The Line We Crossed

3.

Chapter 3.

Ethan Hayes’ POV

I wake up with a pounding headache and the sour taste of regret in my mouth.

The soft glow of my phone screen is the only light in my apartment. I squint at the time—3:42 AM—and then at the missed call notifications.

Lena.

A sharp pang shoots through my chest. I should have answered. I should have explained. Should have done something instead of sitting here drowning in whiskey and self-hatred.

But how the hell do you explain what she saw?

How do you fix something when you've already broken it?

I scrub a hand down my face, my mind replaying the moment she caught me in the on-call lounge. The devastation in her eyes. The way she looked at me like I was a stranger—like I was nothing.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to push the memory away.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Three years. Three damn years of loving her, of having her, and I threw it all away in one reckless, drunken mistake.

I grab my phone and dial her number, knowing she won’t pick up but desperate enough to try.

It rings once. Twice.

Then it goes straight to voicemail.

“Lena, please. Call me back. We need to talk. I—I messed up. I know that. Just… please. Don’t shut me out like this.”

I hang up, my fingers tightening around the phone.

I can’t lose her.

I won’t.

Morning

The hospital feels different today. Colder.

Or maybe it’s just me.

I walk through the halls, my mind racing. I haven’t slept. I haven’t eaten. My stomach churns with nerves, my pulse hammering with a single thought—find Lena. Fix this.

I spot Olivia near the nurses' station, her sharp eyes locking onto me the second I approach.

She crosses her arms. “Don’t.”

I exhale sharply. “Olivia, I just need to talk to her.”

“She doesn’t want to talk to you.” Her voice is flat, final.

I run a hand through my hair, frustration curling in my gut. “Olivia, please. I need to see her. Just five minutes.”

She laughs dryly. “You had three years, Ethan. And you threw them away for what? A quick screw?”

My jaw clenches. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh, really?” She tilts her head. “Then explain it to me. Because from where I’m standing, you cheated on the best thing that ever happened to you.”

The truth is, I can’t explain it. I was drunk, yes, but that’s not an excuse. I wasn’t thinking, but that’s not a reason.

I was an i***t.

And now I’m standing in the wreckage of my own damn choices, watching the woman I love slip away.

I shake my head. “Where is she?”

Olivia doesn’t answer right away. She studies me, like she’s searching for something—maybe remorse, maybe redemption. Maybe something that doesn’t exist anymore.

Finally, she sighs. “She took the night off.”

My stomach drops. “Where did she go?”

She shrugs. “Don’t know. But if you really love her, Ethan, let her breathe. Let her heal.”

She turns and walks away, leaving me standing there, drowning in my own guilt.

Evening

I don’t go home.

I can’t.

I end up at The Black Orchid, the dimly lit bar on the other side of town. It’s the kind of place you go to disappear. To forget.

I wonder if Lena came here for the same reason.

I’m halfway through my second drink when my phone buzzes in my pocket. I grab it, hope flickering in my chest—maybe it’s Lena. Maybe she’s ready to talk.

But when I see the name on the screen, my stomach twists.

Adrian.

I hesitate. My brother and I aren’t close—not anymore. He’s always been the golden child, the perfect one, the one who never screws up. The one our father actually respects.

So why the hell is he calling me now?

I answer. “Yeah?”

There’s silence on the other end.

Then, in a voice I don’t quite recognize, Adrian says, “Tell me you’re not still with Lena.”

My grip tightens around the glass. “What?”

More silence. Then, slowly, deliberately—

“Because if you are, you should know—she just spent the night in my arms.”

The words don’t register at first.

Then they hit.

Like a knife straight through my ribs.

I straighten in my seat, my pulse spiking. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Adrian exhales sharply, like this is exhausting for him. Like he’s already won and he’s just waiting for me to catch up.

“I’m talking about Lena,” he says. “She was with me last night. We met at The Black Orchid.” A pause. “We didn’t know who the other was. Not at first.”

I stop breathing.

No.

No.

“She was hurting,” Adrian continues, his voice clipped. “And I—” He exhales. “Let’s just say I didn’t stop her.”

I grip the phone so tightly I think it might shatter. “You’re lying.”

“Am I?” His voice is calm, maddeningly so. “Ask her yourself.”

My vision goes red.

Adrian—my brother—with Lena.

Lena—my Lena—with him.

A sharp, painful pressure builds in my chest. I open my mouth, but no words come out.

For the first time in my life, I have nothing to say.

Adrian sighs. “I didn’t call to start a war, Ethan.”

I laugh, but it’s hollow, bitter. “Bullshit.”

“I called because you need to know what you lost.” His voice is quieter now, but there’s something dangerous beneath it. “And because I need to know—are you going to fight for her? Or is she better off without you?”

His words slice through me like a scalpel.

I don’t answer.

I can’t.

The line goes dead.

I sit there, gripping my phone, my heart slamming against my ribs.

And for the first time since Lena walked out of my life—

I wonder if she’s ever coming back.

I push away from the bar, my mind racing. I need to see her. Now.

I pull up Lena’s contact, my thumb hovering over the call button—

But before I can press it, a new message pops up on my screen.

From Adrian.

A single photo.

I click on it.

And my world stops.

Because there she is—Lena—curled up on his couch, wearing his shirt, with his arm draped possessively over her waist.

And she’s smiling.

Like she’s already forgotten me.