Yuna's voice trembled as the words finally came out, breaking through everything she had been holding inside. "I'm sorry, Ethan…" she said, her hands clutching his shirt as if letting go would make her fall apart again. "I blamed you… for killing my father… I didn't know what to do… everything was confusing and painful and I just—" her voice cracked, tears slipping down her cheeks again, "I lost our baby… and if I had been more careful… maybe it wouldn't have happened…"
Her shoulders shook as the guilt poured out of her, raw and heavy.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered again, weaker this time, as if the words themselves were all she had left to hold onto.
Ethan didn't interrupt her.
He let her speak.
Let her release everything.
Because he could see it clearly now—this wasn't just grief. It was guilt that had rooted itself deep inside her, making her believe she had failed in ways she couldn't forgive herself for.
He reached up, his hands gently but firmly holding her shoulders, pulling her just enough to make her look at him.
"Yuna," he said, his voice steady but softer than she had ever heard it.
She tried to look away.
He didn't let her.
"This wasn't your fault," he said.
She shook her head immediately, tears still falling. "It was… I didn't take care of myself… I didn't even realize…"
"You went through too much," he cut in quietly, not harsh, but firm enough to stop her from spiraling further. "Anyone would have broken under that."
Her eyes trembled as she looked at him, still not fully believing it.
"I made the decision," he continued, his voice lowering slightly. "Not you."
That made her freeze.
Her breathing hitched slightly.
"You didn't take anything away from me," he said. "So don't carry that like it's yours alone."
Yuna's lips parted slightly, her voice barely a whisper. "But it was our baby…"
Ethan's expression didn't harden.
It didn't shut down.
Instead, for once, it stayed open—honest in a way that didn't hide behind control.
"I don't want a baby if it means losing you," he said.
The words were simple.
But they carried weight.
Yuna blinked, caught off guard.
"I want you," he continued. "That's what matters."
Her breath caught.
"And if life gives us another chance someday…" he added quietly, "we'll face it together."
That word—together—felt different.
Yuna stared at him, her tears slowing, her expression shifting from pain into something softer, something uncertain but real.
"You're not angry at me?" she asked, her voice small.
"No."
"You don't hate me for this?"
"No."
There was no hesitation.
No doubt.
Just truth.
Yuna's hands tightened slightly against his shirt again, but this time not out of fear—out of something else. Something warmer, something that had been buried under all the pain.
"You really… mean that?" she asked.
Ethan didn't answer with words immediately.
Instead, he reached up, gently brushing away the tears from her cheeks, his touch careful, deliberate.
"I don't say things I don't mean," he replied quietly.
That was enough.
Yuna let out a shaky breath, her head lowering slightly before she leaned forward, resting against him again—but this time, it wasn't because she was breaking.
It was because she was choosing to.
"I don't know what I would do without you…" she murmured softly.
Ethan's hand rested against her back, steady, grounding.
"You won't have to find out," he said.
The room fell quiet again, but it wasn't heavy like before.
It was softer.
Safer.
Yuna slowly pulled back, her eyes meeting his again. There was still sadness there—but it wasn't overwhelming anymore. It was shared.
And that made it lighter.
"Then… don't push me away," she said softly. "Even when I get confused… or scared…"
"I won't," Ethan replied.
"And don't hide things from me anymore."
"I won't."
She studied him for a moment longer, then gave a small nod.
This time—
She chose to believe him.
Not completely.
Not blindly.
But enough to take a step forward.
And for now—
That was everything.
As yuna kissed him, he deepened it immediately, his arms tightening around her as he pulled her flush against his muscular frame. The kiss was passionate and intense, a clear display of his feelings for her.
"Mhm... I... Love you ethan".
He broke the kiss slowly, his dark eyes softening only for you as he looked down at her flushed face. Ethan seemed completely unbothered for lying to yuna again, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. "I love you too, baby."
Yuna stayed quiet for a while after that, her fingers still lightly holding onto Ethan's shirt as if she hadn't fully decided whether to let go or not. The room felt calmer now, but not empty—there were still things left unsaid, still pieces of her past pulling at her. Slowly, she stepped back, her gaze lowering for a moment before she spoke again.
"Ethan…" she said softly.
He looked at her immediately. "What is it?"
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then she gathered herself and said, "I want to go home."
The words hung in the air.
Ethan's expression didn't change right away, but something in his eyes shifted—subtle, but clear.
"My home," Yuna added quietly, lifting her gaze to meet his. "I want to check my dad's things… there might be something there. Something I missed."
A silence followed.
Not a long one.
But heavy enough.
"No," Ethan said.
The answer was immediate.
Firm.
Final.
Yuna blinked, caught off guard. "No?"
"You're not going there," he repeated.
Her brows drew together slightly, confusion mixing with frustration. "Why not?"
"It's not safe," he replied.
Yuna shook her head faintly. "You don't know that."
"I do," Ethan said, his tone steady, leaving no room for argument.
That only made her frown deepen. "Ethan, that's my house," she said. "My father's house. I have the right to go there."
"And I'm telling you you're not going," he said again.
This time, there was a sharper edge to it.
Yuna stepped back slightly, her expression tightening. "You don't get to decide that for me."
"I do when it puts you in danger."
"And what if I'm already in danger without knowing the truth?" she shot back.
That made him pause.
But only for a second.
"Then I'll handle it," he said.
Yuna let out a small, disbelieving breath. "That's exactly the problem," she said. "You always say that. 'I'll handle it.' 'I'll take care of it.' But you never actually let me understand anything."
Ethan's jaw tightened slightly.
"You don't need to understand everything," he replied.
"I do if it's my life!" Yuna snapped.
The room tensed again.
Not like before.
This was sharper.
More direct.
Yuna took a step closer, her voice lower now but more intense. "That house… it's the only place I might find answers," she said. "About my father. About what he really did. About why everything turned out like this."
"You already know enough," Ethan said.
"No," she shook her head, her voice breaking slightly. "I know what you told me."
That landed.
Ethan didn't respond immediately.
"And I believe you," she added quickly. "I do… but I need to see it myself. I need to understand it… not just hear it."
Ethan looked at her, his expression unreadable again, but there was tension beneath it now.
"That place isn't what you remember," he said.
"I know that," Yuna replied softly. "But it's still mine."
Another silence.
Then she said, more quietly, "I need closure."
That word lingered.
Ethan's gaze shifted slightly, as if weighing something internally.
"Closure doesn't come from going back there," he said.
"Then where does it come from?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't have one.
Yuna took a slow breath, steadying herself. "I'm not asking you to come with me," she said. "I'm just asking you not to stop me."
Ethan looked at her sharply. "I am stopping you."
Her expression hardened. "Why?"
A pause.
Then—
"Because I can't guarantee what's waiting for you there," he said.
Yuna held his gaze. "And I can't keep running from it."
That—
That was the difference.
Ethan stepped closer, his voice lowering. "This isn't about running. It's about surviving."
"And I don't want to just survive anymore," she replied quietly. "I want to understand."
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Unresolved.
Ethan looked at her for a long moment, his expression conflicted in a way he rarely showed.
"You're not going alone," he said finally.
Yuna blinked. "What?"
"If you go," he continued, "I go with you."
Her eyes searched his face.
"And you follow my lead," he added. "No arguments."
Yuna hesitated.
This wasn't full freedom.
But it wasn't a complete refusal either.
"…Fine," she said softly.
Ethan nodded once.
But his expression didn't relax.
Because deep down—
He already knew.
That house wasn't just filled with memories.
It was filled with truths—
That might change everything.