Charlotte exhaled and nodded. “He’s right. E… it’s your call.”
Ethan finally looked at her. “Did you know about this?”
“Not this,” she said. “Not the details. But… about a year after the wedding, he came to Oli and me. He was all charm and family, andI missed you both—until he asked for money. Wanted Oli to ‘invest’ in something vague. Wouldn’t show paperwork. He just kept insisting we should trust him.”
Oliver drew her closer, his palm steady at her back.
“And when I told him no,” Charlotte continued, “he turned cold. Said if I wasn’t on his side, I wasn’t worth staying in his life. Then he cut me off.” She let out a small, disbelieving breath. “I thought I’d pushed him away. But now…”
Ethan stared at her, something clicking into place. Doubt giving way to understanding.
“He left because I wasn’t profitable,” she said softly. “That’s on him. Not us.”
Ethan’s face didn’t crumple. Didn’t shatter. But something behind his eyes gave. He dragged a hand over his mouth, exhaling a shaky breath. “So that’s it, then. The money’s gone.” His eyes finally found mine. “Right?”
I reached out, brushing my thumb over the back of his hand. “It is. But he doesn’t have to get away with it. You don’t owe him silence.”
He nodded once. “I need a little time,” he said, voice steady despite everything crashing inside him. “To process.” His fingers tightened around mine. “But thank you. For not letting him blindside me. Again.”
Always, I wanted to say. Instead, I just bowed my head.
Oliver squeezed his shoulder. Charlotte leaned into him. Henry didn’t speak but moved in closer.
Our little world closed ranks around him.
Because whatever he chose?—
We were already on his side.
Time passed without any of us moving, just breathing together and letting the weight of it settle. Eventually, people began to peel away—Charlotte following a nurse for paperwork, Oliver stepping aside to talk to a doctor, Henry disappearing with Vivian to check on my father’s new room.
And then it was just us, standing side by side.
“Does my mom know?” Ethan asked after a while.
I shook my head. “Oli was the only one who knew. And I only found out a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t tell you because… well.” I huffed softly. “You know why.”
His arms were crossed, but he wasn’t closed off. His body angled toward me, leaning in without actually touching.
Then his hands dragged over his face. “Fuck—it’s been a week, hasn’t it?”
“It has.” I watched him carefully. “Do you want to go back to the apartment?”
He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, staring past me for a moment. “No, but…” His eyes finally met mine. “I think I should go, Ash. Back to Madrid.”
My chest deflated a little, but he was right. Our father was stable, and Ethan didn’t have to stand here avoidinghisfather if he didn’t want to.
“End of semester’s coming up,” he went on. “Exams. I’ve already missed enough. And I need to get back to work.” A breath slipped out of him. “I can’t afford to fall behind right now.”
“I’ll get the plane ready,” I said automatically. “Drive you to the airport.”
That earned me a look. “No private jet rescue mission, Mr. Langley.” The corner of his mouth lifted. “I’ll fly commercial tomorrow night.”
I caught his hand before he could drop it. “Can I at least book that?”
He squeezed my fingers once, shaking his head, his lips pressed together with an amused tilt. “And just so you know, I also have to go to the bank and figure out a loan for next semester… and I don’t want your input on that either.”
I forced myself not to slip back into the role I knew too well. “That’s… fine by me.” I exhaled through my nose, swallowing the instinct to argue. “I love watching you voluntarily sign up for unnecessary interest rates.”
