The Heart's Quite Beginning

Chapter 24: The Weight of Secrets

Ethan set down the tray of food on the small coffee table between us, the warm scent of tomato soup filling the air. The storm outside still raged, the rain tapping insistently on the windows, but inside, there was a different kind of tension—one that I wasn't sure how to break.

We'd been sitting in silence for a few minutes, eating quietly. Ethan's usual calm, guarded expression seemed softer now, though there was still something heavy hanging between us. I could feel it, the unspoken weight of whatever he is holding back. My mind kept circling back to that moment in the library when he'd snapped at me—his words sharp, almost cruel—and now, watching him, I could see regret etched into the lines of his face.

He cleared his throat, setting down his spoon. "Lia, I need to apologize," he said, his voice low. "For how I acted at the library. I shouldn't have spoken to you that way."

I looked up at him, surprised by the sudden seriousness in his tone. His eyes met mine, filled with a kind of vulnerabil. It was jarring, seeing him like this—open, raw. This wasn't the composed Ethan I was used to.

"I just... It caught me off guard," he continued, running a hand through his still-damp hair. "Hearing Mr. Caldwell bring up Selene like that. I wasn't ready for it. And you... well, you didn't deserve that."

I swallowed, unsure how to respond at first. His apology was sincere, but it didn't erase the sting of those words. "It's okay," I said slowly, though it wasn't entirely true. "I get that it's a sensitive subject. I just—" I hesitated, searching for the right words. "I just didn't know."

Ethan sighed, leaning back against the couch cushions, his eyes drifting to the window where the rain streaked down in uneven patterns. "No, you didn't. But you deserve to know the truth, Lila. You're right to ask. I should've told you sooner."

I sat up a little straighter, my heart picking up its pace. The truth. I had been waiting for this moment ever since that conversation with Mr. Caldwell, but now that it was here, I wasn't sure if I was ready for it. The mention of Selene, the tragedy, and the strange secrecy that seemed to surround Ethan's past—it was all swirling together in my mind, tangled with the confusion and the growing feelings I had for him. Feelings I wasn't even sure how to name.

"I'll tell you everything," Ethan said softly, his voice steady but tinged with sadness. "About Selene, about what happened, and why I've been... distant."

I nodded, bracing myself as Ethan began to speak, his voice carrying the weight of years of grief and memories.

"Selene and I were together for a long time," he started, his eyes flickering with something distant, like he was seeing another world—a world I wasn't part of. "We were one of those couples everyone thought would be together forever. We were happy. She had her ice cream shop, and I had my writing. The village loved her—she had this way of bringing people together, you know?"

I could hear the affection in his voice when he talked about her, the soft glow of nostalgia mixed with the unmistakable ache of loss. It made my chest tighten, though I tried to hide it. I had always known Ethan was complicated, that there were pieces of him hidden away, but I hadn't expected something like this.

"We were planning a future together," he continued, his voice quieter now. "And then... well, one day, it all just—" He paused, swallowing hard. "One day, it all ended."

I watched him carefully, my heart heavy. I didn't push him, didn't say a word, knowing that he needed the space to tell this story in his own way.

"There was this politician," Ethan said after a moment, his voice tight. "Charles Hawthorne. You've probably heard the name—he's been in the news before."