Sweet Vengeances
Chapter 34: A Choice to Make

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: A Choice to Make

Sitting beside the window, Lily absently traced the rim of her wine glass with her fingertips. Outside, dusk had set in, the amber glow of the waning sun disappearing behind New York’s towering skyscrapers. The city was still alive, and the streets below throbbed with its vitality. However, Lily felt more alone in her flat than she had previously. After the tumult, retaliation, and loss of the previous few months had subsided, she was left to deal with the ensuing silence.

Her mind drifted to Ethan. Together, they had made significant progress in their mutual quest for justice as well as in their complex and frequently perplexing relationship. But she worried where they stood now that it was all over. Every step of the way, Ethan had supported her. She couldn’t help but question whether the fact that he had been there for her when she needed him most was sufficient. Could they use the ruins of their pasts to create something more significant? Or did their relationship develop naturally as a result of their shared suffering and retaliation?

She couldn’t get the question out of her head.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her phone buzzed on the table next to her. She looked at the screen and saw Ethan Blake’s name flashing over it. A beat skipped across her heart. Since their chat earlier in the week, he hadn’t given me a call. She thought he had something he wanted to say based on the tone of his voice, but he hadn’t. Perhaps he would finally say what she had been waiting for tonight.

She answered the phone with a little tremor in her fingertips. "Ethan?"

"Lily," he said steadily and calmly over the phone. "This evening, are you free?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "I am right now. What’s going on?

Ethan’s tone was sharp as he replied, "I need to talk to you." "In person. Are you able to meet me?

Although Lily was intrigued, she made an effort to speak informally. "Obviously. Where?

"Come to the park with me. The one close to your home. In twenty minutes, I will arrive there.

The line died before she could ask any further inquiries. A knot of uneasiness formed in Lily’s stomach as she gazed at the phone for a while. It was the most serious sound Ethan had ever made. She picked up her jacket off the chair’s back and put it on as she stood up. As she headed for the door, her mind was racing. How could it be so urgent? And why now, in light of all that had transpired?

The question that had been bothering her kept coming back to her as she made her way to the park: What did this mean for her and Ethan? Did they have a deeper connection? Or had they just been unable to leave the gloom they had wrought, chained together by the shadows of the past?

As she got closer to the park, the cool evening air felt good against her skin. Because of the trees lining the streets, the sounds of the city were muffled, making the streets quieter than usual. He was standing beside a bench, his form silhouetted against the fading light, as she arrived at the little clearing where they had decided to meet.

Lily hesitated for a second as Ethan turned away from her. She pondered his thoughts and the words he was about to utter. He turned, though, and when their gazes locked, she was astounded to see a look of both resolution and uncertainty.

"Ethan," she whispered quietly as she moved in his direction.

Although it didn’t quite reach his eyes, he grinned. "Thank you for coming, Lily."

"What’s happening?" Her question had a hint of worry in it.

Ethan gestured for her to take a seat on the bench beside him. "I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I need to share it with you."

Lily took a seat with her hands firmly clutched in her lap. Something important was about to shift, and she couldn’t get rid of the feeling. She waited for Ethan to continue, keeping a close eye on him.

His voice was low as he started, "I’ve been thinking a lot about us." "Roughly everything that took place. And I’m not just talking about Kane, the retaliation, or anything else like that. Lily, I mean us.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked him in the face. "What do you mean?"

His eyes met hers with such intensity that she gasped as he replied, "I mean that I’ve been hiding from the truth." "Because I’ve had feelings for you for a long time."

That moment seemed to freeze Lily’s entire world. The words lingered between them, weighty and indisputable. Everything inside of her went silent, including her ability to breathe and think. Love? Was she the object of Ethan’s love? The possibility that this complex, broken relationship could develop into something like this was unthinkable to her.

With a calmer tone, Ethan added, "I know it’s complicated." "I am aware of what we have experienced. But, Lily, I can’t deny it any longer. I’m in love with you.

Lily’s thoughts were racing as she gazed at him. He had always loved her, the man who had supported her during her darkest hours, the one who had assisted her in getting her retribution. She then became aware that, although she had never permitted herself to admit it, the same emotions had also been subtly growing inside of her.

"I’m at a loss for words," she said, her throat constricted. "There is so much to this. I no longer even recognize myself.

For the first time, Lily felt a connection with Ethan that wasn’t based on retaliation, pain, or rage as he reached out and lightly touched her hand. It was genuine, exposed, and unvarnished. "At this moment, you are not required to speak. But I had to let you know. I wanted to let you know that I’m always here. If you would like me to be.

His comments caused Lily’s heart to ache, so she swallowed hard. "Ethan."

Seeing her uncertainty, he replied hastily, "You don’t have to decide anything tonight." "I simply had to tell you the truth."

The night air enveloped them like a blanket, and they were silent. Between the allure of her past and the possibility of a future she hadn’t yet permitted herself to envision, Lily’s thoughts were racing. She had spent so much time seeking retribution and avenging those who had harmed her. But now that the threat had passed and the rage was gradually subsiding, she had to confront herself and the decisions that awaited her.

Her voice trembled a little as she replied, "I don’t know what comes next." But I am aware of one thing. I no longer desire to run.

With his thumb grazing her hand, Ethan nodded gently as his gaze softened. "I don’t either."

They both realized something very important in that instant, amid the uncertainty and the shadows of their pasts: they were prepared to face whatever lay ahead together.

Lily was aware that she was no longer alone, but she was unsure of what the next course of action would be. And that felt like enough for the first time in a long time.