After the Storm | LadaEarn

Caught in the Storm

It had been two years. Two long, agonizing years since Earn had last seen Lada. Two years since she had made the biggest mistake of her life—walking away from the one person who had meant everything. Earn thought time would heal the wounds, that staying away would somehow protect Lada from the chaos she had brought into her life. She thought the distance would make things better. But she had been wrong.

The last few months had been unbearable. Every attempt to reach Lada had been ignored—every call unanswered, every message left on read. She had even come to Lada's hospital with a bouquet of balloons, each one marked with a handwritten sorry—a ridiculous spectacle that Lada had coldly ignored.

Desperation had driven Earn to the most extreme lengths. Weeks ago, she'd eaten a banana—something she was severely allergic to—knowing it would land her in the hospital. It was reckless, stupid even, but the risk felt worth it if it meant Lada might care enough to see her.

And now, she was left clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, Lada might listen. But nothing had worked. And now, standing alone in her dimly lit apartment, the silence was deafening.

She wasn't prepared for what was coming.

A loud crash echoed through the room as her front door was kicked open, slamming against the wall with a force that rattled the frame. Earn's heart jumped into her throat as she turned, her breath catching when she saw her.

Fahlada.

She stood there, framed by the doorway, her chest heaving, eyes blazing with fury. The years apart had done nothing to soften the edge of her rage. If anything, it had only sharpened it, turning her into a force Earn wasn't sure she could withstand.

"You think you can just come back?!" Lada's voice was low, trembling with barely controlled anger as she stormed into the apartment, slamming the door behind her with a thundering bang. "You think after two years, after everything, you can just walk back into my life like nothing happened?"

Earn opened her mouth to speak, but the words died in her throat as Lada's hand shot out, shoving her hard against the wall. The impact sent a jolt of pain through Earn's back, but it was nothing compared to the storm of emotions swirling in the room.

Lada's face was inches from hers now, her breath hot against Earn's skin. "You left, Earn. You left without a word. Without an explanation." Her voice broke slightly, though her grip on Earn's shirt didn't waver. "And now you think I'll just listen to whatever bullshit you have to say?"

"I didn't—" Earn started, her voice barely a whisper, but Lada wasn't having it. She slammed her hand against the wall beside Earn's head, the force rattling the picture frame hanging just above them.

"You didn't what?" Lada snapped, her voice sharp, venomous. "You didn't think I deserved the truth? You didn't think I'd be hurt?"

"I thought it was best for you!" Earn cried, her voice cracking under the weight of her guilt. "I thought staying away would protect you!"

"Protect me?" Lada's laugh was harsh, bitter. "You think leaving me in the dark for two years protected me?"

Earn could see the pain beneath Lada's anger, could feel it in every word she spat. And she knew she deserved this. She deserved every ounce of the fury that was being thrown her way. But it didn't make it any easier to bear.

"I didn't have a choice!" Earn's voice cracked under the weight of her own guilt, her eyes pleading with Lada to see the pain she had buried for so long. "You don't know what I was up against."

"Don't talk to me about choices." Lada's voice shook, a raw mix of fury and sorrow. Her grip tightened on Earn's shirt. "I was left with no choice, Earn. I waited, I begged the universe for you to come back. But you vanished. Without a word. You tore me apart."

"I'm sorry," Earn whispered, her heart aching with the weight of the apology. "I'm so sorry, Lada."

"Sorry?" Lada's eyes darkened, her hand tightening once again in Earn's shirt. "Sorry isn't good enough. Not after what you did."

Without another word, Lada's mouth crashed down on Earn's, the kiss a brutal, punishing collision of lips and teeth. Earn gasped, her hands flying up to grip Lada's shoulders, but the force of Lada's anger, her desperation, knocked the breath from her lungs.

This wasn't a kiss of reconciliation. This was punishment, and Earn knew it. Lada was making her feel every bit of the pain she had caused, and she welcomed it. She needed it. She needed to be reminded of what she had ruined, of what she had lost.

Lada pulled back, her lips swollen and red, her eyes blazing with sorrow. "You think this makes it better?" she hissed, her hand still fisted in Earn's shirt. "You think you can kiss me and everything will be okay?"

Earn shook her head, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "No," she whispered. "But I'll do anything. Anything to make it right."

Lada's eyes narrowed, her grip tightening once again. "Anything?" she repeated, her voice low, dangerous.

Earn nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. "Anything."

For a moment, Lada's eyes softened, just for a heartbeat. But then the rage was back, stronger than ever. She shoved Earn against the wall again, her body pressing against hers, the tension between them suffocating.

"Prove it to me," Lada growled, her lips brushing against Earn's ear. "Prove that you still want me. That you're still mine."