CHAPTER 134: WHYS

He frowned when there was no answer. Sighing heavily, he dropped the phone on the desk, disappointment etched on his face, undeniable.

But seconds later, the screen lit up with an incoming call from Rayna. His heart skipped and he picked it up immediately.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Rayna’s voice came through, hesitant but calm.

"Hey," Ethan said, and for a moment, they both fell silent.

It was awkward, like walking barefoot over broken glass.

He’d been the one to call her and here he was, hi–ing and hey–ing her. What was wrong with him? Ethan mused as he took a deep breath.

"Listen," Ethan started, "can we talk? Maybe grab a few drinks later this evening? Just... talk."

Rayna didn’t respond at first. He could hear the faint sound of her breath, maybe even the muffled voices of the city beyond her.

Then, softly, she said, "Sure."

A breath of relief escaped him.

"Great. I’ll send you the address. Thank you, Rayna. For agreeing to meet up."

"Hmm," she hummed, and the call ended.

Ethan stared at his phone, a small, hopeful smile tugging at his lips.

It wasn’t much. But it was something.

Rayna sat on the edge of her bed, the pale morning light filtering through her window, casting soft patterns across the floor. Her fingers absently ran along the rim of the half-empty coffee mug in her hand. She hadn’t taken another sip in the last ten minutes—not since Stefan had walked out of that café.

Her mind was too full. Too loud. Too unsettled.

The conversation with Stefan played in her head on repeat. His voice. The sincerity in his eyes. The way he had spoken—not just with words, but with regret. With weight.

He wasn’t acting. He wasn’t pretending. She’d felt it and she hoped Ruby would feel it too and sooner.

And then there was the baby. That tiny life Ruby had been protecting fiercely, hidden beneath her pain and silence. Stefan had spoken of that child as though it meant something to him—not as a mistake, not as an obligation, but as part of the future he was trying to mend.

Rayna sighed and leaned back slightly, her shoulders slumping.

It all made sense now.

Everything Stefan had said... everything he had confessed... it pointed back to one thing. He loved her and he’d done everything right from looking around for her, to coming to Florittle, just to find her.

Thinking about what he’d said about how they’d found out she was Ruby’s friend, a faint smile graced her face. So Ethan had just helped her blindly then. What were the odds that they had a night stand and he was saving her unknowingly, three days later? And then they’d met six months later and she was his best friend’s love interest’s best friend.

She stared at the phone lying beside her on the bed. Silent now. Still. But the memory of it ringing earlier, and his voice on the other end of the line—it hadn’t left her.

He had called. After all this time.

After she’d spent days trying to get answers, being met with cold distance and frustrating silence, he had finally picked up the phone. Not to explain. Not to apologize. Not to clear the air.

But to ask to meet up. For drinks. Why? Because Stefan had spoken to her about the real situation of things?

She could understand that he was only calling her now because Stefan had watered the ground but then the question returned, heavy and cold.

Why didn’t he explain himself sooner? Why did he think she wouldn’t have listened?

If Ethan truly cared—if he truly hadn’t been part of the lie, hadn’t meant to hurt her—why hadn’t he told her everything the moment it all blew up? Why wait for Stefan to say it first?

Why wait for someone else to clear the air?

Rayna chewed the inside of her cheek, her thoughts spiraling.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see him. She did. Deep down, in the quietest corner of her heart, she’d never stopped wanting to understand. To hear him out. Even when anger burned in her chest and disappointment laced her every thought, some part of her still clung to the version of Ethan she’d known before the storm.

The Ethan who made her laugh when she didn’t want to.

But now? Now she wasn’t sure who he was anymore. Or if she could ever see him the same way again.

Still, her phone buzzed again. A new message which she had no doubt was Ethan.

[I just sent the address. Let me know when you’re close. Looking forward to it.]

Rayna stared at it for a long moment. No emojis. No dramatic words. Just plain, simple text. He sounded... nervous. Or maybe cautious.

Just like her.

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She exhaled slowly, setting the mug aside, and let herself sink back onto the pillows. Her eyes traced the ceiling, the familiar cracks she’d memorized over the last few weeks. Funny how the world could change so much and yet the ceiling above your head stayed exactly the same.

What would she say to him?

She wasn’t even sure. There was too much. And yet, not enough words.

But she knew one thing for sure—she would ask him everything.

Why he kept quiet. Why he let her think he was part of the betrayal. Why he stood silently on the sidelines while she thought all she thought. Why he didn’t even try to make amends.

Why he didn’t fight for her trust when she needed him to.

She rolled onto her side, pulling the phone closer now. Her fingers hovered over the screen, tempted to type something—anything—but she didn’t. Not yet.

Tonight would give her the answers.

And she would be ready.

For once, she wouldn’t let her feelings decide for her. She wouldn’t let confusion or emotion cloud her judgment. She had cried too much, questioned herself too often. Tonight, she would go in with her eyes wide open and ask him what she needed to ask.

And if he truly wanted to fix things between them, he would answer everything.

Every last thing.

She looked out the window, the sunlight creeping higher, touching the glass gently. A new day had begun. One full of truths waiting to unfold.

And whether she liked it or not, the story between her and Ethan wasn’t over.

*************

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