Chapter 6: The Confusion

For a long moment, I stood in silence with Ethan, the tension between us thick and palpable. Then, finally, I nodded, feeling a mix of resolve and uncertainty in my heart. “All right,” I said quietly. “But I need time. I need to think about everything.”

 

Ethan didn’t push me. He simply nodded in understanding. “Take all the time you need. But know that I’m here, and I’m ready to help you in any way I can.”

 

With that, he turned and walked toward the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. As the door closed behind him, I sank into one of the chairs, my mind racing with a thousand conflicting emotions.

 

The anger, the need for vengeance that had driven me for so long, was still there, but now it was tempered by doubt. The letter had cracked open the fortress I had built around my heart, and now I was left standing in the rubble, unsure of what to do next.

 

I knew I couldn’t make any decisions right now. I needed to clear my head, to find some distance from the storm of emotions raging inside me. I needed to talk to someone—someone who wasn’t Ethan, someone who knew me well enough to help me make sense of it all.

 

The thought filled me with dread, but I knew I couldn’t keep this from Lily. I had to be honest with her, to share what I had learned. If we were going to find a way forward, we needed to do it together.

 

With a heavy heart, I gathered my things and left the boardroom. As I made my way to the elevator, I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change. The plan I had so carefully constructed was unraveling before my eyes, and I was powerless to stop it.

 

But as the elevator doors closed and I descended toward the ground floor, I realized that maybe—just maybe—this was the first step toward healing. Toward finding a new path that wasn’t fueled by anger and revenge, but by the desire to uncover the truth and make things right.

 

***

 

Later that evening, I found myself sitting in the cozy living room of the townhouse I shared with Lily. The room was warm and inviting, a stark contrast to the cold, sterile environment of Blackwood Enterprises. 

 

But as I sat on the couch, my fingers nervously playing with the edge of the envelope, I felt anything but comfortable.

 

Lily entered the room, a soft smile on her face as she carried a tray of tea. She was still the same sweet, kind-hearted person she had always been, despite the trauma she had endured. But there was a fragility to her that I couldn’t ignore—a vulnerability that made me all the more determined to protect my sister.

 

“Here you go,” Lily said, setting the tray on the coffee table before taking a seat beside me. “You seemed like you could use some tea. You’ve been so quiet since you got home. Is everything okay?”

 

I hesitated, the words I needed to say catching in my throat. How could I tell Lily that everything we had believed for so long was a lie? How could I shatter the fragile peace we had finally found?

 

But I knew I couldn’t keep this from her. Lily deserved to know the truth, no matter how painful it might be.

 

Taking a deep breath, I turned to Lily, my expression serious. “Lily, there’s something I need to talk to you about. Something I learned today that changes… well, everything.”

 

Lily’s smile faded, concern flickering in her eyes. “What is it, Soph? What happened?”

 

I handed Lily the envelope, my heart pounding as I watched her reaction. “This was written by Dad, just before he… before everything happened. It’s a letter he wrote to Ethan Blackwood, and it explains a lot of things we didn’t know.”

 

Lily took the envelope, her hands trembling slightly as she pulled out the letter and began to read. I watched her closely, my stomach twisting with anxiety as I saw the emotions play out on her face—confusion, shock, and finally, a deep, heartbreaking sadness.

 

When Lily finished reading, she looked up at me, tears brimming in her eyes. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. “Dad… he tried to protect us? And Ethan… he wasn’t the one who betrayed us?”

 

I nodded, my throat tight with emotion. “It seems that way. I don’t know all the details yet, but it looks like Ethan tried to help Dad, but something went wrong. I’m still trying to figure it all out.”

 

Lily wiped away a tear, her expression pained. “All this time, we’ve been blaming him. We’ve been hating him. But if he really tried to help…”

 

I reached out, taking her hand in mine. “I know. It’s a lot to take in. But I think we need to find out the full story before we can make any decisions. We need to know the truth.”

 

Lily nodded, her grip on my hand tightening. “I just… I don’t know what to feel right now. I’m so confused.”

 

I squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Me too. But we’ll figure it out together, okay? We’ll get to the bottom of this, and then we’ll decide what to do.”

 

Lily looked at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and fear. “What if… what if we’ve been wrong all this time? What if we’ve been fighting the wrong enemy?”

 

I felt a pang of guilt at her words. I had been so focused on my own need for revenge that I hadn’t considered the possibility that we might have been wrong. But now, faced with the evidence in our father’s letter, I couldn’t ignore the truth any longer.

 

“I don’t know, Lily,” I admitted, my voice soft. “But I think it’s time we found out.”

 

Lily nodded slowly, her expression resolute. “Okay. Let’s do it. Let’s find out what really happened.”

 

I felt a surge of relief at her words. I wasn’t alone in this—Lily was with me, just as she had always been. Together, we would uncover the truth, no matter how painful it might be.

 

And as we sat there, holding hands in the quiet of our living room, I realized that this was the first step toward healing—toward finding a way to move forward from the past and build a new future.

 

But I also knew that the path ahead would be anything but easy. There were still so many unanswered questions, so many secrets left to uncover. 

 

My thoughts drifted back to Ethan, to the intensity in his eyes when he had handed me the letter.

 

That passion was still burning in his heart for me, and it was so overwhelming to digest those raw emotions and bury them again. I didn’t want to experience those feelings again.

 

He had told me that we needed to find the truth together, but could I really trust him? Could I let go of my desire for revenge and work with the man I had once vowed to destroy?

 

The answer wasn’t clear, and I knew it would take time to sort through my feelings. But one thing was certain: the journey we were about to embark on would change everything.

 

For better or for worse, the truth was coming to light. And once it was fully revealed, nothing would ever be the same again.