Uncrowned Princess

48

Alex approached her, his voice low and urgent.

"You need to go after him," he said.

Isabella shook her head slightly. "He said he needs to be alone. I should respect that."

Alex's eyes locked onto hers, his gaze intense. "Isabella, look at him," he said, nodding towards Ethan's diminishing silhouette. "If you let him calm down by himself, he'll be empty inside. But if you run to him now and hold him, all that fire, all that anger - it'll be replaced by the warmth of love and support. That's the point."

Isabella hesitated, torn between her instinct to give Ethan space and Alex's words. "But... it's always been his way to process things alone."

Alex rolled his eyes, frustration evident in his voice. "In that case, the coffee will get cold, Isabella, and the taste will be awful later."

Confusion flickered across Isabella's face. Alex leaned in, his words passionate and earnest.

"Listen to me. The one who says they want to be alone is often the one who's been forced to be alone. Ethan's spent his life that way - no one caring, no one listening. But you're here now."

He paused, his gaze softening. "The question is: do you just want to be with him, or do you want to be his?"

The weight of his words hung in the air between them. Alex looked away, giving Isabella space to make her decision.

In that moment, everything seemed to crystallize for Isabella. She thought of all the times Ethan had been there for her, all the moments they'd shared. She realized that true partnership meant being there even when it was difficult, even when the other person thought they needed to be alone.

Without another word, Isabella turned and began to run. Her heart pounded in her chest as she weaved through the crowd, her eyes fixed on Ethan's distant figure. She didn't care about the curious glances or the people she bumped into. All that mattered was reaching him.

As she got closer, she called out, her voice carrying over the noise of the crowd. "Ethan!"

He turned, surprise evident on his face as he saw her running towards him. Before he could react, Isabella threw her arms around him, holding him tightly.

"You're not alone," she whispered fiercely. "Not anymore. Not ever."

For a moment, Ethan stood rigid in her embrace. Then, slowly, his arms came up to encircle her, and he buried his face in her shoulder. The anger and disappointment that had been consuming him began to melt away, replaced by the warmth of Isabella's unwavering support and love.

Jenny approached Alex, and sit beside him, "Alex, I wanted to thank you for your support of Ethan."

Alex smiled, "It's no problem. Isabella just needed a little push to do the right thing. Ethan's a confident guy, but when it comes to love, I think he's more vulnerable than he lets on."

Jenny noticed that Alex looked sad as he continued, "I was sure things would work out differently, but that's life, I suppose."

Jenny agreed, "I felt the same way."

Alex smiled "You know, Ethan father's firm was truly majestic. It's such a shame about the loss. I wish I could help somehow."

Jenny exclaimed "Alex, no. You shouldn't-"

Alex shook his head, "I know, I know. Someone like Ethan wouldn't accept that kind of help anyway. And I wouldn't do that to him. God, I loved that firm."

A moment of silence passes,

Alex then looked at Jenny, "I'm sorry, I didn't even ask - how are things with Dan?"