The sting of Chloe’s slap lingered on Ethan’s cheek, but he didn’t flinch.
It was nothing compared to the pain he felt inside.
“You bastard,” Chloe spat, her eyes blazing with fury. “Haven’t you harmed her enough? Lily is already lying unconscious on the bed” She pointed to the room. “There’s no need to bring your mistress over to show off. You do realize she is your lawfully wedded wife, not Stacy.”
“Chloe, I think you are misunderstanding something, me and Stacy are just friends–nothing more”
“You don’t need to lie” Chloe continued, her voice shaking with anger”. “Nothing more, but all the news articles are about how you and Stacy Peters are a match made in heaven. Who remembers you have a wife? Every other week you go on business trips with Stacy, lodging in different hotel rooms. But you’re nothing more than friends.”
Ethan‘s jaw clenched. “I never—”
“Do you think I’m a fool? I have seen all the headlines and so has Lily!” Chloe shouted interrupting Ethan, her hands curled into fists. “Do you even know how many times she cried herself to sleep? How many times has she waited up late, during birthdays and holidays, waiting for you to come home? You left without a word for five years and she still took you back no questions asked, even if you don’t love her at least you were her best friend right? If you don’t want to be around her you could just get a divorce.
“I don’t want to get a divorce. I love her.” A sharp pain cut through Ethan’s chest. “I thought she preferred me being away.”
She loves you, you idiot, you always had” Chloe whispered, her voice breaking. “And you’ve been breaking her heart every single day–since you got married. Treating her like she was invisible and publicly humiliating her, every time you went around with Stacy on your arm.”
Ethan took a step back. His mind was spinning, was he wrong all along?
Lily loved him?
His Lily liked him too?
“I didn’t know…”
He had spent all these years believing she didn’t want to be with him. That she didn’t want the marriage.
Was he wrong all this time?
Chloe wiped furiously at the tears pooling in her eyes, she tried to keep her voice steady, but it kept cracking. “Three years Ethan, Three years. Maybe you should end everything. Both of you go your separate ways”
End everything?
Something inside of him twisted painfully.
Was he going to lose her again?
Chloe exhaled sharply, stepping back, “If you have even an ounce of decency left, let her go. She doesn’t deserve this. ”
Ethan didn’t say a word. He couldn’t.
He had spent three years hurting the love of his life. She even got into an accident because of him.
Chloe scoffed, shaking her head. “Think about what I said. For Lily’s sake”
She turned to leave but paused at the end of the hallway. "She has always had the best of everything, when has she ever been treated like this."
Then she went back into the room, leaving Ethan standing there, the weight of her words pressing down on him.
He had thought just working hard to give her the life she deserved would be enough, but she already had everything. Even without him, she would be fine.
Slowly, he turned toward the hospital room.
Through the small glass panel on the door, he could see her.
Lily, still unmoving. Her delicate fingers rested against the stark white sheets, her usually warm complexion pale under the fluorescent lighting.
He didn’t know how long he stood outside just watching. His feet moved before his brain caught up.
He stepped inside and walked toward her, sinking into the chair beside her bed. Chloe was lying on the couch, already fast asleep.
For the first time in years, he didn’t know what to do.
What if she woke up and wanted nothing to do with him?
What if she hated him now?
Ethan swallowed past the lump in his throat. He hesitated, then slowly reached out and took her hand in his.
"I’m sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible in the stillness of the room.
"It’s all my fault."
The door to the hospital room slammed open, and someone stormed in, their heavy footsteps echoing across the room.
Ethan barely had time to turn before a fist crashed into his face.
Pain exploded across his jaw, his chair screeching against the tiled floor as he was knocked back. His hand slipped from Lily’s, and he barely managed to steady himself, before another punch came rolling in and he fell to the ground. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
Through the ringing in his ears, he heard Aspen Monroe’s voice, sharp and furious.
"You son of a bitch! This is how you promised you’d take care of her?"
Ethan blinked, dazed, his vision clearing just in time to see Aspen standing over him, his fists clenched, eyes burning with fury.
