Maybe

ENDING

The night air was crisp, carrying the distant hum of laughter and conversation from inside the house. But out here, beneath the old tree her grandmother had planted, everything felt still. Peaceful. 

Nina leaned into her father's embrace, the warmth of it sinking deep into her bones, settling something inside her that had been fractured for too long. 

He was here. 

After twelve years of silence, of unanswered questions, of wondering if she had been the reason he never came back—he was finally here. 

And for once, she wasn't holding on to resentment or pain. She was holding him. 

A soft chuckle came from nearby. Nina turned her head slightly to see Ethan, standing with his arms crossed, watching them with a knowing smirk. 

"You gonna cry again?" he teased. 

Nina shot him a glare, swiping at the last of her tears. "Shut up." 

Ethan only grinned. "I take it the surprise was a good one?" 

Nina swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at her dad again. He was smiling—soft, hesitant, but real. And for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt whole. 

Her lips curved. "Yeah," she murmured. "The best one." 

Ethan took a step closer, slipping his hand into hers like it was second nature. A small, warm touch grounding her. 

Her father looked between them, raising an eyebrow. "So... you and Ethan, huh?" 

Ethan smirked. "What can I say? Your daughter has excellent taste." 

Nina groaned, shoving his shoulder. "Don't ruin the moment." 

Her dad chuckled, shaking his head. "I should've expected this." He sighed, but there was no real disapproval in his voice. Only amusement. And maybe even relief. 

Because after everything—Aiden's darkness, the years of pain, the separation, the struggle—things had finally settled into place. 

Her father was back. Ethan was by her side. And for the first time in years, her world wasn't built on fear or uncertainty. 

It was built on love. 

She squeezed Ethan's hand, then turned back to her father, smiling through the remnants of her tears. 

"Come on," she said. "Mom's going to freak out when she sees you." 

Her dad let out a breath, nodding. "Yeah," he said with a small smile. "Let's go home." 

And as they walked back inside, Nina knew—this was the ending she had never dared to hope for. 

As they stepped back inside, the warmth of the house wrapped around them like a comforting blanket. The soft chatter of family filled the air, and Nina could hear her mother's laughter—a sound she hadn't realized how much she had missed. It was as if everything in the house had lightened. The tension that had once filled every corner had evaporated.

Her mom was sitting at the kitchen table, her back to them, her hands busy with something on a plate. Nina's father stepped forward first, his voice a little shaky but full of hope as he spoke. 

"Hey, Maria." 

Her mom turned, her eyes widening in surprise, then slowly softening as recognition spread across her face. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Her gaze lingered on him as if she couldn't quite believe her own eyes. But then, just like that, she was on her feet.