Rafael points his thumb over his shoulder. “He just bolted.”
Bolted?I glance at the doors, watching Ethan pull them open and disappear behind them. My heart sinks as I push through the crowd, the sound of murmured conversations and shuffling papers blurring into the background.
“Ethan, wait!” I call after him as I walk out of the courtroom, but he doesn’t stop. I catch up to him just as he’s pushing through the courthouse doors and out onto the front steps.
He spins around to face me, his face flushed with anger and a crazed look in his eyes. “You promised me, Scarlett,” he spits out. “You said you’d get custody. You said everything would be fine. But you had to go after a killer, and read those stupid books, and—and date Rafael!”
I flinch, feeling a sting deep in my chest. “Ethan, I didn’t—”
“Stop, okay? Just stop giving mehope!” he shouts, cutting me off. “These weeks—I could finally breathe, Scarlett. I could see the light at the end of this never-ending tunnel. And now—what, am I supposed to just go back? To go toVirginiaand never see you again?”
“No, of course not. Ethan, this is just… a hiccup. Okay? Steve will fix everything, and you’ll get to talk to the court, too. It’ll be fine, I promise.”
“Stop promising things!” Passersby turn to us, but he doesn’t seem to care. “You act like you can fix everything, but you can’t! You couldn’t do anything last time, and you can’t help me now either.”
“Ethan, please, just listen—”
“No! Why did we even do this? Why?” He shoves me back, and I stumble, nearly losing my balance.
Before I can react, Rafael is there, stepping between us, his face a mask of cold fury. “Donot,” he growls, his voice low as his face nears my brother’s, “raise a hand against your sister.”
“Rafael, stop!” I grab his arm, pulling him back. “Everything’s okay.”
Ethan glares at him, his fists clenched, then he looks at me with an expression so hateful I barely recognize him. “I hate you,” he says, and it’s like a knife twisting in my heart. “Iknewthis was a mistake!”
Then he’s gone, running down the courthouse steps and disappearing into the crowd.
the third-act conflict[trope]
the moment when all hope is lost and our protagonists find themselves in a sea of existential dread and overly dramatic internal monologues; not beloved by readers, yet this story needed it.yes, it did! because I said so!
Rafael’s car slices through the quiet streets, the engine a low hum beneath the tension that fills the space between us. The streetlights blur past the windows, but I barely notice them, my mind too caught up in everything that’s happened. I keep scanning the sidewalks, the parks, anywhere Ethan might have run to. He can’t have gone far without a car.
Rafael glances at me, his eyes full of concern. “How are you holding up?”
I exhale, trying to collect myself. How can I possibly feel? The case isn’t looking great, my brother hates me, and now he’s run away. “All of this, it’s because…” I trail off.
“Because he’s a dramatic teenager drunk on hormones?”
I tilt my head back against the headrest.
“Because of me,” Rafael says.
“No, Rafael. This isn’t on you.” I glance out the window, watching the world blur by, the streets empty. “It’s because of me. I went after a murderer. I didn’t tell Steve a word about your existence. All me.”
He grips the steering wheel a little tighter, his knuckles turning white. “Ethan is just scared. But he loves you, and he knows none of this is your fault.”
His words fall flat, bouncing off the wall of guilt that’s built up inside me. “But the way he looked at me, Rafael. He was so disappointed, so hurt. And he’s right to be. I ruined everything.”
I see a flicker of pain cross his face, but he doesn’t look away from the road. “You ruined nothing. You’ll win the case. It’ll be fine.”
I close my eyes, replaying the scene outside the courthouse in my mind, wanting to jump into my memories and change them. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
He glances at me. “Hm?”
“When you stepped between us. What you said to him. That was a mistake.”
His jaw tightens. “He pushed you. I won’t stand by and let anyone put their hands on you.”
