“What exactly did you choose?”
Sophie’s voice didn’t shake this time. It was steady. Grounded. Demanding.
Because she wasn’t asking out of confusion anymore— She was asking because she was ready for the answer.
Ethan looked at her. For a moment, it felt like everything else faded. The hallway. Adrian. Even the past. Just the two of them. And the truth sitting between them.
“I chose control,” he said.
The words were quiet. But they landed heavily.
Sophie frowned. “Control over what?”
Ethan exhaled slowly. “Over the outcome.”
“That still doesn’t explain anything.”
“It does,” Adrian cut in. “You just don’t like what it implies.”
Ethan didn’t look at him. “Stop.”
“No,” Sophie said quickly. “Let him talk.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
“I do,” she
