Bitter Ends

Chapter Two: Cracks

The lake house was exactly what Izzy needed. Nestled between towering pines and overlooking a serene stretch of water, it was their sanctuary—a place where the outside world didn't matter. They had made so many memories here, from late-night wine-soaked conversations on the dock to lazy mornings tangled up in bed sheets. She had thought this weekend would be another chapter in their love story, one that would erase any lingering tension between them.

But even as the cool breeze brushed her skin and the sun shimmered on the lake's surface, something felt...off.

Ethan had been distracted the whole drive up. His usual playful banter was absent, replaced by forced smiles and too many glances at his phone. Izzy tried to ignore it, telling herself they were just tired, that this was what they needed to get back on track. Still, the growing unease gnawed at her, like a loose thread that was about to unravel everything.

As they unpacked, Ethan disappeared into the kitchen under the pretense of grabbing a drink. Izzy wandered onto the deck, letting the fresh air calm her nerves. She leaned against the wooden railing, looking out at the lake, the quiet lapping of water against the shore filling the silence.

She closed her eyes, letting the sound take her back to the first time they had come here together. It was early fall, the leaves just starting to turn. Ethan had planned the whole thing as a surprise, whisking her away for a long weekend without telling her where they were going. She had been wrapped up in the excitement, caught in the whirlwind of their new relationship.

Flashback

They had arrived late in the evening, the sky a deep indigo as they pulled up to the cabin. Izzy remembered how Ethan had jumped out of the car, his face lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning. He had practically dragged her out of the passenger seat, leading her by the hand up the narrow wooden stairs to the porch.

"Close your eyes," he had said, his voice buzzing with excitement. She'd laughed, playfully skeptical, but did as she was told.

When she opened them again, the view had taken her breath away. The lake spread out before them like a dark mirror, reflecting the fading light of the sky and the towering silhouettes of trees. She'd never seen anything so beautiful, and the fact that Ethan had shared it with her—it made everything feel perfect.

That weekend had been a blur of perfect moments. They'd spent hours out on the water, talking about their future, their dreams, and how everything felt so right. She remembered Ethan's hand resting on her thigh as he told her he loved her for the first time. She'd believed every word of it then. It was the kind of weekend that convinced her they could weather anything together.

Present

But now, as she stood on that same deck, the magic of that first trip felt like a distant memory. She tried to summon the same sense of peace, of certainty, but it wouldn't come. Instead, her mind replayed all the little moments in recent months that didn't add up—the missed calls, the last-minute cancellations, the vague explanations about late nights at work.

It was the little things that were piling up.

"Hey, you alright?"

Ethan's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned to see him standing in the doorway, two glasses of wine in hand, his face unreadable.

"Yeah, just taking it all in," she said, forcing a smile as she took one of the glasses. "I love it here."

He nodded, stepping onto the deck and joining her at the railing. For a moment, the two of them just stood there, side by side, watching the water. It felt almost like old times.

"Me too," he said quietly. He reached out and slipped his hand into hers, squeezing gently. She looked down at their intertwined fingers, wanting so badly to believe that this gesture meant something. That maybe they were both just overthinking everything, that things really were fine.

But then his phone buzzed.

Ethan flinched, releasing her hand quickly as he fumbled for his phone in his pocket. He glanced at the screen, his expression tightening for just a split second before he slipped it back into his pocket.

"Work stuff?" she asked, trying to keep her voice casual.

"Yeah, just something I'll deal with later," he replied too quickly, taking a long sip of his wine.

Izzy's smile faltered. She wanted to believe him, but that flicker of doubt was becoming harder to ignore. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something he wasn't telling her. Something important.

"Ethan," she started, turning to face him fully, "are we okay?"

His eyes flicked to hers, wide for a moment as if he hadn't expected the question. He hesitated before answering, just long enough to make her heart sink a little further.

"Of course we are," he said, but his voice lacked its usual warmth, its confidence. "I've just been...stressed with work, you know? But this weekend is about us. We're good, Izzy. I promise."

She wanted to believe him. God, she wanted to believe him so badly. But that nagging feeling wouldn't let go.

Izzy swallowed down the questions bubbling up in her chest, forcing herself to smile again. She took a sip of her wine, letting the rich flavor coat her tongue. Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe this weekend was exactly what they needed to reset.

But as the sun dipped below the horizon and the air grew cooler, the distance between them felt as vast as the lake stretched out before her. And for the first time since they'd come here, Izzy didn't feel like this was their sanctuary anymore.

It felt like something was about to break.

And deep down, she knew—there was no going back from that.