THE MEMORIES WE BURIED
907 Words
Ethan has always believed that forgetting is always a blessing.
Some moments were too cruel to relive.
But standing in Charlotte Bennett's living room, staring at the woman who claimed to be her lost sister, Ethan realized something terrifying.
The past had never disappeared.
It had only been waiting.
"Ethan?"
Charlotte's voice pulled him back.
She stood in front of him, concern replacing the anger in her eyes.
For a moment, he forgot about the secrets.
Forgot about the danger.
All he could see was her.
The woman he was supposed to stay away from.
The woman who had every reason to hate him.
Yet somehow...
She was still worried about him.
"I'm fine."
Charlotte frowned.
"No, you're not."
"I said I'm fine."
"And I said you're not."
Despite everything happening around them, Ethan almost smiled.
She was the only person who spoke to him like he wasn't the heir of the Blackwood empire.
Like he wasn't someone everyone feared.
Like he was just Ethan.
"You're stubborn," he murmured.
"So are you."
Their eyes met.
And for a brief moment, the chaos disappeared.
---
Amelia watched the exchange quietly.
She noticed what neither of them wanted to admit.
The connection.
The trust.
The feelings growing between two people who were supposed to be enemies.
But love had always been complicated.
Especially when families were involved.
"We don't have time for this."
Her voice broke the silence.
Charlotte looked away.
"You're right."
She turned back to Amelia.
"Tell me everything."
Amelia took a deep breath.
"The night our parents died wasn't an accident."
Charlotte felt her chest tighten.
"I know."
"No."
Amelia shook her head.
"You don't understand."
She looked at Ethan.
"None of you do."
---
Twenty Years Earlier
"The Blackwoods and the Bennetts weren't always enemies."
Amelia walked slowly through the room as she spoke.
"Our families worked together."
Charlotte listened carefully.
"Our mother, Eleanor, discovered that someone inside the Blackwood organization was using it for illegal activities."
"The Ravens."
Ethan's expression changed.
Amelia nodded.
"She wanted to expose them."
"But someone found out."
Charlotte whispered:
"And they killed her."
Amelia looked down.
"Not only her."
A painful silence filled the room.
"They wanted to erase everyone who knew the truth."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Who?"
Amelia looked at him.
"The person you saw that night."
Ethan's breathing slowed.
"I don't remember their face."
"But you remember their voice."
His hands clenched.
A memory.
A voice.
A shadow.
"I remember..."
He stopped.
Charlotte stepped closer.
"What?"
Ethan looked at her.
"I remember someone saying your name."
Her heart stopped.
"My name?"
He nodded.
"They said..."
His voice became quieter.
"'The girl must survive.'"
Everyone went silent.
---
Later that night, after Amelia had fallen asleep in the guest room, Charlotte found Ethan outside on the balcony.
The city lights stretched beneath them.
He stood alone.
Like he always did.
"You always come here when you don't want people to see you're hurting."
Ethan turned.
"You noticed that too?"
She smiled faintly.
"I notice more than you think."
He looked back at the city.
"Charlotte..."
She walked closer.
"What?"
"There are things about me you should know."
"Then tell me."
He hesitated.
"I was raised to be powerful."
"Not loved?"
His silence answered.
Charlotte's expression softened.
"Ethan..."
"My whole life, everyone wanted something from me."
"My family name."
"My money."
"My influence."
"But you..."
He looked at her.
"You looked at me like I was just a person."
Her heart moved.
"You are a person."
A small smile appeared.
"Not everyone believes that."
Charlotte stepped closer.
"Then they don't know you."
The words affected him more than she realized.
For years, Ethan had built walls around himself.
But Charlotte had a way of walking toward those walls without fear.
"I should stay away from you."
Her expression changed.
"Why?"
"Because everyone close to me gets hurt."
Charlotte looked into his eyes.
"And everyone who pushes you away gets hurt too."
The honesty surprised him.
For a moment, neither moved.
The rain began falling softly again.
Charlotte shivered.
Without thinking, Ethan removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.
Their fingers brushed.
A simple touch.
But it felt dangerous.
Not because it was wrong.
Because it felt right.
Charlotte looked up at him.
"Ethan..."
He looked away first.
"We should focus on finding the truth."
She smiled sadly.
"You're avoiding the moment."
"Yes."
"Why?"
His voice was quiet.
"Because I don't trust myself around you."
Her breath caught.
Before she could answer, a sound interrupted them.
A phone ringing.
Ethan stepped back.
The moment was gone.
---
The call was from Lucas.
Ethan answered immediately.
"What happened?"
Lucas' voice was tense.
"You need to come back to Blackwood Manor."
"Why?"
A pause.
Then:
"Because we found something in the old family archives."
Ethan's expression changed.
"What?"
Lucas lowered his voice.
"A document."
"With both your names on it."
Charlotte looked at Ethan.
"What document?"
He ended the call slowly.
His face was pale.
"The one thing my family spent twenty years hiding."
"What?"
Ethan looked toward the dark city.
"A marriage agreement."
Charlotte frowned.
"Between who?"
He looked at her.
And the answer made her heart stop.
"Between the Blackwood and Bennett families."
A cold silence fell between them.
Because if the document was real...
Their families hadn't been enemies.
They had been connected.
And Charlotte and Ethan...
May have been tied together long before they ever met.
- Writer
