Chasing Shadows

Chapter Twenty-Three: Distant Echoes

It had been almost two months since everything fell apart. Since Ethan had walked away from Zane in the park, betrayal etched into every line of his face. And for almost two months, Zane had tried—and failed—to reach him.

It wasn’t for lack of effort. He’d left messages that went unanswered, shown up at places he knew Ethan would be, only to be met with cold indifference or outright avoidance. He’d even tried showing up at their usual spots, waiting for hours, hoping Ethan would at least acknowledge his presence.

But he never did.

The hero’s stance was clear: Zane was someone to be avoided, ignored, cut out. The villain was back to being just that—a villain, undeserving of even a glance. Every time he saw Ethan from a distance, it felt like a punch to the gut. The one person who had made him feel something other than his usual darkness was gone.

And Zane hated it. Hated how much it hurt. How much he wanted to fix it, when he wasn’t even sure what “fixing” it meant.

Tonight, though, was different. Ethan was on patrol—he and Asher had been darting around the city, clearing out a few minor threats. Zane had watched them from the shadows, his attention never wavering from the hero as he moved with a grace and determination that seemed to flow naturally from him.

But the way Ethan’s shoulders tensed every time Zane appeared, the tight line of his mouth when he sensed Zane’s presence but didn’t look his way… it was infuriating. They weren’t even talking, and yet Ethan’s emotions were right there on the surface, palpable and raw.

Enough was enough.

When Ethan finally split off from Asher and headed into a quieter part of the city—a small, empty park lit only by a few dim streetlamps—Zane decided it was time to stop being a passive observer. He’d been patient, given Ethan space, but it was clear nothing was going to change unless he took action.

Ethan was sitting on a bench, his head bowed, shoulders hunched like the weight of the world was pressing down on him. Zane hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward, letting his footfalls crunch against the gravel path.

Ethan’s head snapped up instantly, eyes narrowing as he recognized the intruder. “What do you want, Zane?”

Zane stopped a few feet away, lifting his hands in a mock surrender. “Just to talk.”

Ethan scoffed, turning his gaze away dismissively. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“There’s plenty to talk about,” Zane countered, his voice softer than he intended. He took another step closer. “Ethan, you’ve been avoiding me for weeks. I need to—”

“You need to what?” Ethan interrupted, his voice tight. He stood abruptly, glaring at Zane with a mix of anger and something else—something deeper, more painful. “Explain? Apologize? Pretend like everything’s fine?”

Zane swallowed hard. He hadn’t seen Ethan like this—so guarded, so closed off. “I… I just want to make things right.”

Ethan laughed, a bitter sound that cut through the stillness of the park. “Right? Right, Zane? You think you can just waltz back into my life and make things ‘right’ after everything you did?”

“Everything I did?” Zane’s temper flared, and he took a step forward, unable to keep the edge out of his voice. “I never lied to you, Ethan. I never pretended to be someone I’m not.”

“No, you just used me,” Ethan spat, his eyes blazing. “Played me like a puppet. Pretended you actually cared when all you wanted was to—”