Shattered Paths

Unexpected News

Maya sat at her kitchen table, the morning sunlight streaming through the windows, casting a warm glow on the room. She sipped her coffee, savoring the quiet moments before the day begin. It had been years since she last saw Ethan, her high school sweetheart. Their brief encounter at the reunion a few days ago had stirred up old memories, but she had brushed them aside, focusing instead on her family.

Her husband, Marcus, was already at work, and their son, Liam, was still asleep upstairs. Life had settled into a comfortable routine, and Maya was content. She glanced at the clock, realizing it was time to wake Liam for school. As she stood up, her phone buzzed on the table. She picked it up and saw a message from an unknown number.

"Hey, Maya. It's Ethan. Can we talk?"

Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected to hear from him again so soon. Curiosity got the better of her, and she quickly typed a response.

"Sure, Ethan. What's up?"

A few moments later, her phone buzzed again. "Can we meet?" There's something I need to tell you."

Maya hesitated. She didn't want to disrupt her life, but something in Ethan's message sounded urgent. She decided to meet him, hoping it would be a quick conversation. She replied with a time and place, then went upstairs to wake Liam.

Later that afternoon, she arrived at the park where they had agreed to meet. Ethan was already there, sitting on a bench, looking lost in thought. He looked up as she approached, a mixture of relief and anxiety on his face.

"Thanks for coming," he said, standing up to greet her.

"Of course," Maya replied, sitting down beside him. "What's going on?"

Ethan took a deep breath, struggling to find the right words. "Maya, I know this is going to sound strange, but I never stopped thinking about you. Seeing you the other day brought back so many memories. I just... I needed to see you again."

Maya felt a pang of guilt. She had moved on, but it was clear Ethan hadn't. "Ethan, I'm married now. I have a son. My life is different."

" I know," he said quickly. "And I'm happy for you really. But there's something else. I...I need to tell you that I never got over us. And I think about what could have been."

Maya sighed, feeling the weight of his words. "Ethan, we were kids back then. We've both moved on. You need to let go."

Ethan nodded, though his eyes betrayed his lingering feelings. "I just needed to say it. To get it off my chest."

Maya reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "I understand. But you have to find a way to move forward. For your own sake."

As they parted ways, Maya felt a sense of closure. She hoped Ethan would find peace, but her thoughts quickly shifted back to her own family. She had no idea that this encounter would set off a chain of events that would change her life forever.