Ethan's call came as I was standing in the boarding line at the airport . Beside me , Maya was a mess of hiccupping sobs , and every time I turned to comfort her , my phone would buzz again . Finally , I just switched it off . " Chloe , boo - hoo , that cut on your ankle ... they just disinfected it , they didn't even bandage it right ! You have to promise me you'll go to a doctor as soon as you land ! Waaah- " We clung to each other , our tears mingling . The boarding agent called my group again . I finally had to let he go , stepping back from her tear - streaked face and walking toward the jet bridge , not looking back . In a way , I was running . My mind had thrown up a protective wall , a shield of numbness that kept me from truly feeling the pain of the last twenty - four hours . It wasn't until I was on the plane , looking out the window at the vast , dark expanse of the night sky , that i finally hit me . I had really left . Left the city where I'd spent my entire life . I was flying toward a future I didn't know , completely and utterly alone . Meanwhile , outside a hospital room in Northwood , Ethan stared at his phone , the silence on the other end o the line stretching his patience to its breaking point . This was the dozenth time he'd called Chloe . No matter how bad their fights had been , she'd never just disappeared like this . He ran a hand over his face , frustrated . " Dammit , Chloe . Cause a disaster and then refuse to answer you phone . " The words were harsh , but his eyes were filled with a growing anxiety . The look on Chloe's face as she'd wal ked out of that wedding ... it haunted him . She must have been furious with him . Is that why she'd taken it out on Ava when she got home ? He had lost his temper , he knew that . He never should have thrown that wine ... ' Still no answer ? " Caleb's voice startled him . " No. " " Don't worry . She was fine when we left ... her . " Caleb's own words trailed off , lacking conviction . Was she fine ? Something was nagging at him , a detail he'd overlooked . The tiny , sharp intake of breath when he'd pushed her . Chloe's gasp of pain . He had noticed it . 1/14 13:18 It had always been like this Since they were kids , no matter what was happening , some part of his brain was always tuned to Chloe Even when logic told him to focus elsewhere , when someone else was demanding his attention a piece of him was always tracking her every move , her every sigh . She had been off all day . Not herself . And he hadn't asked . He hadn't stopped to ask The furrow in her brow . The way her eyes had slowly filled with tears . The desperate , pleading look she'd given him , a look he hadn't seen in years . That broken , hopeless whisper : " Caleb , believe me . Please , believe me . " " Hhha- " A sharp pain , like a needle , pierced his chest . Caleb clutched his shirt . " Ethan , the doctor said Ava's not seriously hurt , probably just a bruise . You stay with her . I'm going back to check on Chloe . " " Wait , I'll go with you . " " No , you stay here with Ava ! " For some reason he couldn't explain , he didn't want Ethan with him . He didn't want to wait for Ava's final check - up . He just needed to go . An uneasy feeling was creeping over him , a sense that something had been set in motion that he could no longer control . He didn't know what it was . He only knew he had to see Chloe . Now . He would apologize the second he saw her . He'd grovel . A wedding ? She wanted a wedding ? Fine . He'd plan the whole damned thing himself . That will make her forgive me , he thought , his heart pounding . It has to . He broke into a run , disappearing into the darkness . 2 It was two in the morning when Ethan finally brought Ava home . The doctors had confirmed repeatedly that there was nothing wrong with her ankle , but she had insisted it was in agony , dragging Ethan through a battery of useless tests while constantly asking where Caleb had gone . " Did ... did he go find Chloe ? " Ethan had never found his adopted sister more irritating . Now he couldn't get through to Chloe or Caleb . He was already on edge , and Ava's incessant whining was grating on his last nerve . He'd almost left her at the hospital multiple times , but the image of a poor , orphaned girl , all alone in the world , always made him soft- en . As soon as they walked in the door , Ethan went straight to Chloe's room . The scene inside made him freeze . 2/14 13:18 The room was a disaster zone . And in the middle of the wreckage sat Caleb , slumped against the wall in a stupor . In his left hand , he clutched a dirty , crumpled paper star . His right hand was a bloody mess , sliced open by glass shards , yet he was still obsessively dialing a number on his phone . Ethan recognized it immediately . It was the same one he'd been calling all night . No wonder he couldn't get through to either of them . " Caleb ? What are you doing ? Where's Chloe ? " At the sound of his voice , Caleb's head snapped up . And Ethan saw that he had been crying . Weeping , actual ly . He had never seen his friend , his brother , look so broken . His eyes were red and swollen , his lips cracked his face a canvas of pure , manic despair . A cold dread washed over Ethan . A thousand terrible possibilities flooded his mind . His voice trembled . " Where is Chloe ? What did you do to her ? " Caleb's eyes widened slightly . After a moment , he dropped his head into his hands , a sound that was hali laugh , half sob , tearing from his throat . " What did I do to her ? " he choked out . " God , what did I do to her ?! " He stroked the tattered paper star with his clean thumb , his voice a broken whisper . " What did I do to Chl oe ? " " I promised her . I swore I would ... I loved her the most . Only her . What have I done ? " Ethan was completely lost . He was about to demand an explanation when he saw it . Hanging in the close behind Caleb was the wedding dress . His sister's dress . Stained with wine . He looked closer , his eyes drawn to the hem . There was another stain there , darker , more menacing . It wasn twine . It looked ... like blood . The world tilted . Ethan's legs gave out , and he nearly collapsed . He lunged forward , grabbing Caleb by the collar and hauling him to his feet . ' Where is my sister ? I said , WHERE THE HELL IS MY SISTER ? " ' I don't know ! I swear , I don't know ! Ethan , she's gone ! She left us ... " The next second , Ethan's fist connected with Caleb's jaw . Just then , Ava , who had been slowly making her way down the hall , appeared in the doorway . She took in the scene - Caleb on the floor , Ethan poised to strike again - and rushed forward , forgetting her supposed injury . " Ethan , no ! Don't hit him ! What happened ? Did Chloe make you angry again ? "