a whisper, “I don’t want to hurt you, but I can’t. I’m sorry.” I wipe the tears from my cheeks and solidify my stance. “I’m not saying we can’t continue to get to know each other again, but I’m not comfortable going home with you right now.”

“She’s comfortable right here with me,” Anthony says.

“This is none of your fucking business,” Ethan says through gritted teeth.

“Both of you, that’s enough.”

Ethan takes my shoulders and turns me away from Anthony. My back presses against the wall as he cages me in with his body. “Olivia, you’re my fiancée. For fuck’s sake, you were going to be the mother of my child. I won’t just leave and let you stay here with another man. I’m not okay with that. It’s not fucking appropriate, and it’s not happening. You’re coming home with me.”

I can’t say I’m not tempted. There’s a gorgeous, passionate man in front of me who says he loves me and wants to take me home with him. What woman wouldn’t want that? But, he also seems to have an aggressive side, and I feel like I don’t know him at all. How do I make him understand that he feels like a complete stranger to me without hurting him? “Ethan?—”

He rests his forehead to mine. “No, Olivia. I know you don’t remember me, but that’s why you need to be in our home with me. That’s how you’re going to get your memories back. You need to be in your regular environment. You need to be with me, and damn it, I fucking need you too.”

“She said no,” Anthony says.

“You don’t even care about helping her,” Ethan says, turning his head to snarl at Anthony. “You want her vulnerable. You want her to rely on you.”

“How dare you insinuate that I’d do anything but take care of her and protect her,” Anthony says.

Ethan takes a step toward Anthony. “I’m not insinuating anything. I’m fucking saying it. You’re taking advantage. You know she’d never choose you if she could remember. She’s not staying here.” He looks at me and shakes his head. “You can’t stay here with him, Olivia. You belong with me.”

“She’s welcome here as long as she wants to be here,” Anthony argues.

“Stop,” I say as tears burn in my eyes.

“Olivia, I can’t leave you here,” Ethan says.

Chloe steps forward. “Everybody just stop. There has to be a way to solve this so that everyone is happy…ish.”

“What if Olivia lives somewhere else in the meantime…somewhere she can stay to transition back into her life again?” Nick suggests.

“Olivia, you shouldn’t be alone right now,” Anthony argues.

“She won’t be alone,” Chloe says. “I’ll stay with her.” She looks at Nick. “Would you be okay with that?”

“Of course,” he says with a nod as he looks at all of us. “In fact, why don’t you stay with us at our house, Liv? You’d at least be in the same neighborhood as Ethan.”

Ethan looks at me with hope. “I think that’s a fantastic idea. Olivia?”

My stomach twists with nerves. It just feels too fast. I have a feeling he would try to rush me back into his home if I were that close. “I just—I’m sorry. I don’t mean to hurt you, but it just feels too fast. I’m just more comfortable here for right now.”

“That’s perfectly understandable,” Anthony says, stepping closer to me.

Ethan’s face reddens and his jaw tenses as he releases a deep breath. “Olivia, I’m your fiancé, not him.”

“No, but he’s my friend. You don’t understand how helpful he’s been, Ethan. If he’s close, and Chloe is with me, I’ll have two friends who I know and trust. Surely, you can understand that.”

Ethan looks at the ground, taking a deep breath and releasing it. “We have an apartment here in Denver. Why don’t you stay there instead? At least you’d be in one of our homes.”

“So you can just walk in whenever you fucking feel like it, invited or not?” Anthony says.

Ethan directs his answer at me. “I’d never do that, Olivia.”

“My family owns this building,” Anthony says. “I can get you a fully furnished unit on this floor. They love you, Olivia. They won’t charge you a thing, and it’ll be neutral ground.”

“How the fuck is that neutral ground?” Ethan argues. “You shouldn’t even have a fucking say in this.”

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