Page 103 of Outcast’s Vow

I should’ve felt it was him the moment he entered.

My eyes flicker from the door back to him, at first disbelieving what I’m seeing, but he’s not a ghost.

It’s just us in here.

“Hello, Sylvie,” Ethan leers. “I thought I’d follow you down here, and I had to wait for a while until you were alone, but now you are all mine.”

39

SYLVIE

I don’t say a word.

“Aren’t you glad to see me?” Ethan asks from the doorway, a smirk gleefully spreading on his lips.

“Ethan? What are you doing here?”

On paper, my ex would match a girl like me perfectly. Tall and athletic. But I know Ethan so well, and I know there’s not much lurking beneath the old-money preppy surface.

He’s wearing a crewneck tee. Cashmere, of course. So very Ethan. There’s a dark bomber worn over the top from some European brand that screams elite and pricey. His fancy watch flashes silver, probably costing more than a house. He wears top-of-the-range sports pants. Because comfort is the new power move, and Ethan’s all about status games.

Sure, he’s able to present himself well, but without his family’s money, he’s nothing. He’s athletic in a country club kind of way; lots of hours spent with expensive personal trainers, but there’s no power in his punches and no grit in his strength. His face shape is so perfect that it’s somehow blandly traditionally handsome.

Yeah, he would be a perfect match for me.

And once upon a time, I actually believed that.

But not anymore.

“I saw something about you online, Sylvie,” he says quietly.

I blink, confused. I’m so careful about what I post.

“What did you see?” I ask, my eyes already searching for an exit, but the only way out is the door directly behind Ethan.

Oh.

“I saw you’d gotten married,” he says. “It was on social media. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

I raise a hand.

“Ethan, I don’t know how you got on campus or how you found me, but please leave. We’re over. We’re done.”

He shrugs, taking his time to answer. He knows he’s got all the time in the world down here.

“I’m not leaving. It’s a free country. Besides, there is something I need to say, Sylvie. And I want you to listen.”

I force my face to stay smooth. I’m trying to remain calm.

But everything inside me is screaming.

“I want to leave, Ethan.”

“Not until I get to have my say, okay? You left me, remember? I have the right to do this.”

There’s sudden anger in his voice. Aggression. It scares me. And I realize I don’t know what this man could do next.

Can I get past him? I could do something. Scream? Throw my books at him? Plans roll around in my head.