Until Forever Ink Fades

      By the time Lily was willing to leave the mall, it was already late in the evening, and Ana's hands were packed with things Lily had bought. "I feel so refreshed having shopped finally after months," Lily said with a sad expression that was quickly covered with a smile.

"I feel like my bones have been used for my flesh; I'm exhausted with all the walking and trying out clothes," Lily continued, laughing. "But it was so worth it. I got everything I needed and even some things I didn't need, but just had to have." Ana chuckled, shaking her head.

"You're something else, Lily. I'm just glad I could be here to help you carry all these bags." Lily grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hey, someone's got to keep you on your toes, Ana. Now, let's get out of here before I decide to buy even more stuff."

Ana chuckled as they walked out into the evening cool air. "I'll book a cab," Lily suggested, pulling out her phone from her bag. "There won't be a need for that, Lily," a voice said from behind, having Lily and Ana turn around to see Lily's manager standing behind them with an angry expression contouring his face.

"Manager Kelsey, you're here," Ana said, looking at the average-height man; he was wearing a suit that seemed to be stretched to its limits across his broad shoulders. His face was red with anger, and his eyes were narrowed into slits.

"Hey, Ana, you look unusual," Kelsey said, then turned to Lily. "You sneaked out today and cleared your schedule without my knowledge." Lily looked sheepish, her eyes darting to Ana before returning to her manager.

"I'm sorry, Kelsey. I just needed a break. I've been working non-stop for months, and I was feeling burned out." Kelsey's expression softened, and he sighed. "Lily, I understand that you need breaks, but you can't just clear your schedule without telling me. We have a crisis on our hands, and I need you to help me deal with it."

Lily nodded, looking guilty. "I'm sorry, Kelsey. I'll come back to the office with you and help deal with the crisis after I drop Ana off." Ana quickly shook her head, handing the bags over to Lily's manager, Kelsey.

"Don't worry, I'll get a taxi; you should go back and handle whatever is at hand." Ana said with a small smile. Lily pouted her lips. "You're the best, Ana." She went in for a hug, pecking Ana's cheeks in the air.

A limousine pulled over before them; the driver got out, opening the door for Lily and Kelsey. As they were about to get in, Lily suddenly remembered something. "Wait, I forgot to give Ana the book I bought for her!" The driver stopped, and Lily got out of the limousine, rushing over to Ana.

"Here's the book," Lily said, handing two pairs of books to Ana; they were titled "Joy of Stats 1&2." Ana watched as the limo that Lily was in drove away; when it was finally out of sight, she sighed.

"Lily is going to kill me one of these days." She pulled out her phone and checked the time: 8:12. It was pretty late; she hadn't even noticed it when Lily was dragging her around the mall. She wanted to hail a taxi, but then remembered her condo was probably empty right now; Mrs. Burrow and the driver must have moved everything.

She didn't even remember to ask for Ethan's penthouse address. Ana sighed; she would have to call Ethan to ask for the address and to let him know that she was on her way. She scrolled through her contacts and found the number still saved as "Mr. Maverick." She rolled her eyes but then edited the name to "Husband."

She didn't add any emojis; the name looked blank, but she didn't mind. She took a deep breath and dialed the number, waiting for him to answer. After a few rings, his deep voice came on the line.

"Hello." "Hi," Ana said, trying to sound casual. "I'm on my way to your place, but I realized I don't have the address." There was a pause on the other end of the line, and for a moment, Ana wondered if Ethan was still there.

But then his voice came back on, low and smooth. "I'll come pick you up. Where are you?" Ana hesitated, unsure if she wanted Ethan to come pick her up. She had been looking forward to some time alone, and besides, she didn't want to be a bother.

"I can just hail a taxi," she said, trying to sound convincing. But Ethan was insistent. 

     Here is the text with corrected misspelled words and punctuation:

"No, I'll come pick you up. It's late, and I don't want you traveling alone. Just tell me where you are," Ethan said. Ana sighed, realizing that Ethan wasn't going to take no for an answer. She looked around, trying to get her bearings. "I'm at the Daisy Mall," she said finally.

"I'll be there in 20 minutes," Ethan said, his voice firm. "Just wait for me outside the main entrance." Ana nodded, even though Ethan couldn't see her. "Okay," she said, feeling a little trapped. "I'll wait for you." Ethan hung up without another word.

Ana sighed, realizing she was going to be standing there for twenty minutes. As she stood outside the main entrance of the mall, Ana couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. She had been looking forward to some time alone, and now she was stuck waiting for Ethan to come pick her up.

She checked her phone for what felt like the hundredth time, sighing as she realized she still had 15 minutes to wait. Just as she was starting to get restless, a man approached her. He was short and lean, with piercing black that eyes, seemed to bore into her soul. Ana felt a shiver run down her spine as he smiled at her, but it wasn't a pleasant sensation.

There was something about the man's smile that seemed off, something that made her feel uneasy. "Hi," he said, his voice low and smooth. "Mind if I join you? You look like you're waiting for someone." Ana hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to be rude, but she didn't want to encourage the man to stay either.

"I'm just waiting for someone... my husband," she said, adding the last part hoping it would scare him off. The man nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. "I'll keep you company then," he said, his voice dripping with an unsettling intensity.