Seven Years a Shadow: The Stand-In's Escape novel Chapter 10

Then, on Noah's third birthday, she slipped up.

The video she sent me had a timestamp.

My mother had been dead for a year.

She had hidden it from me, afraid I'd try to see her one last time.

She had taken her body, buried her in secret.

I never even got to say goodbye.

Back when I was living in the Miller house, I never shed a single tear.

But now, it's like all the tears from the past seven years are finally catching up to me.

Maybe I was just pretending to be strong for so long that I actually believed I was.

And now, a simple "How have you been?" is enough to break me apart.

A tissue appears in front of me.

Ethan doesn't say a word.

He just watches me cry the entire flight.

By the time we're about to land, my eyes are red and swollen.

"Here, put this on."

Ethan hands me an ice pack and a sleep mask—something he must've asked the flight attendant for.

I feel embarrassed for breaking down in front of him like that.

But he doesn't seem to mind.

The moment we step off the plane, he asks, "Where are you going after the airport? I'll drive you."

I shake my head.

"That's okay."

Seven years ago, I left without a word because I knew he was engaged.

Now, there's no way I'm getting involved in whatever mess that might've turned into.

Ethan goes quiet for a long time before finally saying, "Charlotte, are you going to make me look for you for another seven years?"

I freeze.

Look for me?

For seven years?

Ethan lets out a slow, tired sigh.

"I won't force you. But at least give me a way to reach you."

I hesitate, then finally say, "I started using my old phone number again."

The moment I finish speaking, my phone screen lights up with an incoming call.

Ethan doesn't hang up.

He just lets it ring, watching as my phone screen displays his name until the call times out.

"I waited seven years just to be able to make this call."

My nails dig into my palm, but I can't even feel the pain.

"I heard you were engaged."

Ethan looks up, his eyes clear and unwavering.

"I'm not."

I stare at him in shock.

"That was an arrangement my family made when I was a kid," Ethan says.

"I called it off seven years ago."

"Because I met someone I actually wanted to be with."

"Someone who disappeared without a trace, leaving me searching for her for seven years."

"And now, even after all this time, even when she looks exhausted and worn down, she still wants to pretend like we have nothing to do with each other."

"Tell me, Charlotte."

My throat tightens. "I…"

I shake my head.

"…I'm sorry, Ethan."

Leaving the Miller house, all I wanted was to get my life back.

Love is a luxury I can't afford.

Ethan doesn't blame me.

"It's okay," he says. "We can just be friends."

"As long as I can still see you, that's enough."

"You don't have to feel guilty."

"So please, leave. And don't come back." 

"Auntie!" 

A small, familiar voice called out, and suddenly, a messy head of curls popped into view. 

Noah leaned against the car window, glancing around nervously—looking everywhere except at me. 

"I… Auntie… come home." 

A faint scar stretched across his forehead, probably from that fall down the stairs. 

He'd grown a lot since I last saw him.

His features resembled his mother's more and more. 

And in his eyes, there was no longer any hatred toward me. 

I had raised him for seven years.

I watched him grow from a baby into the boy he was now. 

To say I felt nothing would be a lie. 

But some things, once broken, can never be put back together. 

I shook my head. 

The light in Noah's eyes dimmed. 

"Noah, I'm not part of the Miller family anymore."

"I have nothing to do with Mrs. Miller."

"You don't have to call me Auntie." 

Lucas's gaze darkened. 

"Charlotte, you don't get to decide when this ends." 

A group of men in black suits stepped toward me. 

I let out a bitter laugh. 

"Lucas, are you seriously kidnapping me?" 

"I'm just taking you home." 

"She said she doesn't want to see you. Didn't you hear her?" 

A voice rang out from behind me. 

Lucas's expression shifted slightly.