81| Reaching Out for Love

Ethan woke up in one of the spare rooms in David's massive penthouse, blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the curtains.

His head ached—not from alcohol, not from exhaustion, but from the restless nights that refused to grant him peace.

Sleep had become a stranger.

And when it did come, it tormented him with nightmares.

Sophie in pain.

Sophie hurt because of him.

Each time he closed his eyes, he was back there, reliving the moment he saw her wounded, saw the bruises marring her skin. And each time, it tore him apart all over again.

The past few weeks of isolation had forced Ethan to confront the emotions he had spent years burying—the ones he had shoved so far down, he thought they had disappeared.

But they hadn't.

They were all still there.

His fear of being vulnerable.

His desperate need for control.

His deep-seated belief that he wasn't worthy of love.

And Sophie...

God, he missed her.

Every single day without her felt like a lifetime.

Her laughter. Her smile. The way her eyes lit up when she spoke about something she loved. Her warmth.

She haunted him.

And yet, he had still stayed away.

Not because he wanted to.

But because he was a coward.

Because telling her the truth meant facing it himself.

But now, he saw how foolish he had been.

Love wasn't about holding back.

Love was about giving everything.

David—of all people—had been the one to suggest therapy. Gently, like he had known Ethan would resist.

And resist he had.

Therapy had felt foreign. Talking about feelings? Opening up? That wasn't something the Sinclair men did.

Feelings had been a weakness in his family.

But when he finally sat down, when he finally let himself talk...

It had been freeing.

For the first time, he saw things clearly.

And now—today—he was ready.

Ready to fight for her.

To be the man she deserved.

Today, he would tell her everything.

All the words he had swallowed down, all the feelings he had locked away—he would lay them bare.

He dressed quickly, grabbed his car keys, and drove straight to her flower shop.

He had promised Sophie that he would come back for her.

And he would not be the kind of man who broke his promises.

When he pulled up outside, he saw her through the shop window.

She was standing behind the counter, arranging flowers, her hands moving with the careful precision he had always admired.

She looked so at home among the blooms, as if the world outside couldn't touch her here.

And for the first time in weeks, joy bloomed in his chest.

She was beautiful.

Even more than he remembered.

His breath caught, and for a moment, he just stood there, watching her.

Drinking her in.

Loving her from a distance—but not for much longer.

He stepped inside, the bell above the door tinkling softly.

Sophie looked up.

The moment she saw him, her eyes widened in surprise.

And then—relief.

For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.

Then, as if drawn by an invisible force, Ethan closed the distance between them.

Without hesitation, he reached for her hand, his fingers wrapping around hers.

Just getting to hold her again felt like a blessing.

"You're here," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "You're really here."

Ethan swallowed hard, his grip tightening around her hand.

"I'm here," he said, his voice thick with feeling. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Sophie searched his eyes, her own filled with quiet hope. "Is everything settled now?"

Ethan nodded. But instead of answering, he leaned in—

Almost as if he had forgotten what it felt like to have her lips against his.

His mouth found hers, and he took his time to savor it.

It was desperate and tender, fierce and gentle, all at once.

How could he possibly tell her?

How much he had longed for her.

How she was everything.

How she was his light.

Sophie melted into him, her hands finding their way to the back of his neck, pulling him closer, closer, closer.

The world outside ceased to exist.

There was only her.

Only them.

And when they finally broke apart, both breathless, Ethan rested his forehead against hers, his hands still cradling her face.

"I've missed you so much," he confessed, his voice raw and unsteady. "Every single day, all I could think about was you. I'm so sorry, Sophie. For pushing you away. For making you feel like you didn't mean everything to me."

Sophie's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but she smiled—soft, forgiving, full of love.

"I've missed you too, Ethan," she whispered. "More than you know."

His breath hitched.

"I've been so scared," he admitted, voice barely more than a whisper. "Scared that I'd hurt you. That I'd disappoint you. But being without you... that's the worst pain I've ever felt."

Sophie lifted a hand, her thumb brushing tenderly against his cheek.

"You're here now," she said softly. "And you don't know what that means to me."

Ethan inhaled deeply, like he was breathing her in, letting the weight of everything he had been carrying fall away.

"I want to be better," he murmured. "For you."

Sophie shook her head, her own heart aching with the same hope, the same love.

"Then just be here," she whispered, her voice sure, steady. "With me."

Ethan didn't need any more words.

He kissed her again, slower this time, softer. As if they were sealing an unspoken promise.

The scent of flowers surrounded them, sunlight streaming through the windows, painting them in warm, golden light.

And in that moment, nothing else existed.

Because when he was with her, he knew.

God, he knew.

She was the only one for him.

And for now—

This was enough.

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