Held between Fear and Trust
By the time Ethan left the club, dawn was beginning to stain the horizon gray.
He returned home as the world woke.
The front door opened softly.
She was awake.
Lily stood in the corner of the hall, frozen, eyes wide with terror the moment she saw him. She retreated instinctively, back pressing against the wall, arms wrapping around herself as if expecting a blow.
Fear—raw and unfiltered.
It should have satisfied him.
It didn’t.
Ethan took a step forward.
She flinched.
In that instant, memory surged—her lies, her calculated affection, the way she had looked at him before everything fell apart. The same fear could be another act. Another performance.