"Get out, get the hell away from my sister," Aspen growled.
Ethan opened his mouth, but Aspen didn’t let him speak.
Aspen’s lips curled in disgust."You think you can sit here and play the role of the loving husband?" he scoffed, "I didn’t say anything because Lily wouldn’t let me."
Ethan’s jaw ached, but he didn’t move. He just stared at Aspen, at the barely contained rage in his eyes.
Aspen turned away, stepping toward Lily’s bed. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her face and adjusted her blanket, his expression softening before he glanced back at Ethan.
"You don’t deserve to be here," he said coldly.
Ethan’s heart pounded.
"Aspen, I—"
"Leave. Now."
Ethan hesitated.
Aspen’s glare hardened. “Or I’ll throw you out myself.”
For the second time in his life, Ethan felt completely powerless.
He glanced at Lily once more before turning and walking out.
Aspen was right. He didn’t deserve to be here–with Lily
With every step, it felt like a knife pierced deeper and deeper into his heart.
How had they gotten to this point?
The afternoon sun bathed the Blackwell mansion in a golden gentle glow, and the gentle scent of spring after the rain filled the air.Lily Monroe skipped across the yard her ponytail bouncing as she clutched a big purple bow in her hands. She walked past the entrance to the side of the house and climbed up the ladder that led up to a balcony.With practiced ease, she swung her legs over the railing and landed inside the bedroom.“Ethan! Ethan!” She called out as she tumbled inside, “I brought you a gift.”A boy’s voice mumbled something from under the blanket. Lily’s lips curled into a mischievous grin as she clumsily stood up and jumped on the bed.“Wake up sleepy head, it’s 2 in the afternoon.” She yanked the blanket off him.Ethan Blackwell, barely fourteen years old groggily opened his eyes. His messy black hair stuck up in odd directions, his blue eyes still hazy with sleep.Lily turned to sit beside him, grinning as she shoved the bow in his face. “For you.”Ethan sighed and tu
Lily twirled a pencil between her fingers as they sat on the floor of Ethan’s room, their notebooks and textbooks were spread out in front of them. They were supposed to be doing their assignments, but Ethan was the only one that was actually doing any work.“I’m bored,” Lily groaned dramatically, resting her chin on her palm. “Let’s play a game.”Ethan didn’t look up. “You have six assignments due tomorrow and a test.”Lily pouted. “I can’t work or study on an empty stomach. I want food. Pleeeease?”“You just had a pack of cookies.” He turned to face Lily who was tugging at the hem of his shirt. “Finish at least one assignment”“That was ages ago,” Lily clutched her stomach. “Pleeeeaaaseeee.”“It was ten minutes ago,” he said, still scribbling in his notebook.“Pretty please,” she whined, giving him the puppy dog look. “I want food.”Ethan sighed, finally closing his book. “Fine. Let’s go and get you something.”Lily grinned triumphantly–but instead of getting up, she shook her head
Ethan sat at his desk, staring at a bird flying in circles around a tree outside.The teacher’s voice droned on in the background, but he couldn’t focus.His fingers tightened around his pen, his textbook open to the topic of the day.He had barely slept last night.Over the weekend he had gone to the hospital. He saw his mom. The doctor said she just needed rest, but Ethan had seen how pale she looked, and how weak her voice sounded compared to before.But she seemed to be getting better.She had said she was feeling better.She even ate two plates of brown rice.He didn’t tell her what he saw during the week, who his father had brought home. He didn’t know how to tell her or if he even should.A nudge against his arm made him snap out of his thoughts.Lily leaned in close, whispering, “You’re zoning out again.”Ethan blinked, turning to face her. “Huh.”Lily frowned, her eyes scanning his face. Ethan had been acting weird these past few days. Always staring off into space and he had
