Aww Seven Exes Begged Cute Blocked novel Chapter 61

**A Promise Written on the Rusted Edge of Time by Dael Rowan Sire**

**Chapter 61 – Turns out my Mr. Right was beside me the whole time.**

“Lincoln High isn’t all that terrible. Once Vanessa settles down a bit, you could always transfer back,” Ethan said, his voice laced with a casual confidence that made me want to believe him.

As I opened my mouth to respond, Ethan’s best friend piped up, a note of concern in his tone. “Dude, Lily has a hearing impairment. Are you really sure she won’t get bullied at another school all by herself?”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, a flicker of determination crossing his features. “To clear the path for Vanessa, I don’t have many options left. Plus, in three months, I’ll bring her back.” His words hung in the air, a promise that felt both hopeful and heavy.

But three months later, when Ethan called to ask me to return, everything felt different.

The confident boy beside me leaned in, his playful smile lighting up his face as he whispered near my hearing aid, “Babe, you’re supposed to close your eyes when we kiss.”

“And don’t answer calls from random guys,” I shot back, a teasing grin breaking through my anxious facade.

When the day of our practice test results arrived, I felt a rush of adrenaline as I learned I had climbed from fifth to third place in our grade. It was a small victory, but it felt monumental.

Meanwhile, Vanessa’s performance plummeted; she had dropped from twentieth to somewhere in the thirties.

A classmate remarked, “What happened to Vanessa? She’s really fallen behind.”

“And look at Lily! She’s moved up two more spots,” another chimed in, their voices a mix of surprise and concern.

I caught a glimpse of Vanessa’s reaction as her eyes filled with tears, and she shot me a glare that could have cut glass.

“Happy now, Lily?” she spat, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and hurt.

“You study so hard just to make everyone think Ethan made a poor choice picking me, don’t you?” she accused, her words laced with bitterness as she stormed out of the classroom.

The bell rang, signaling the start of class, but Vanessa didn’t return.

Our oblivious teacher turned to me, the class president, and asked, “Can you go find her, Lily?”

After what felt like an eternity, I finally spotted Vanessa sitting on a planter near the basketball court, her posture slumped, her expression defeated.

Ethan was bent over her, speaking softly, trying to console her. Whatever he said seemed to break through her tears, coaxing a small smile from her despite the sadness that lingered.

Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a warm glow over the two of them, creating a picture-perfect scene that felt like it belonged in a teen drama.

When Ethan noticed me approaching, his expression shifted. He narrowed his eyes, as if gauging the situation. To appease Vanessa, he tossed his basketball in my direction, but it veered off course and hit my hearing aid instead.

A sudden buzzing sound erupted in my ears, and then silence enveloped my left side completely.

Ethan’s surprise was evident, his eyes widening for a brief moment before he walked toward me, concern etched across his features.

“Lily, you should really consider transferring schools,” he suggested, his voice steady but laced with urgency.

“Vanessa has a temper. She keeps fighting with me because of you,” I replied, my heart pounding in my chest.

Just a month ago, he had asked me, “Lily, will you be my girlfriend after the SAT?”

I had hesitated, the looming test making it difficult to think clearly.

“Don’t make this difficult for me,” he had continued, his tone pleading.

“Every day you’re here is another day Vanessa will be upset. You wouldn’t want to make things hard for your dad, would you?”

My father had been working at Ethan’s family company for years, a dedicated employee who had given so much of himself.

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