AVA'S POV
I used to believe that pain had a shape, a knife, a fist, a door slamming shut.
But now I know… it sometimes comes in a whisper. A truth spoken too late. A love confessed when everything feels like it's already falling apart.
That morning, standing wrapped in Ethan's arms, I felt it all. The ache. The warmth. The bitter peace that came with hearing him finally say it, not with the word "love," but with the desperation in his voice when he said he didn't want to lose me.
I didn't push away.
Not this time.
Because the truth was, I didn't want to lose him either. Not even after everything.
Not even now.
I sat beside him on the wooden step outside the cabin. The forest around us was quiet, the sky slowly brightening from charcoal to pale grey. The fog hadn't lifted, and in some ways, neither had the weight between us.
"You still think this war is yours alone," I said quietly.