Lily sprinted down the stairs, her school bag half open and her tie half knotted. She nearly tripped over her dog as Ivy ran to greet her, wagging her tail excitedly as she jumped.“Not now, Ivy, I’m late for school. We’ll play in the afternoon.” She said , crouching down to gave Ivy a quick rub on the head, she picked up her toy and threw it up the stairs, Ivy whined, but ran up after it. “Don’t forget your lunch!” her mom called from the dining table.“Yes, ma’am,” Lily yelled back, picking her phone from the table and zipping her bag.“And Ethan’s.” Lily groaned. “I know, Mom, I know.”She walked into the kitchen to pick up the already packed lunch boxes sitting on the counter.“What did you make?” she asked Mrs. Harper, who was cutting cookie dough.“Chicken Pitas,” She answered without looking up. “Hurry along now.” “Yay, you’re the best,” Lily said, rushing outside.When she got out, she spotted Ethan waiting by the gate, his hands in his pocket.“Your lunch.” She said as sh
Lunch had never felt this long.Ethan sat, silently chewing his food as Lily and Miles continued talking opposite him. Every now and then, Lily would call his name, trying to include him in the conversation as she recounted stories from their childhood to Miles. He responded with one-word answers.He aggressively sipped his orange drink, but it was tasteless when it entered his mouth.His grip on the carton tightened slightly as Miles leaned in to brush something off Lily’s hair.The sound of the bell put their conversation to an end. Finally.They packed up their bags and headed to class.Ethan let out a breath of relief and fell into step behind Lily as they walked back to their class.But just as he entered the class someone bumped into him–Miles.Ethan’s hands clenched into fists beside him.Why was he here?He had assumed Miles was just another one of Lily’s art classmates— someone she’d only hang out with during class and sometimes during lunch. But now he was also here. In t
Ethan and Lily sat on the floor playing scrabble. Sun streamed in through the window and wide balcony, casting a warm glow over the wooden floor.It was Saturday.After an entire week of Miles being almost everywhere Lily went, Ethan could finally spend time with Lily— just the two of them. No extra person. No interruptions.He leaned back against the bedpost, watching as Lily chewed her lips, deep in thought as her eyes drifted between her rack and the board, planning her next move. She looked really cute.Ethan smirked. “We should have played with a timer. In an official game, you’d have lost 10 points.” “I was strategizing my ultimate move.”Ethan raised a brow. Lily went to work and placed all seven tiles on the board. “Bingo.” She yelled with a treiumphant grin. “Fifty extra points for me.”She picked up the pen to record her score.His gaze drifted to the pen Lily was using.A sleek, pink fountain pen with a silver tip.Miles had given it to her.It was well in line with her t
The morning was crisp as Ethan, Lily, Chloe, and Miles walked through the school gates together. They made their way through the morning crowd, rushing to class before the bell rang.Lily and Chloe were deep in conversation about a newly released edition of their favorite magazine, their voices animated as they flipped through the pages.“I still think the spring collection was better,” Chloe said, pointing at a page. “Red and green isn’t a summer color. It’s like going out as a Christmas tree. ”“Come on. It’s not that bad. If you pair it with yellow boots instead of brown, it would be better. ”Miles, walking beside them, glanced over at the magazine with mild interest. “Hmm, she really does look like a Christmas tree,” he mused.“You both don’t know style.” Lily pouted. “See,” Chloe smirked. “He gets it, truly the soul of an artist.”Ethan walked slightly behind them with his hands in his pockets, mostly listening, though he threw in an occasional remark whenever they asked his op
The math teacher walked in after Ethan left, and class started, but Lily couldn’t focus.“Does anyone know how to solve the equation?” ” Ms. Peller asked, scanning the room.A minute passed. Then two.Lily’s gaze flickered towards Ethan’s empty seat.Finally, she made up her mind.She raised her hand. “Miss Monroe, would you like to try? ” Ms. Peller asked gently.“No, ma’am. I wanted to ask if I may I go to the bathroom?”The maths teacher let out a sigh as she waved a dismissive hand. “Be quick. Would anyone like to try?”Lily closed her notebook and slipped out of the class. But instead of heading to the restroom, she turned in the direction of the principal’s office, her pace increasing with each step.The hallway was quiet as she passed by. Classes were in full progress, leaving the hallways empty.Just as she turned the corner—Slap.The sharp sound echoed through the hallway.“...Do you feel better now?”Lily’s breath caught.It was Ethan’s voice.Lily’s heart pounded with wor
