The Ice-Cold General Learned Regret in the Language of Roses Novel

Chapter 16 A sharp smack rang out . The slap cracked across his face , sharp and stinging hot . Ethan's head snapped to the side , and the haze of alcohol burned off in an instant . He stared up in shock and found himself looking at Nora - her face paper - white , streaked with tears and twisted by a despair so raw it almost made her unrecognizable . " Ethan ! " Nora's voice was shrill and ragged , thin with sobs and right on the edge of coming apart . " Look at me . Look at who I am . I'm not Scarlett . I'm Nora . I'm the Nora you never stopped thinking about .

" Whatever little lie he'd been telling himself shattered for good. As Ethan looked at her shaking with sobs , the drunken bliss and wild surge of joy drained a receding tide , leaving behind nothing but humiliation , pain , and a bone - deep exhaustion . nis eyes like Nora saw her own reflection clearly in his gaze , but she couldn't find a trace of the old tenderness or pity that used to be there .

She finally understood that no matter how hard she tried , no matter how perfectly she copied every little piece of the past , the woman named Scarlett had already lodged herself in his chest like a poisonous thorn , taking the place Nora once held - and maybe , somehow , digging even deeper than Nora ever had . " Ethan ... I hate you . I hate both of you ! " Her scream tore out of her , hysterical and broken , before she shoved him away and ran out into the endless night . Ethan didn't go after her . He just stood there , rigid , her handprint still stark on his cheek .

In the air , faint and lingering , there was still that ghost of rose perfume - the scent he'd mistaken for hers and chased . He dragged a rough hand over his face and stumbled to the couch , dropping heavily onto it , burying his face in the cold leather as low , strangled sounds broke out of him like the dying cries of a wounded animal . He couldn't keep living like this . He had to find her . He couldn't live without her . Once that thought snapped into focus , it spread like wildfire . Chapter 16 53.33 % GG ALL IN !

zynga poker PLAY NOW Ethan pulled every string he had , burning through every favor and resource , determined to track down Scarlett's exact address overseas and find out how she was really doing . A few days later , a report landed on his desk . Scarlett had used the savings she'd taken with her - the money that had originally belonged to her mother - to enroll in a prestigious art school overseas . Apparently she'd adjusted quickly to her new life ; her grades were excellent , and she was already showing real talent in her field .

In one attached photo , she wore nothing more than a T - shirt and jeans , standing in front of an easel as sunlight spilled over her , her smile as bright as ever - only now there was something steadier beneath it , a quiet independence and steel . At the end of the report , there was a cautious line noting that she wasn't short on attentic suitors , from gifted classmates to gallery owners who admired her work . nad plenty of The moment Ethan saw that single word - suitors - a hot , sour jealousy shot straight to his head , burning all the way through his chest and gut .

He could practically see it : the way men would be drawn to her , the way they'd circle around her , eager for any excuse to make her laugh . His Scarlett - so kind , so dazzling - of course everyone would love her . But the thought of her smiling at someone else , maybe even letting herself be won over by someone else's affection , made him feel like he was about to lose his mind . He couldn't wait anymore . After a mess of phone calls and dead ends , he finally got his hands on a number that was supposed to be the phone line for Scarlett's apartment .

Late one night , he dialed the international number . The ringing on the other end went on and on , every tone hammering against his frayed nerves . Just when he was sure no one was going to pick up , the call connected . " Hello ? Who is this ? " Her voice came through the receiver , familiar even under the faint distortion of the line at clear tone and distinctive cadence etched into him so deeply he could never mistake them . Only now , there was none of the old playful whining or easy dependence - just a calm , almost inconvenienced distance , like she'd rather not be bothered .

Chapter 16 53.33 % zynga poker Ethan's throat closed up as if someone had shoved a fist down it ; a thousand things - every " I'm sorry , " every " I miss you , " every " Please come back " -crashed around inside his chest , but not a single word made it to his tongue . When he finally managed to speak , his voice came out rough and scraped raw . " Scarlett ... it's me . " On the other end , everything went dead quiet . Those few seconds stretched into something that felt like a lifetime . He held his breath , heart pounding hard enough to hurt , caught between hope and terror .

Then he heard it : the faintest , softest response , so light it was almost emotionless . It wasn't forgiveness , it wasn't accusation , it wasn't even anger . It was just a single , simple word . " Oh . " A moment later , the line filled with the clean , final beep ... beep ... beep of a call cut short . She hadn't even thought he deserved a full sentence . She'd just hung up on him . Ethan stood there frozen , still clutching the receiver as it spat nothing but dead tone , as if someone had pulled every last bit of strength out of his body .

Outside , the sky was already going gray with the first hint of dawn , a thin strip of light sliding in through the window and falling across his pale , empty face . So this was what it felt like to have your heart sliced open . No , he wasn't going to let it end there . He had to see her , right now , in person - to look her in the eye and tell her how sorry he was , how much he loved her . Ethan all but stormed into the base , shoving his way through the necessary paperwork at breakneck speed as he arranged for his upcoming duties to be covered and requested leave from his superiors .

Then he gunned his car all the way to the airport and bought the earliest possible flic Scarlett was living now . ne city where admin