Chapter 13 - THE MAN WHO WAITED WITHOUT ASKING
I met Ethan Caldwell during the investigation.
He was forty.
A civil-rights attorney.
A longtime friend of Gabriel's.
He had offered advice to my legal team but never tried to become the center of my story.
After the case ended, he called.
“Eloise.”
I smiled.
“Ethan.”
“How are you?”
I considered.
“Better.”
He nodded.
“Good.”
A pause.
Then he asked:
“Would you like coffee sometime?”
I laughed softly.
“Is this a date?”
He smiled.
“Only if you want it to be.”
My heart tightened.
For years, Callahan had made decisions for me.
Now someone was asking.
Simply.
Respectfully.
I smiled.
“Yes.”
We met at a small café in Manhattan.
Talked for hours.
About books.
Travel.
Family.
The strange experience of starting over.
Ethan didn't ask me to discuss the trial.
Didn't ask about Callahan.
Didn't treat me like a fragile woman who needed rescuing.
He simply listened.
And when we parted, he asked:
“May I call you again?”
May you like
I smiled.
“Yes.”
