It was hard for Kylie to fall asleep without someone else sleeping with her. She was used to having Ethan beside her, used to his warm body and the smell of his skin. Awake and alone, her thoughts got away from her. Not only was she alone, but she had no idea where Ethan was or what he was up to. The agreement between Dora and Ethan was supposed to end the next day, but she had no idea what her relationship with him would look like going forward. She didn't know if she would accept his apology or not. She didn't even know if he would apologize…

She rolled onto her stomach and bit the pillow to keep herself from crying. Crying only made things worse. She turned on the bedside lamp, leaned against the bedside table and took out her phone. She logged into Facebook, and, much to her relief, Stars was online.

​​

Kylie: "Stars, what time is it where you are?"

Stars: "It is almost time for the sun to rise."

Kylie: "Things have been hard for me lately. I am being bullied. I wish you were here."

Stars: "If someone dares to touch your hair, I'll cut him into pieces."

Kylie snorted with laughter, and she sent Stars a series of happy emojis.

Stars: "Kylie, you may not believe it, but I have troubles of my own. I'm in love with a married woman. If you were me, what would you do?"

Kylie blinked her eyes as she thought about his troubles. She believed that as long as two people loved each other, then nothing could stand between them – and she told him so.

Stars: "Do you really think so?"

Kylie: "Sure. As long as it's true love, that is what I believe."

Stars: "Thank you. You have been a lot of help."

After texting with Stars, Kylie was surprised by how quickly she fell asleep.

Ethan woke up in Sunshine Garden. His head ached, and he rubbed his temples in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension. His head felt foggy, and his vision was hazy. The pain was a side effect of the medicine he took at night, but it never failed to catch him off guard in the morning.

He sat up slowly and, as he recovered from the dizziness, his eyes sharpened. He looked around the room and found his clothes folded on a chair. He sat up with a snap and looked around the room. He focused on the sounds around him. Apart from his own breathing, he couldn't hear anything.

He dressed quickly and went out into the apartment. He looked around and was surprised to find that he was alone. Not even Dora was there. Not only had she left, but she had taken all of her changes of clothes with her. "Curiouser and Curiouser," he whispered, quoting Alice.

Thinking about what she'd said to him the night before, he couldn't believe that she'd slipped away in the way that she had. At the very least, they had unfinished business. She had revealed so much to him, filling in holes in his life that he'd long since accepted as a mystery that would never be resolved, but he still had many questions. If he could, he would like to see if Dora had any more answers.

Ethan found his cell phone, turned it on, and was astonished when he saw how many calls he'd missed: Kylie, Stephen, and Nate. He didn't want to talk to anyone, though, so he shut his phone down and put it into his pocket. With that done, he grabbed his coat, threw on his shoes, and left the apartment.

A few blocks away, he happened to run into Ken. "What luck!" he laughed as he wrapped his large hands around the man's throat.

"Wha – at?" Ken gasped as Ethan gradually tightened his grip on his neck. "What are you doing? You son of a bitch!"

Ethan pushed his thumb into Ken's trachea and demanded to know what he was doing there.

By now, Ken could barely speak at a whisper. "I'm here to catch you with your mistress!" Ken replied as Ethan forced him to his knees.

"Once Kylie knows that you have had an affair with another woman," Ken continued, "I don't think that she will still want to be with you!"

Ethan looked him in the eyes and showed him his teeth. "You should know," he hissed, "that I could kill you right now. All I would have to do is apply a little more pressure to your throat, and that would be that."

Hearing this, Ken's eyes bulged. He was petrified.

Ethan laughed and did two things simultaneously. As he let Ken go, he brought his knee up, and it connected – HARD – underneath his chin. Ken flew backward, and a fountain of blood shot up from his mouth, splashing all over his face.

Ethan walked over to where Ken was lying. He leaned down and whispered in his ear. "If that was just a warning," he said, "imagine what I might do if I really wanted to inflict pain on you…"

Ken closed his eyes and lost consciousness.

When Ken came to, all that he could think about was what Ethan had said. He did not, for even a single second, doubt that Ethan had been completely honest about his threats; they were not idle bluffs – he'd meant business.

He touched his jaw. It hurt like a mother, but he could tell that it wasn't broken, so he had to thank god for minor miracles. He sat on the ground for some time. People passed by took one look at him and turned away – and then they took a second look. He'd known that his face probably didn't look that good, but it was their second look that told him exactly how fucked up it was. If it wasn't seriously wrecked, there wouldn't be that guilty drive to look back a second time. Like Lot's wife, they simply couldn't help themselves.

***

Ethan found his car behind the building he'd slept in. It was just about time to face the music, but the thought of finally facing Kylie made his head spin and his hands shake. He would tell her the truth, but he had no idea how she would respond.

When Ethan arrived home, he let himself in and went directly to the bedroom. He pushed the door open and found Kylie. She was sitting on the bed, but she didn��t even turn at the sound of his voice. He could see the side of her face, though, and he could see that she'd been crying.

Seeing her this way, his heart sank, and he cursed himself for hurting her. He had been incredibly thoughtless. Finally, she turned and said, "I no longer know the difference between what is real and what is not real. Ever since my husband left three days ago, I've hardly slept. Is that you, Ethan? If so, tell me where you've been and why you've abandoned me…"