Ivy Tanner's tears turned to laughter, and her laughter back to tears. The pain in her heart only grew sharper.
'Finally, I can have a real, heart-wrenching cry right in front of him. And after this, it'll all be over between us. Truly over.'
'Ethan Kingsley, from this day forward, you're no longer my Brother Kingsley, and I... I finally don't have to be a fool anymore.'
'I'm so happy. Do you see?'
Ivy Tanner looked at his face, so close to hers. Her tears suddenly stopped, and a carefree smile spread across her lips.
She raised a hand and pinched his cheek, a playful gesture from their childhood. Her smile even held a hint of mischief as she tugged at his skin.
"Brother Kingsley, your skin's gotten so thick I can barely pull on it anymore."
"..." Ethan Kingsley froze, a dazed look clouding his eyes.
'He'd almost forgotten this gesture. He never thought she'd still remember it.'
He gently pulled her hand away, his tone softening. "Stop playing around. Let's go."
