30| A Jealous Heart

Ethan left work early. He needed to see Sophie.

He needed to talk to her.

So he drove to the shop, hoping—praying—she would agree to listen.

His conversation with David had made him realize just how senseless he had been. He had always thought he understood things, that he saw the world clearly, that he had control. But when it came to her, he had been blind.

Opening up to Sophie?

It was terrifying.

Because it meant she would see him. The real him—not the version the world believed in, the version people thought was cool and composed. He wasn't. Not really.

And he certainly wasn't beautiful inside.

Opening up meant allowing himself to be judged, to be rejected for who he truly was. It meant the possibility that Sophie wouldn't love him once she saw him.

And he didn't know how he felt about that.

But the least he could do was try.

If Sophie had been trying—if she had always been trying—then why shouldn't he?

Maybe he could try, too. Maybe he could finally let himself fall.

Because he cared about her. More than he had ever admitted, even to himself.

And maybe keeping that to himself had been the stupidest thing he had ever done.

As he drove toward the shop, the road felt unusually long, stretching endlessly before him.

The sun was setting, casting the sky in shades of orange and pink, the kind of beauty Sophie would appreciate.

His heartbeat echoed in the quiet car, thundering in his ears—a mix of nerves, hesitation, and something dangerously close to hope.

He was really doing this.

When he finally pulled up outside the shop, his eyes immediately found her through the large window. She stood near the counter, deep in conversation, her expression open, light.

Relief washed over him. She was smiling. That was good, right? That meant she wasn't too upset. He could apologize, they could talk, they could move past this.

He assumed it was Lily at first—they were always talking, so much so that sometimes he could barely keep up.

But then he saw who she was talking to.

And something in him stilled.

Lucas.

Come on, Ethan. It's just Lucas.

He was harmless, wasn't he? That's what Sophie and Lily had always said.

But if he was harmless, then why was she smiling like that?

Come on, Ethan. Sophie smiles like that at everyone.

She was beautiful, kind—easy to love. It made sense that people gravitated toward her.

That she would have admirers.

And of course, men like Lucas would notice.

But knowing that didn't make it any easier to watch.

Lucas was standing too close, his body leaning toward hers, his entire focus locked on her.

And Sophie wasn't pulling away.

Something cold settled in Ethan's stomach.

Come on, Ethan. You came here to talk to her.

But then—

Her voice echoed in his mind.

"I really thought we were getting somewhere, Ethan."

The way she had looked at him. The way her voice had wavered. The way she had sounded so defeated.

"But maybe I was just lying to myself."

His grip tightened on the wheel.

She only said that because she was upset. She didn't mean it.

But then—

She had also said she didn't trust him.

Right.

She didn't trust him.

As if that wasn't already tearing him apart, he suddenly heard her laugh.

It was the kind of laugh that came so easily to her—the one that made her whole face light up.

She threw her head back, eyes shining with amusement, completely at ease with Lucas.

Ethan knew that laugh.

It had once made him feel like the luckiest man alive.

But hearing it because of someone else?

It felt like a punch to the gut.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel, jaw clenching..

And then, like some cruel joke, a memory surfaced.

A photo.

Sophie and Lucas at prom.

Lily had shown it to him once, offhandedly.

Sophie, glowing in a beautiful dress. Lucas beside her, looking proud to have her on his arm.

Back then, it hadn't meant anything.

It shouldn't mean anything now.

But it did.

Because that was right after she had confessed to him.

And right after he had turned her down.

God.

Why had he never seen it before?

Why had he convinced himself she would wait for him?

She had moved on.

Of course she had.

Why the hell would she wait around for someone like him?

Someone who had pushed her away, someone who had never told her what she meant to him, someone who had never let himself love her the way she deserved.

Her laughter rang out again, light and unburdened.

And this time, it didn't warm his heart.

No—

This time, it was a dagger straight through his ribs.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened, jaw clenching as something dark curled in his chest.

Was it jealousy?

Was it anger?

Or was he just devastated that he wasn't the one beside her anymore?

Come on, Ethan. Go to her.

Come on, Ethan. Go to her.

He wanted to. Desperately. He wanted to push open the car door, walk inside, and just talk to her.

But then he imagined it—imagined stepping into the shop, imagined her smile faltering the moment she saw him.

Would she even want to see him? Or would she look at him with indifference, or worse—annoyance?

And just like that, another image flickered through his mind.

His father's face.

That disgusted look, the one he had perfected over the years. The one that said you're a disappointment, you're not enough.

What if Sophie saw him that way?

What if she turned him down and told him she didn't want to hear what he had to say?

Ethan had endured a lot of things in his life—brutal expectations, long nights of being pushed to his limits, the feeling of never being enough no matter how hard he worked.

But this?

Being rejected by Sophie?

That, he knew, he wouldn't survive.

Maybe, just maybe, he could bet on her kindness.

Maybe she would turn him down gently.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt as much if she let him down easy.

But then—

He saw what he wished he never had.

One moment, Lucas opened his arms.

The next, Sophie stepped into them.

Ethan froze.

Were they hugging?

Something in his chest tightened. They were friends. He had no right to be upset.

He couldn't control her.

But his mind wouldn't listen to reason.

Then—Lucas lifted her easily, spinning her playfully.

And she laughed. Warm. Unburdened.

The sound of it—the sight of it—

Something inside Ethan snapped.

His Sophie.

His wife.

In another man's arms.

His body moved on instinct.

Before he knew it, he had gotten out of the car, his strides long, determined—

Ready to give Lucas a piece of his mind.

He was going to rip Lucas away from her.

He was going to remind him exactly who Sophie belonged to.

He was going to—

Ethan, you can't be your father.

The thought slammed into him like a brick wall, knocking the breath from his lungs.

His feet halted mid-step, his pulse hammering in his ears.

If he walked in there now, if he let himself lose control, if he scared Sophie or made a scene in her shop—

He would never forgive himself.

His breath came out sharp and uneven as he forced himself to stop.

Slowly, stiffly, he turned back, his movements jerky with restraint.

He climbed into the car, gripping the steering wheel like it was the only thing holding him together.

Right now, he couldn't see her.

Couldn't watch this play out any longer.

His fingers trembled slightly as he shifted gears, turned the car around, and drove away.

He told himself it was the right thing to do.

That if she was happy, then he had no right to take that from her.

That if she had moved on, then he needed to let her go.

But his anger remained.

His frustration boiled.

And worst of all, that ache in his chest—the one that had been growing for weeks—

It was unbearable now.

A pain he didn't know how to name.

A pain he had never felt before.

Was this what heartbreak felt like?

Damn it, Sophie.

*******

By the time he reached his office, the building was nearly empty.

The silence should have been calming, should have helped him clear his head.

But it only made his thoughts louder.

He tried to drown them out with work.

He stared at spreadsheets, at reports, at numbers that should have been simple, predictable.

But the only thing he could think about was Sophie.

Would she haunt him for the rest of his life?

Maybe his father had been right all along.

Emotions were useless. They only got in the way.

But no matter how hard he tried to shove them down, Sophie's face wouldn't leave his mind.

And the worst part?

He had been the one who pushed her away.

He had been the one who failed to give her what she needed.

He was supposed to make Sophie happy.

Instead, he had done the opposite.

And now—

Now, he was paying the price.

And it was a very hefty price.-------

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