Love and challenges

The letter was still there.

Sitting on his desk, untouched since the night he read it.

Ethan had chosen not to respond. He had chosen Clara. He had chosen to move forward.

But somehow, the weight of those words still lingered.

I never stopped loving you.

If that were true, then why did she disappear?

Why did she leave him in the dark for so long?

Ethan shook his head, forcing himself to focus. It didn't matter anymore. Sophia was his past. Clara was his present.

And he was going to make this work.

But the past had a way of never truly staying buried.

---

The Call That Changed Everything

It had been weeks since Ethan and Clara had officially become something more.

Their late-night conversations, their quiet walks by the lake—everything felt natural in a way that love never had before.

For the first time, Ethan felt secure.

Until the phone rang.

Clara picked up, her expression shifting as she listened. "Wait—what?"

Ethan frowned, watching her face pale.

"…Are you sure?" Clara whispered. "…Okay. Thank you."

She hung up slowly, gripping the phone tightly.

Ethan stepped closer. "Clara? What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, hesitation flickering in her eyes.

"That was my friend in the city. She—she just saw Sophia."

Ethan's stomach tightened. "…And?"

Clara swallowed. "She wasn't alone."

Ethan didn't want to ask.

But he had to.

"Who was she with?"

Clara hesitated. "William Alden."

The composer. The man from the press conference.

Sophia's mentor.

Or was he something more?

Ethan's hands clenched at his sides. Why should he care?

He had chosen to move on.

Hadn't he?

---

Unfinished Business

Clara could see it.

The conflict in his eyes. The hesitation in his voice.

She had known it wouldn't be easy.

She had known that Sophia was a scar, not just a memory.

But she needed to know the truth.

"Do you want to go to her?" Clara asked, voice steady.

Ethan looked at her sharply. "What? No. I told you, I'm done with—"

"I don't mean because you still love her," Clara interrupted gently. "I mean… do you need closure?"

Ethan opened his mouth.

But he had no answer.

Because deep down, Clara was right.

There was something unfinished between him and Sophia.

And until it was resolved, he would never truly be free.

---

A Meeting with the Past

It wasn't hard to find Sophia.

The city was buzzing with news of her upcoming concert, the one she would perform alongside William Alden.

Ethan didn't buy a ticket. He didn't need to.

He waited outside the venue, standing near the entrance where he knew she would have to pass.

And then—there she was.

Sophia.

She looked different. Not in the way that time changes people, but in a way that made Ethan wonder if she had ever been truly happy at all.

Her eyes weren't the same bright, hopeful ones he had once loved.

They were guarded. Careful.

Like she had built walls around herself just as high as his own.

And when their gazes met—

Sophia froze.

"…Ethan?"

Her voice was soft, almost disbelieving.

Ethan nodded. "It's me."

She took a shaky breath. "…What are you doing here?"

Ethan hesitated. What was he doing here?

Finally, he said, "I needed to know."

Sophia's lips parted slightly. "Know what?"

He met her gaze.

"If you were happy."

For a moment, she looked away.

Then she laughed—a hollow, empty sound.

"I have everything I ever wanted, Ethan," she said. "I should be happy."

Ethan didn't miss the way she said should.

And suddenly, he understood.

Sophia had made a choice—just like he had.

But that didn't mean it hadn't cost her something.

Just like it had cost him.

And in that moment, for the first time since she left—Ethan wasn't angry anymore.

---

Letting Go

Sophia looked at him for a long time.

Then, finally, she whispered, "Do you hate me?"

Ethan exhaled.

"No," he admitted. "I don't."

Sophia swallowed hard. "I thought… I thought if I let go, you'd be okay. That you'd move on."

Ethan shook his head. "You don't get to decide what's best for me, Sophia."

She nodded slowly. "I know. I just… I was scared."

There it was. The truth.

Sophia hadn't left because she stopped loving him.

She left because she was afraid—of holding him back, of losing herself, of never becoming the person she wanted to be.

And maybe Ethan had always known that.

Maybe that was why it hurt so much.

Because if she had asked—if she had just told him the truth—he would have let her go.

But she had made the choice for him.

And that was what had broken him.

But not anymore.

Ethan took a deep breath, finally feeling the weight lift.

"I forgive you."

Sophia's breath hitched.

And for the first time in years, she looked like she might break.

But Ethan didn't stay to watch.

He turned around.

And walked away.

---

A Future Worth Fighting For

When Ethan returned home, Clara was waiting.

She stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the city lights.

Ethan swallowed. "Clara…"

She turned, searching his face for answers.

And when she saw them—when she saw the peace in his eyes—her shoulders relaxed.

"She's not coming back, is she?" Clara asked softly.

Ethan shook his head. "No."

Clara took a slow step forward. "And you're okay with that?"

Ethan let out a breath.

"Yes."

For the first time, it was the truth.

Clara studied him for a long moment.

Then, finally, she smiled.

"Good."

And just like that—

Ethan knew.

This was where he belonged.

Not in the past.

Not in regret.

But here.

With Clara.

With a future that was his own to write.

And this time—he wouldn't waste it.

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