Chapter 24 — The Truth He Keeps
Lena Carter Something was wrong with Ethan. Lena noticed it Saturday morning during practice. At first, it was small things. He checked his phone constantly. Lost focus during conversations. Barely teased her once all morning. Which was honestly alarming. Even during lunch with the team, Ethan seemed distant, sitting beside her but mentally somewhere else entirely. “You’ve been quiet today,” Lena said finally. Ethan glanced toward her quickly before forcing a small smile. “Just tired.” Lie. Lena knew his real smiles now. Knew the difference between relaxed Ethan and guarded Ethan. And right now? Every wall was back up again. That terrified her more than she wanted to admit. Later that evening, Westbridge hosted a formal nationals dinner inside the academy ballroom. At
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