Page 32 of I’m Already Gone

“She’s moved on, and so have you.”

I meet his gaze. “Have I? Because I don’t really think I have. A part of me is still clinging to the hope that she’ll return to me, that she’ll finally give me another chance.”

He shakes his head, a sad, knowing look in his eyes. “That’s not a healthy mindset, brother.”

Maybe not, but seeing her again, seeing Ollie... It didn’t feel like a chapter was closed. It felt like a door had creaked open, just a sliver, hinting at a second chance for us. Part two of Ethan and Lily.

Our story can’t be over yet.

Lily

Sam

Where are you???

Before I can shoot her a response, she sends another text message.

Sam

I’m at your house.

Why? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?

Sam

I’m done for the day... Mom. Besides you and I have a date with greasy food and Pride and Prejudice, back 2 back. I need my Mr. Darcy fix.

I laugh to myself.

I send Sam a quick text saying I’ll see her at the house soon. She replies with an emoji sticking its tongue out. I shake my head and chuckle, tucking my phone back in my purse.

“Hi, Lily. I’m Megan, Dr. Adeline Raynor’s nurse,” she says, stepping into the waiting room with a bright smile.

I rise and follow her down the hallway toward the exam rooms.

“You can set your purse on the bench,” she says, gesturing beside the scale. “Then step up so we can get your weight.”

I do as she asks. When Megan reads out the number, my stomach drops.

I’ve lost thirteen pounds.

She scribbles the number down and guides me into one of the empty private rooms. “Have a seat, and I’ll take your vitals,” Megan says.

After asking the assessment questions, she tells me that Doctor Raynor will be right in.

I pull out my phone and scroll through Pinterest while I wait, hoping the distraction will settle the uneasiness twisting in my stomach. When that doesn’t work, I open my Kindle app and reread one of my favorite romance novels. But even my favorite fiction romance can’t quiet the thought circling through my mind: something may be seriously wrong. Thirteen pounds is a lot of weight to lose.

I glance at the clock as each tick echoes in the silence, amplifying my anxiety. It has been weeks since I first noticed the changes in my body, weeks filled with uncertainty and a gnawing fear that something is wrong. So, when I first called my doctor, she suggested I get my blood drawn. Now that the results are in, she wanted to have me come back today to discuss the results, which only means one thing.

Bad news.

A few minutes later, there’s a knock at the door, and Dr. Raynor enters the room.

“Hi Lily,” she begins, her voice steady but gentle. “Thank you for coming in today. How have you been feeling since the last time we spoke?”

I nod, swallowing hard. “The same. My body just doesn’t feel like my own anymore.”

Dr. Raynor takes a seat, her eyes searching mine for a moment. “I understand. I asked you to come in because I wanted to discuss your results in person rather than over the phone.”