The garden fell completely silent after Ethan's words.
"I heard everything."
The cold night air moved softly through the trees while nobody spoke for several long seconds.
Yuna stood near the tea table, her heart beating nervously while looking between Ethan and his father. Ethan's mother remained beside the doorway quietly, worry visible in her gentle eyes.
Meanwhile Ethan stood still beneath the warm lights of the mansion entrance.
Unreadable.
Dangerously unreadable.
His father slowly placed the teacup down before looking directly at his son.
"I should have told you the truth years ago."
Ethan's jaw tightened faintly.
"Yes," he answered quietly. "You should have."
The pain beneath his calm voice hurt more than shouting ever could.
Yuna looked toward him carefully.
For the first time tonight, Ethan didn't look angry.
He looked exhausted.
Like twenty years of hatred suddenly lost direction all at once.
The older man sighed quietly before standing from the chair.
"When you ran away that day," he said softly, "I searched the entire city for you myself."
Ethan's eyes flickered slightly.
"But you never explained anything to me."
"You wouldn't listen," his father answered honestly. "You were terrified."
Silence.
Yuna slowly moved closer toward Ethan carefully, wanting to hold his hand but unsure if he needed space instead.
Then Ethan finally asked quietly—
"If everything was a misunderstanding…"
His voice almost sounded bitter now.
"…then why did you always treat mother badly?"
The question immediately changed the atmosphere again.
Ethan's father blinked slightly in surprise.
Then unexpectedly—
He looked confused.
"Badly?"
Ethan's expression darkened faintly. "You fought constantly."
His father sighed tiredly and rubbed his forehead briefly.
"That woman refuses to take her medicine."
Yuna blinked softly.
Ethan frowned immediately. "What?"
His mother suddenly looked mildly embarrassed now.
"I told you before not to mention that."
"You nearly collapsed twice this month," his father replied immediately. "Of course I'll mention it."
Yuna looked between them in confusion.
Ethan's mother sighed softly before finally speaking herself.
"Your father gets angry because I skip my treatment sometimes."
Ethan stared at her silently.
She smiled weakly. "The medicine makes me sleepy all day."
"So you stop taking it?" Ethan's father sounded irritated instantly again. "And then your blood pressure becomes unstable."
Yuna's eyes widened slightly.
This…
This sounded less like hatred—
And more like an exhausted husband worrying badly.
Ethan looked completely stunned now.
His mother stepped closer toward him gently.
"What your father said is true, Ethan."
Silence filled the garden.
"You never stayed long enough to hear us properly," she continued softly. "Whenever we argued, you walked away before listening."
Ethan looked down slightly.
Yuna could almost see the confusion inside him now.
Years.
Years of anger built from half-seen memories and misunderstood moments.
The older man looked at his son quietly before speaking again.
"I know I failed in many ways." His voice lowered. "But I never hated this family."
Ethan stayed silent.
Then his father added more quietly—
"You were just too hurt to see anything except the worst parts of me."
The words landed heavily between them.
Yuna slowly moved beside Ethan then and gently held his hand.
His fingers were cold.
Tense.
He looked toward her briefly.
And suddenly—
For the first time since hearing the truth—
The anger inside his eyes finally cracked slightly.
Yuna squeezed his hand softly.
"It's okay," she whispered.
Ethan laughed quietly under his breath then, but it sounded broken more than amused.
"No," he murmured. "It's not."
Everyone stayed silent while Ethan slowly looked between his parents again.
His mother.
His father.
The home he abandoned emotionally years ago.
Then finally he whispered quietly—
"So all this time…"
His voice lowered painfully.
"…it was my misunderstanding."
The sentence hurt Yuna's heart immediately.
Because Ethan truly believed he spent twenty years hating a monster.
Only to discover reality had been far more complicated.
His father sighed quietly. "Not completely."
Ethan looked toward him again.
"I was still a terrible father sometimes."
Silence.
"I taught you fear before trust." The older man's eyes darkened slightly with regret. "And that was my failure."
Yuna noticed Ethan's breathing slow slightly hearing those words.
No denial.
No excuses.
Just honesty.
Then unexpectedly—
Ethan lowered his head slightly.
A movement so small yet so shocking that even his father looked surprised.
"I'm sorry."
The words came quietly.
Raw.
Real.
Ethan rarely apologized.
Almost never.
Yet now he stood there in the garden beneath the dim lights apologizing to the family he pushed away for years.
"I judged all of you without listening," he murmured quietly. "I left this house emotionally a long time ago."
His mother's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Ethan…"
"I'm sorry," he repeated softly.
Then before anyone expected it, his mother suddenly walked forward and hugged him tightly.
Yuna's chest warmed instantly at the sight.
Ethan froze slightly at first—
Then slowly hugged her back.
And suddenly he didn't look like the terrifying Ethan Devereaux anymore.
He just looked like someone's son.
Someone who spent years carrying pain he didn't fully understand.
His mother gently touched his face afterward, smiling emotionally through tears.
"You finally came home properly."
Ethan closed his eyes briefly hearing that.
Meanwhile his father quietly looked away for a second, almost hiding emotion himself.
Yuna noticed it immediately.
This family truly loved each other.
They were simply terrible at expressing it.
Very terrible.
After a few moments Ethan finally stepped back slightly and wiped his face subtly before looking annoyed.
His mother smiled knowingly. "Were you crying?"
"No."
"You definitely were."
"I wasn't."
Yuna immediately laughed softly beside them. "He's been emotionally constipated since childhood."
Ethan looked at her flatly. "Traitor."
His mother laughed warmly hearing that.
Even his father smiled faintly for the first time tonight.
The tension slowly disappeared afterward.
The heavy darkness hanging over the mansion for years finally seemed lighter somehow.
