(Ethan's POV)
The guilt was a constant, gnawing presence, a dark shadow that followed me wherever I went. I'd retreated, abandoned Claire, and now, I was paying the price. The silence on my phone, the empty space beside me, it was a constant reminder of my cowardice.
I'd driven back to Chicago, burying myself in work, trying to drown out the guilt and fear that consumed me. But it was no use. Her image lingered in my mind, her hurt eyes, her trembling voice.
Then she walked into my office.
Isabella.
My ex-fiancée. The woman who had shattered my trust, who had confirmed my deepest fears about love.
She was different this time. Softer. More vulnerable. The calculated charm was gone, replaced by a raw, almost desperate sincerity.
"Ethan," she said, her voice barely audible, her eyes filled with a raw, honest emotion. "I need to talk to you."
The air crackled with tension, a palpable energy that shifted the atmosphere from professional to intensely personal.
"Isabella," I said, my voice tight, my gaze fixed on her. "What are you doing here?"
"I know I hurt you," she said, her voice trembling, her eyes filled with tears. "I know I made mistakes. But I'm here to fix them. I'm here to ask for a second chance."
The words were like a slap in the face. A second chance? After everything she'd done?
"You have a lot of nerve," I said, my voice rough, my anger simmering beneath the surface. "After what you did..."
"I was young and foolish," she said, her voice pleading. "I was scared, Ethan. Scared of commitment, scared of...love."
The words echoed my own fears, my own insecurities. But it didn't excuse her actions.
"That doesn't change what you did," I said, my voice cold, my eyes filled with a raw, honest anger.
"I know," she said, her voice barely audible, her tears falling freely. "But I've changed, Ethan. I've grown. I understand now. And I know...I know I still love you."
The confession hung in the air, a raw, desperate plea. It was a declaration that threatened to shatter the fragile peace I'd found with Claire.
"I'm not the same man you knew, Isabella," I said, my voice low, my eyes filled with a cold determination. "I've moved on."
"But have you, Ethan?" she asked, her voice laced with a subtle challenge. "Or are you still running from the past? Still afraid of love?"
Her words struck a nerve, a raw, vulnerable spot I'd tried to hide. I hesitated, my gaze shifting away, my silence a confession.
"I'm with someone else, Isabella," I said, my voice rough, my eyes fixed on her. "Someone I love."
"But do you love her enough to risk everything?" she asked, her voice barely audible, her eyes filled with a desperate hope. "Do you love her enough to let go of the past?"
(Claire's POV)
The silence from Ethan was deafening. The unanswered calls, the empty space beside me, it was a constant reminder of his absence. The fear that he'd chosen his fear over me gnawed at me, a raw, primal ache.
I tried to focus on work, to distract myself from the pain, but it was no use. His image lingered in my mind, his vulnerable confession, his desperate plea.
Then Sarah walked into my office, her expression grave.
"Claire," she said, her voice tight, her eyes filled with a mixture of concern and apprehension. "You need to see this."
She handed me her phone, the screen displaying a picture of Ethan and a woman I didn't recognize. They were standing close, their expressions intense, their body language intimate.
"Who is she?" I asked, my voice barely audible, my heart pounding in my chest.
"Isabella," Sarah said, her voice low, her eyes filled with a knowing glint. "Ethan's ex-fiancée."
The name echoed in my mind, a cruel reminder of the past, a past that threatened to consume my present.
"She's back," Sarah continued, her voice tight. "She's claiming she wants Ethan back."
The words hit me like a physical blow, a sharp, twisting pain in my gut. Jealousy, that old, familiar monster, reared its ugly head.
"What does he say?" I asked, my voice trembling, my eyes filled with a raw, desperate hope.
"I don't know," Sarah said, her voice apologetic. "He's been...distant. Unreachable."
The silence that followed was heavy, charged with unspoken emotions. I felt a wave of despair wash over me, a raw, undeniable fear that I was losing him.
"I need to talk to him," I said, my voice firm, my eyes filled with a cold determination. "I need to know the truth."
I stood up, my movements stiff and mechanical, my heart pounding in my chest. I walked out of my office, my eyes fixed on Ethan's, my mind racing with unanswered questions. I needed to know if he was choosing the past, or if he was choosing me. And I knew that if he chose her, it would be the end.