𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫,𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡

Chapter Nine

Four years later was just like dust in Hope's face.

Hope stared at the mirror, she looked different now and she liked it... She was grateful that she didn't allow her past define her even if it still tormented her.

Her family never called her and she didn't bother to call them back, she never even went to Daniel's birthday which made her still feel guilty and most importantly, she still remembered Ethan.

After Ethan left, Hope felt heartbroken, she searched about him and she found that he was the son of a really rich man.

"But why does he wants to kill himself? When he comes from that wealthy family?"

Hope searched for him but found out, he had already left the country to somewhere she doesn't know.

That made Hope even more heartbroken but now she is still staring at her mirror, looking all different and beautiful.

She was her new her. Hope Brown now, at the age of twenty-two, with her long dyed wine red hair,eye contact crystal blue eyes, she was still her beautiful self.

She now worked as a renowned therapist and she really liked her new job, she was now happy, she made few of her dreams come true without making her past define her.

                     .......°........

Walking elegantly, in her black belted button down,turn down collar blazer dress,she knew she was already late for work and she was ready to face Rowan Smith's wrath.

"Sorry,I'm late." Hope said hurriedly once she entered Rowan's office.

"You look stunning." Rowan said with a smirk on his face.

Rowan Smith,he was in his thirties,tall and lean, added with a boysish look, that attracts lots of people to him especially his dark green eyes.

He doesn't seem to stop flirting with Hope since the first day she applied for the job, she still remembered what he said on her first day in work, "I didn't give you the job for your good qualification,I gave you the job because you looked good in red."

Hope wasn't bothered that Rowan had admitted that she was beautiful so early but she was just glad,he made her get the job.

"Thank you." Hope said with a smile on her face, sitting down on the chair opposite Rowan,the only thing that was between them was the long office black table.

"Now I know why you came late." Rowan said honestly.

"No, I got caught up talking to my neighbor."

"You never seem to be in good terms with your neighbor."

"It's not my fault, I'm that pretty." Hope giggled.

"I can get you arrested for being so pretty." Rowan said, as he played with his pen.

"I never seen in the law that being so pretty was a crime." Hope continued to tease him.

"Well, we can start that law."

"Sure.. so who's my patient for today?" Hope said seriously.

"Not much job today, just meeting a patient in a hospital."

"What happened?" Hope asked, looking pretty focused on what Rowan was about to say.

"Well," Rowan began, "He's a witness to a murder and that caused a lot of physically and mentally issues,so I think he needs a therapy session."

"How old?"

"Fourteen."

"Where are his parents?"

"I don't know,you go ask him, that's your damn job, I'm the boss here." Rowan said making Hope laugh.

"Name of the hospital?"

"Go get the damn details from the receptionist."

"Adios." Hope said, leaving his office.

"Up for dinner?" Rowan said loudly, hoping Hope would hear but she had already left his office, "Stubborn."

               ..........°............
"You look sick." A man in his twenties said.

"I'm fine, you can leave." A deep voice could be heard as he looked outside the window not giving a glance to the person he was talking to.

"I could call Doctor Noah."

"Arlo, I'm fine.. you can leave now.. I would go to the hospital when I want to."

"Okay sir, I would take my leave now." Arlo said,wating for a few seconds before left.

Ethan heard the door closed but that didn't interrupt him from looking at the window.

He was back to New Zealand after four years, everything still looked the same except him...His attitude seemed to have changed after he had left New Zealand for China after his mother got married to Doctor Matt.

Things kept tearing in his part but he still stood up, when he reached New Zealand,the first thing that came to his mind was Hope.

"Does she still remember me? Has she moved on? Is she still my life guard? Does she still want me back?"

Ethan knew that even if he and Hope never had much intimacy,he still felt something and he was always annoyed by the fact that Hope is blocking Gina away from him and he doesn't want that.

Even after he left those black roses and parting letter, he didn't find himself, tearing apart from Hope,he even felt more closer.

Everything he tried to kill himself in China either through a car accident, taking pills, drowning himself or hanging himself on the fan,he kept seeing her face asking him "Why?"

That face and question would make him stop himself from dying, which annoyed him.

He knew Gina was annoyed that Hope was their distraction but what was he going to do?

He still had nightmares about him choosing Hope instead of Gina and that annoyed him alot and that would make Gina yell, asking him "Why? Why her?"

Ethan doesn't know why Hope kept asking him Why?

Ethan was now the owner of a multi billion international company, instead of finding how to die,he decided to find how to live,he found Work as a distraction from everything.

"It's all about the distraction." Ethan thought always.

He wanted to forget about Hope and stick with the past without letting go but he always seems to end up to stay between the past and the future, and he always finds it hard to pick the right one.

After he left for China,he distanced himself entirely from his family except for his Dad,who he rarely speaks with.

Now he's back to New Zealand,he thought to himself- "What next?"