Legacy of secrets

12

The next few days were a blur of research and dead ends. Ethan was distant, more focused on solving the mystery than on anything else. It was starting to feel like I was losing him-like the mystery mattered more to him than I did.

I tried to brush it off, but Liam noticed. He always noticed.

"Ethan's been acting weird, hasn't he?" Liam asked one afternoon as we sat outside, pouring over old documents. His voice was casual, but there was something more behind his words.

I shrugged, not wanting to admit how much it bothered me. "Maybe. He's just... focused."

"Or maybe he's hiding something," Liam said, his gaze locking with mine.

A chill ran down my spine. Was it possible? Could Ethan be keeping secrets from me, even now? I didn't want to believe it, but the doubt had already started to creep in.

Liam's expression softened. "Hey, don't let him get to you. If he's not being honest with you, then that's on him. You deserve better than that."

His words caught me off guard. I wasn't used to Liam being this... sincere. I looked at him, really looked at him, and for the first time, I felt something shift between us.