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. 

"David?" she whispered, voice thick with disbelief. 

Nina's father gave a small, tentative smile. "Yeah. It's me." 

Her mom let out a breath, a mix of shock and something else—something raw and emotional. She crossed the distance between them quickly, and before Nina could even blink, her mom was in her dad's arms, holding him with a strength that said everything words could not. 

Nina watched, her heart swelling as she saw her parents embrace, finally, after so many years apart. They had never truly let go of each other, not even when it felt like everything had torn them apart. 

It was as if time had melted away. 

Nina couldn't hold back the tears anymore. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to keep it together, but her heart felt too full. The pieces of her broken family were finally coming back together. 

Ethan, standing beside her, gave her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. She glanced up at him, and his expression softened. There was no need for words; they both knew how monumental this moment was. 

Her father pulled away from her mom, his eyes a little red from the emotion. "I'm sorry for everything, Maria. I—" 

Her mom cut him off with a soft shake of her head. "You don't have to explain, David. We have time now. Let's just take it from here." 

Nina felt a wave of peace settle over her, knowing that her family could finally heal. 

As the evening unfolded, there was laughter, chatter, and the easy rhythm of family life. Dinner was prepared, stories were shared, and the room seemed to hum with the warmth of rekindled bonds. Her father, still a little tentative, sat down at the table with them, as if this was the first time he truly belonged. 

Nina smiled to herself as she watched her parents reconnect, watched them speak freely, laugh together. The past was still there, but it no longer had a hold over them. They were building something new now, something stronger. 

And as for her and Ethan? 

There was a quiet understanding between them, a bond that had grown even deeper in the days that followed. They didn't need to speak about it—she knew Ethan would always be by her side. And she had learned to trust that. 

For the first time in a long time, Nina felt like she was exactly where she needed to be. Her family was whole again, her heart was healing, and the future felt full of possibilities. The past had been dark, but now, with her dad back and the weight of Aiden's influence lifted from her life, she felt free. 

This was the beginning of something new—something worth fighting for.