Chapter 20
260 Words
Chapter 20: The Fallout
Lila spent the days after Ethan’s departure in a haze of confusion and guilt. She could hardly sleep, the weight of her indecision pressing down on her at every turn. The gallery, once a place of inspiration and connection, felt suffocating. Each brushstroke, each moment spent in the space she had worked so hard to build, now felt like a reminder of how much she had lost.
She hadn’t seen Ethan since the night he walked away. His words replayed over and over in her mind. Either I’m your home, or he is.
The harsh reality of what she had done started to sink in. She had failed him. She had failed herself. The man who had been by her side for years, who had supported her dreams and stood by her through the toughest of times, was now gone.
But it wasn’t just Ethan that she was hurting. Lucas had come to symbolize a new, exciting life for Lila—one filled with passion, unpredictability, and the promise of something different. Yet, even as she spent time with him, the guilt continued to gnaw at her. Every laugh, every spark of chemistry between them, felt like a betrayal of the man she had once loved with all her heart.
She couldn’t ignore the ache in her chest. She had torn apart two worlds—one built on years of trust and history with Ethan, the other just beginning to form with Lucas. Neither world felt solid anymore, and she wasn’t sure how to fix it.
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