life entirely. I stretched my arms above my head, trying to dispel the heaviness that had settled in my limbs. Last night lingered in my thoughts-Ethan's words, the way

led the space yesterday. I poured myself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter, savoring the brief solitude. The scent of freshly brewed coffee

s dressed impeccably, her hair cascading in perfect waves, as if she had stepped out of a

grabbing a cup and pouring

that neither of us wanted to acknowledge. Lyara had always been the golden child, the one who could do no w

r gaze sharp. "Maybe we could go into town later? T

irling the remnants of my cof

t, before she recovered. "Oh, come o

anted to refuse, to stay hidden in the safety of this house, but something in Lyara's expression stopped

inally. "But just f

w a glimpse of the sister I used to kno

walls, their price tags a testament to their exclusivity. Lyara flitted from rack to rack, her enthusiasm infectious des

blue dress that looked both elegant and

the dress clinging to my figure in all the right ways. I stared at my reflection, a stranger staring back at m

e through my thoug

her eyes widened in approval.

ttered, but a small part

ne softer now. "You've been hiding, All

othes, brushing off her comment with a forced laugh. But the seed had been planted, an

nside me. She seemed content, as if our outing had been enough to mend the fractures between us. I wished I

the day before had all departed. I welcomed the stillness, retreating to the sanctuary of the guest

hly cut grass mingling with the faint aroma of blooming flowers. I walked along the path, my footsteps muffle

that I didn't hear Etha

l night,

at. The moonlight cast a silvery glow on his features, highlighting the sharp angles of hi

d, my voice barel

steady. "You seem... differe

aid, my eyes fixed on th

ome things re

t him, searching his expression for clues, but he offered none.

with

the sound of our footsteps blending with the rustle of leaves in the breeze. It wa

than stopped, turning to face me. His eye

, but I'm glad you came," he said. "You've been

ted to argue, to tell him he didn't understand, but the truth was, he did. More tha

audible. "But stopping means facing

ly what you need," he s

slightly. Standing there under the stars, I realized that maybe, just maybe, Ethan was