Eventually they all moved inside together.
The large living room felt warmer now, softer somehow beneath the golden lights. Servants quietly prepared dinner while Ethan actually sat beside his parents instead of standing coldly at a distance.
Yuna watched him carefully.
He still looked overwhelmed.
Quiet.
Like his mind was trying to rearrange twenty years of memories all at once.
Then suddenly Ethan's father looked toward Yuna seriously.
"You changed him."
Yuna blinked softly.
The older man continued quietly—
"He became like himself again because of you."
Ethan immediately looked mildly uncomfortable. "Father."
"No," his father said calmly. "It's true."
Yuna looked toward Ethan slowly.
The powerful feared man sitting beside her now looked nothing like the cold emotionless person she first met years ago.
Now he laughed sometimes.
Smiled more.
Protected people because he cared, not only because of control.
And most importantly—
He finally allowed himself to love.
His father continued softly—
"Before you, he only lived for revenge and work."
Silence filled the room quietly.
"But now he looks alive again."
Yuna's chest tightened emotionally hearing that.
She slowly looked toward Ethan again.
And Ethan looked back at her silently.
No walls.
No coldness.
Just something warm and terrifyingly real between them now.
Then quietly—
Almost shyly for once—
Ethan reached for her hand beneath the table and intertwined their fingers together.
Yuna smiled softly immediately.
And for the first time in many years—
The Devereaux mansion finally felt like a home again.
The warm atmosphere inside the mansion continued growing softer after dinner. For the first time in years, laughter echoed naturally through the Devereaux house instead of silence and tension.
Yuna sat beside Ethan on the large couch while his mother kept smiling at them both nonstop.
She looked genuinely happy.
Meanwhile Ethan still looked slightly uncomfortable from all the emotional conversations tonight, though his hand never left Yuna's.
Then suddenly Ethan's father placed his teacup down and looked toward them seriously.
"Well," he said calmly, "since everything is finally solved…"
Ethan immediately narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why do you sound dangerous?"
His father ignored him completely before looking toward Yuna warmly.
"Yuna."
She blinked softly. "Yes?"
"I would like you to become my daughter-in-law officially."
Yuna's cheeks instantly warmed.
Beside her Ethan stayed silent, but his fingers tightened slightly around hers.
His mother immediately nodded happily. "I agree completely."
Then she smiled at Yuna lovingly. "You're already family to us."
Yuna honestly didn't know how to react anymore tonight.
Too many emotions.
Too many things changing at once.
She looked toward Ethan helplessly. "Your parents are planning our wedding already."
Ethan answered calmly, "That was inevitable."
Before Yuna could reply—
A loud familiar voice suddenly echoed from the mansion entrance.
"Marriage without asking me first? Impossible!"
Everyone immediately turned toward the doorway.
Yuna's eyes widened instantly.
"Luca?!"
Her brother stood there dramatically with his arms crossed while Elena stood beside him laughing brightly. Behind them were Elena's parents and a few familiar faces from their circle.
The atmosphere instantly became louder.
Warmer.
Alive.
Luca immediately walked inside and looked directly at Ethan suspiciously.
"You're stealing my sister legally now?"
Ethan answered calmly, "Yes."
"That's all you have to say?!"
"Yes."
Yuna burst into laughter while Elena immediately ran toward her and hugged her tightly.
"Oh my god congratulations!"
Yuna smiled brightly. "How did you know?"
"Elena told us," Luca answered while glaring at Ethan again. "This psychopath announced marriage publicly before informing the family."
Ethan looked unbothered. "Efficient."
"That's not efficient that's insane."
Even Ethan's father laughed quietly hearing that.
Then Elena suddenly looked dramatically emotional while sitting beside Yuna.
"I knew it," she declared proudly.
Yuna blinked. "Knew what?"
Elena pointed directly at Ethan. "That this man has been obsessed with you from the beginning."
Ethan sighed quietly. "Please stop talking."
"No!" Elena laughed loudly. "Do you know how obvious you were?"
Yuna immediately turned toward Ethan with interest. "Obvious?"
Ethan looked mildly annoyed now.
Elena continued happily anyway. "In college he literally acted like every guy near you committed a crime."
Luca immediately nodded. "True. He looked ready to kill people."
"I was not."
"You punched someone because he called Yuna pretty," Elena exposed instantly.
Yuna's jaw dropped while slowly turning toward Ethan again.
"…You did what?"
"He annoyed me."
Everyone burst into laughter except Ethan.
Even his mother looked shocked. "Ethan Devereaux jealous during college?"
Ethan stood up immediately. "I'm leaving."
"No sit down!" Elena laughed while grabbing his sleeve dramatically.
Then suddenly Elena looked toward Yuna mischievously.
"Actually…"
Yuna immediately looked suspicious. "What?"
Elena slowly turned toward Luca beside her.
"Does Yuna want to know who her boyfriend is?"
The room instantly became quiet for one second.
Then everyone slowly looked toward Luca.
Luca nearly choked. "ELENA."
Yuna's eyes widened completely. "Wait WHAT?"
Elena looked unbelievably proud of herself now.
Ethan sat back down immediately.
Interested.
Very interested.
Luca looked horrified while everyone else started laughing.
Even Ethan's father looked entertained now.
"Oh this is getting interesting," Ethan murmured calmly.
"Shut up," Luca muttered immediately.
Yuna stared at her brother dramatically. "You have a boyfriend?!"
Elena nodded proudly before Luca could deny anything. "And he's been hiding it for months."
The entire room exploded into laughter and teasing instantly while Luca looked ready to disappear completely.
Meanwhile Yuna laughed so hard she nearly fell against Ethan.
And for the first time in a very long time—
Everyone was genuinely happy together.
— END OF PART ONE —