Don't Be Late

Later that night, long after Ethan had gone to bed and the rest of the house had fallen into a deep, peaceful silence, Stefan sat alone in his room, the glow of his phone screen illuminating the faint lines of stress etched into his face.

He sat on the edge of the bed, one hand gripping the edge of the mattress, the other holding the phone tightly as if it were a lifeline.

After listening to Ethan's advice, he knew that was what he should do but how was he going to go about it?

Exhaling deeply, he stood up and started pacing the entire length of his room.

He paced the room, restless, hands jammed into his pockets. His mind kept replaying the scene at Rayna's house—the door slamming, her cold stare, the way she'd protected Ruby like a lioness guarding her own.

Would she even listen to him if he showed up at her house again saying it was her he wanted to see? He highly doubted that.