Tangled Hearts

Chapter 29

After the tense moment in the side room, Katherine and Nicholas exchanged a quick glance, silently agreeing to return to the party and act as though nothing had happened. They both knew the last thing they wanted was to cause a scene, especially with so many eyes on them. As they re-entered the ballroom, they plastered on smiles and joined the group, doing their best to appear normal.

The others noticed their return and quickly resumed their conversation, but not without some curious glances in Nicholas's direction.

"What was that about, Nick?" Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nicholas shrugged, brushing it off with a wave of his hand. "Just a little disagreement with my mom. Nothing to worry about."

Ethan studied Nicholas for a moment, but when Nicholas didn't elaborate, he let it go. The group soon fell back into their easy banter, and the tension began to dissipate. They spent the rest of the evening laughing, dancing, and enjoying the festivities, the earlier incident seemingly forgotten-or at least pushed to the back of their minds.

As the party wound down and guests began to leave, Katherine couldn't help but feel a lingering unease. Nicholas's kiss had unsettled her, and even though they had managed to get through the night without anyone else finding out, she couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between them-and perhaps, with someone else too.

---

For the next two days, Katherine couldn't stop thinking about the party, about Nicholas, and about the possibility that someone had seen them. But more than that, she was worried about Ethan. He hadn't visited her through her window as he usually did, a daily ritual that had become their unspoken tradition. She waited each night, hoping to hear the familiar tap on the glass, but it never came.

On the third night, just as she was beginning to fear the worst, she finally heard the soft knock at her window. Her heart leaped with relief as she rushed to open it.

"Ethan," she breathed, a smile of genuine happiness spreading across her face. "I'm so glad you're here. Where have you been? I was worried."

Ethan climbed through the window, his expression unreadable as he stood in her room. He seemed different-distant, even. Katherine's relief began to waver as she noticed the tension in his posture, the way his eyes avoided hers.

"I've just been busy," he said curtly, his voice lacking the warmth she was used to. The silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable, unlike the easy conversations they usually shared.

Katherine shifted nervously, sensing that something was deeply wrong. "Ethan, what's going on? Did something happen?"

For a long moment, Ethan didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the floor. Then, with a heavy sigh, he finally broke the silence. "Do you like Nicholas Katherine?"

The question caught her off guard, leaving her momentarily speechless. "What... what do you mean?" she stammered, her heart racing.

Ethan's gaze finally met hers, and the pain in his eyes was unmistakable. "Do you like nicholas?" he repeated, his voice firmer this time.

Katherine's breath hitched, the realization dawning on her like a cold wave. "Ethan..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "You... you were the one who saw us at the party, weren't you?"

Ethan's expression hardened, his jaw clenched as he nodded. "Yes. I saw everything, Katherine. I saw you with Nicholas. And now, I need to know... who is it that you really want?

Katherine felt like the room was spinning, her thoughts a chaotic jumble as she tried to process Ethan's words. She had feared this moment, but now that it was here, she was utterly unprepared.

"Ethan, it's not what you think," she began, her voice shaky. "What happened with Nicholas-it was a mistake. I didn't mean for it to happen. I was just trying to help him, and..."

Ethan's eyes darkened with hurt and anger. "A mistake? Katherine, I saw the way he kissed you. That didn't look like a mistake to me. It looked like something more."

Katherine's heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short, panicked bursts. "I was confused, Ethan. I didn't expect it. I... I don't even know how I feel about it. But it doesn't mean I love him"

Ethan took a step back, the distance between them growing, both physically and emotionally. "That's the problem, Katherine. You don't know how you feel. You don't know who you want, and it's tearing me apart. I can't stand here and pretend that everything's okay when it's not."

Tears welled up in Katherine's eyes as she reached out to him, desperate to bridge the gap between them. "Ethan, please... it's not like that.."

Ethan sighed, his voice heavy with the weight of unspoken words. "Kat, we all care about you," he began, his eyes earnest as they met hers. "We've always avoided this conversation because we leading us somewhere -somewhere wrong." He paused, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "The truth is, we all like you, but we also know that we can't all have you. That's why we've kept quiet."

He took a deep breath, his tone turning more serious. "But before this tears us apart, before it destroys our brotherhood, it's better that you decide for yourself. We need to know where we stand, Kat. It's the only way to keep what we have intact," he finished, his gaze unwavering as he awaited her response.

The weight of his ultimatum hung heavy in the air, the finality of it suffocating her. Katherine's voice cracked as she whispered, "Ethan,...

But Ethan was already turning away, his back to her as he headed for the window. Before he climbed out, he paused, his voice low and filled with pain. "When you figure out what you really want, let us know .

And with that, he was gone, disappearing into the night, leaving Katherine standing alone in her room, tears streaming down her face. She collapsed onto her bed, her heart aching with confusion, guilt, and sorrow.

As she buried her face in her hands, sobbing quietly, the enormity of the situation crashed down on her. She was caught in the middle of a storm, torn between the people she cared about, and now, she had to make a choice-a choice that could change everything.

But as the night wore on and her tears finally subsided, one thing was clear: no matter what decision she made, nothing would ever be the same again.