In the past, he would have sympathized with Lily for having to teach such a thuggish student. But now, he felt as if something was constricting inside his chest.
From the other end of the corridor, he heard the sound of sleepy footsteps. The source of this sound entered the kitchen and squawked out in surprise when he discovered Ethan.
"Aagh, fuck! You surprised me!"
Ethan didn't seem to care and kept his eyes on the cellphone.
"What's with you? When did you get up? No, wait. Didn't you go home?"
"If I did, why would I be here?"
"Then what… Where did you sleep? Do you know how surprised I was when you disappeared all of a sudden?"
"I slept on the sofa. I went out for a smoke, and when I came back, no one was in the living room."
John stroked his chest and took a gulp of water. Then he glanced down at the object in Ethan's hand.
"Huh? Isn't that Lily's phone?"
"Yeah."
"Where did you get it?"
"I picked it up."
