Chapter 4

After hanging up with Ethan, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a while.

My phone vibrated again.

Not him.

It was Chloe.

A SnapChat message. A really long one.

"Scarlett, I'm truly sorry about today. It's all my fault."

"I shouldn't have worn so little and made Ethan worry, and I shouldn't have cried and made you misunderstand."

"Ethan was actually really worried, he waited for you at the base of the mountain for so long, his hands were red with cold. You two have so much history, please don't let a small misunderstanding mess things up, okay?"

Every sentence was an apology, but every sentence was also defending Ethan.

If she sent that to Ethan, he'd probably think Chloe was so understanding and kind.

But to me?

I just found it laughable.

I replied succinctly, "Ok."

Then I put my phone down and rolled over to sleep.

I slept until six in the evening.

I got up, changed my clothes, and went downstairs. My mom was drinking tea.

"Well, hello sleepyhead, you're up?" My mom glanced at me. "I heard you came back by helicopter this morning? What, the mountain wasn't fun?"

"It was alright," I said, sitting on the sofa. "Just a bit cold."

"It's winter, going to the peak for sunrise, of course it's cold!" My mom handed me a hot mug of tea. "Where's Ethan? Didn't he come back with you?"

"He's busy."

My mom looked at me but didn't press the issue.

At 7 PM, during dinner, my dad asked me:

"How's Skyridge Peak? Is the management still up to par?"

"It's good," I said. "But I closed the mountain."

My dad paused. "Closed the mountain?"

"Yeah."

He looked at me, didn't ask why, just nodded. "Alright, it's your property, you call the shots."

My mom chimed in, "Closed the mountain? Why? Aren't there still people up there?"

"A few," I said. "Let them stay up there for another day or two."

My mom was startled, then chuckled. "You, my dear, are starting to sound more and more like your father."

My dad smiled too, but didn't reply.

Around 10 PM, my phone rang again.

This time, it was an unknown number.

I hesitated for a moment, then answered.

"Hello, Ms. Hayes? This is Chris, the administrator at Skyridge Peak!"

His voice was urgent on the other end, mixed with the sound of wind.

"Yes, that's me. What's wrong?"

"Ms. Hayes, there's a man at the base of the mountain. He's been waiting there since this afternoon, says he needs to go up and find someone. We stopped him. He's at the main gate now, and he won't leave no matter what we say."

"What's his name?"

"He said his name is Ethan Blackwood."

I was silent for two seconds.

"Let him wait."

"Huh?"

"I said, let him wait. I'll call you back in a bit."

Later that night, before bed.

I picked up my phone, walked out onto the balcony, and called Chris.

"Is he still there?"

"Yes! He hasn't moved! We told him to come warm up in the guardhouse, but he won't. He's just standing at the main gate, his face is pale from the cold."

"Is he alone?"

"Yes, just him."

I looked at the fireworks in the distance, silent for a few seconds.

"Put him on the phone."

Footsteps sounded on the other end, then Chris's voice. "Mr. Blackwood, it's Scarlett."

Then Ethan's voice, a little hoarse. "Scarlett?"

"Mm."

"Scarlett, I'm at the base of the mountain."

"I know."

"I just want to talk to you face-to-face."

"About what?"

He paused.

"To say you're sorry?" I asked. "To say you won't do this again? To say you actually care about me?"

He didn't speak.

"Ethan," I said softly. "How many times have you said those things before? Which time was real?"

"This time it's real." His voice was rushed. "Scarlett, this time I truly understand I messed up. This morning, I didn't mean to leave you on the mountain, I just... I just lost my temper for a moment, I thought you were speaking too harshly, and I wanted you to cool down."

"So you just left me alone on the peak?"

He fell silent.

"Ethan, when you were twenty-five, you also left me alone in a mall once. Remember?"