Mia didn’t think. She just moved.
The wildflowers fell from her numb fingers onto the porch table as she pushed past Jake’s outstretched arm. “Mia, wait—” he started, but she was already out the screen door, the wood slamming behind her like a gunshot.
Her bare feet hit the warm wooden steps, then the soft grass, then the dirt path leading down to the lake. The white sundress fluttered around her thighs as she ran, heart pounding louder than her footsteps. Ethan’s broad back was visible ahead, shoulders rigid, fists clenched at his sides as he stood at the edge of the dock.
“Ethan!” she called, voice cracking.
He didn’t turn. The morning sun glinted off the water, turning the lake into liquid gold, but nothing about this moment felt beautiful. It felt like standing on the edge of a cli
