Ethan finally exhaled, his fingers curling into fists as he tried to steady himself.
His heart pounded in his chest, each beat reminding him that this moment could slip through his fingers if he didn't fight for it.
"Charlotte, please... I know I messed up. I should have told you everything from the start, but I was scared. Scared that if you knew the truth, you'd walk away before I even had a chance to prove myself to you."
Charlotte sat stiffly across from him, her arms still crossed over her chest, her lips pressed into a tight line.
She refused to look at him, her gaze fixed on the floor, but Ethan could see how hard she was gripping her arm, as if trying to control herself.
"You had plenty of chances to tell me," she finally said, her tone sharp and unforgiving. "But you didn't. You let me believe lies, Ethan. Do you know how that makes me feel?"
