Clara
The silence that settles after Ethan says that… it’s not just any silence. The silence between us isn’t awkward; it stopped being awkward a long time ago… but now, out of nowhere. It’s dense, heavy… and it weighs on me.
I look at him, I really look at him, into his eyes. And for the first time in a long time… I don’t just see the man I love. I see the man who wants to control everything when he feels he might lose.
I swallow. I don’t want to fight, not after everything we’ve built to get here.
“Ethan…”
My voice comes out softer than I expected.
“It’s not that simple.”
He doesn’t answer right away, he just watches me. His eyes are still filled with something I know well… insecurity, yes… but also pride.
“For me, it is,” he says finally, with a calmness that isn’t calm.