Ethan’s mind was blank during the funeral, he had lost his only relative.Though he didn’t like his father, not after what he had done— in fact, he hated him— he didn’t want him to die.Now, he had no immediate family left.Unlike during his mother’s funeral, when it was rainy and muddy, soft sunlight filtered through the branches. The day was bright, a sharp contrast to the darkness in his heart. His stepmother sobbed throughout the ceremony— she played the grieving wife well. His stepbrother stood stiffly beside her with reddened eyes. But Ethan’s eyes were dry. He hadn’t cried.Not when he heard the news.Not even now.The truck that hit his father came out of nowhere when his father stopped at a red light. There was no chance to dodge. The driver of the truck had died on impact, while his father only held on for a night.He didn’t even get the chance to see him for the last time. While he was preparing for the competition, his father was fighting for his life. How could he just
Ethan’s fingers flew across the keyboard, his eyes focused on the computer scree as he wrote the last couple line of codes. Beside him his teammates worked frantically to write their programs before time went up.As the timer in the giant screen hit zero, a loud beep signaling the end of the competition echoed through the auditorium. Ethan’s hand stilled on the keyboard. He sighed in relief as he leaned back in his seat.“I didn’t finish writing the program,” one of his teammates groaned.“You did well,” their teacher said, patting the classmate’s shoulder. “You all did very well.”Ethan’s gaze shifted to the stage where the host stood, microphone in hand, to announce the final rankings.“After compiling the scores of all the teams…”Ethan’s fingers brushed over the blue hair tie on his wrist. He wondered how Lily was doing, She hadn’t replied to the message he had sent her this morning before the competition, which was unusual.As celebratory music began to play, the host’s voice ra
The smell of flowers and green grass after the rain filled the air in Lily’s garden.SAT prep books lay open on on the table before them. Ethan, Lily, Chloe, and Miles sat on the wooden chairs around the table, answering the questions, the occasional rustle of paper breaking the silence.“Time up,” Ethan announced, tapping on the table. “Hand over your papers.”“Five more minutes?” Chloe asked hopefully.Ethan shot her a look.They passed their papers across the table, Ethan started to mark using the answer guide at the back. “Have you decided on the colleges you would be applying to?” Chloe asked, playing with a flower branch. “The Academy of Art University.” Lily looked up with a smile, a dreamy look in her eyes. “The campus is so beautiful.”Chloe grinned. “That’s why we’re best friends. We think alike.”“You also want to go there?” Miles asked, lifting his head up from his sketchpad.“Of course,” Chloe said. “Henry Asencio went there. He’s my idol.”“I know him,” Miles quipped
The math teacher walked in after Ethan left, and class started, but Lily couldn’t focus.“Does anyone know how to solve the equation?” ” Ms. Peller asked, scanning the room.A minute passed. Then two.Lily’s gaze flickered towards Ethan’s empty seat.Finally, she made up her mind.She raised her hand. “Miss Monroe, would you like to try? ” Ms. Peller asked gently.“No, ma’am. I wanted to ask if I may I go to the bathroom?”The maths teacher let out a sigh as she waved a dismissive hand. “Be quick. Would anyone like to try?”Lily closed her notebook and slipped out of the class. But instead of heading to the restroom, she turned in the direction of the principal’s office, her pace increasing with each step.The hallway was quiet as she passed by. Classes were in full progress, leaving the hallways empty.Just as she turned the corner—Slap.The sharp sound echoed through the hallway.“...Do you feel better now?”Lily’s breath caught.It was Ethan’s voice.Lily’s heart pounded with wor
The morning was crisp as Ethan, Lily, Chloe, and Miles walked through the school gates together. They made their way through the morning crowd, rushing to class before the bell rang.Lily and Chloe were deep in conversation about a newly released edition of their favorite magazine, their voices animated as they flipped through the pages.“I still think the spring collection was better,” Chloe said, pointing at a page. “Red and green isn’t a summer color. It’s like going out as a Christmas tree. ”“Come on. It’s not that bad. If you pair it with yellow boots instead of brown, it would be better. ”Miles, walking beside them, glanced over at the magazine with mild interest. “Hmm, she really does look like a Christmas tree,” he mused.“You both don’t know style.” Lily pouted. “See,” Chloe smirked. “He gets it, truly the soul of an artist.”Ethan walked slightly behind them with his hands in his pockets, mostly listening, though he threw in an occasional remark whenever they asked his op
Ethan and Lily sat on the floor playing scrabble. Sun streamed in through the window and wide balcony, casting a warm glow over the wooden floor.It was Saturday.After an entire week of Miles being almost everywhere Lily went, Ethan could finally spend time with Lily— just the two of them. No extra person. No interruptions.He leaned back against the bedpost, watching as Lily chewed her lips, deep in thought as her eyes drifted between her rack and the board, planning her next move. She looked really cute.Ethan smirked. “We should have played with a timer. In an official game, you’d have lost 10 points.” “I was strategizing my ultimate move.”Ethan raised a brow. Lily went to work and placed all seven tiles on the board. “Bingo.” She yelled with a treiumphant grin. “Fifty extra points for me.”She picked up the pen to record her score.His gaze drifted to the pen Lily was using.A sleek, pink fountain pen with a silver tip.Miles had given it to her.It was well in line with her t
Lunch had never felt this long.Ethan sat, silently chewing his food as Lily and Miles continued talking opposite him. Every now and then, Lily would call his name, trying to include him in the conversation as she recounted stories from their childhood to Miles. He responded with one-word answers.He aggressively sipped his orange drink, but it was tasteless when it entered his mouth.His grip on the carton tightened slightly as Miles leaned in to brush something off Lily’s hair.The sound of the bell put their conversation to an end. Finally.They packed up their bags and headed to class.Ethan let out a breath of relief and fell into step behind Lily as they walked back to their class.But just as he entered the class someone bumped into him–Miles.Ethan’s hands clenched into fists beside him.Why was he here?He had assumed Miles was just another one of Lily’s art classmates— someone she’d only hang out with during class and sometimes during lunch. But now he was also here. In t
Lily sprinted down the stairs, her school bag half open and her tie half knotted. She nearly tripped over her dog as Ivy ran to greet her, wagging her tail excitedly as she jumped.“Not now, Ivy, I’m late for school. We’ll play in the afternoon.” She said , crouching down to gave Ivy a quick rub on the head, she picked up her toy and threw it up the stairs, Ivy whined, but ran up after it. “Don’t forget your lunch!” her mom called from the dining table.“Yes, ma’am,” Lily yelled back, picking her phone from the table and zipping her bag.“And Ethan’s.” Lily groaned. “I know, Mom, I know.”She walked into the kitchen to pick up the already packed lunch boxes sitting on the counter.“What did you make?” she asked Mrs. Harper, who was cutting cookie dough.“Chicken Pitas,” She answered without looking up. “Hurry along now.” “Yay, you’re the best,” Lily said, rushing outside.When she got out, she spotted Ethan waiting by the gate, his hands in his pocket.“Your lunch.” She said as sh
Ethan sat at his desk, staring at a bird flying in circles around a tree outside.The teacher’s voice droned on in the background, but he couldn’t focus.His fingers tightened around his pen, his textbook open to the topic of the day.He had barely slept last night.Over the weekend he had gone to the hospital. He saw his mom. The doctor said she just needed rest, but Ethan had seen how pale she looked, and how weak her voice sounded compared to before.But she seemed to be getting better.She had said she was feeling better.She even ate two plates of brown rice.He didn’t tell her what he saw during the week, who his father had brought home. He didn’t know how to tell her or if he even should.A nudge against his arm made him snap out of his thoughts.Lily leaned in close, whispering, “You’re zoning out again.”Ethan blinked, turning to face her. “Huh.”Lily frowned, her eyes scanning his face. Ethan had been acting weird these past few days. Always staring off into space and he had