A forbidden romance

Chapter3

The vibration of Ethan's phone jolts him from his sleep. His phone had been buzzing non-stop and even sleep couldn't drown out the noise. Groaning he finally picks up the phone, the name Rebecca with a heart emoji displayed on the screen. Sighing he picks up the phone.

"El, isss it t..true what the blogs are saying?" Rebecca asked her voice sounding hoarse over the phone clearly from crying. Ethan sighed he couldn't bear to hear her like this. "Have you been crying?" Ethan asks concerned. " That's not the answer to my question!" She said her voice slightly raised followed with her sobs flowing from the phone's speaker. "Rebecca I can't explain much to you over the phone. I'm coming over to the house." Ethan explained. A hiss is heard and the call ends.

Ethan dressed in all black including a hood and a face cap. This disguise was necessary for him to be able to avoid the multiple news vans outside of the house and journalists who might be on his trail hunting for their next big story. With his head down, he left the house through the back door. Turning into the street he breaks out into a jog to distance himself from the chaos.

An hour later he arrives at the gate of Rebecca's house. "Hey, Mr. Greenwood!" A young lady called out. "Mr Greenwood!" She called out again. "s**t!" Ethan swore. He really didn't want to entertain anyone right now. He reluctantly turned to give her attention. Rudely she thrust her voice recorder in his face asking, "Is it true? The rumors in the news about you." Ethan angry said, "Don't you have anything better to do than to meddle in people's business and stalking them all the time." "Stay away from me next time or I'll have you arrested for harassment." He warned in a low voice. Then he walked up to Rebecca's front door.

The maid opens the door and he's ushered into the house. "Miss Rebecca is up in her room sir." The maid informed him then walked away. Ethan walked up the stairs dreading each step he took. After a long while he found himself standing in front of Rebecca's door. Faint sobs could be heard from outside. Sighing he pushed open the door. Rebecca looked up from her bed as he stepped into the room. "Now that you're here, please tell me if it's true. What the media is saying about you and Carl?" She begged. Ethan sighed and stared at the picture on her dresser unable to face her. "Yes, yes it's true." He said. "And this is how I get to find out?" Rebecca asked. "No no I never meant for it to turn out this way." Ethan tried to explain. "Wow so you never planned to tell me?" She scoffed. "Here I was thinking I was getting married to a man who loved me. Not knowing that he's been cheating and lying to me." She said to herself. "Rebecca please don't sound that way. You have to understand I didn't love you but I care for you like a little sister." Ethan tried to explain to save himself. "You know what save it! I don't want to hear any explanation. None of it makes sense just leave." Rebecca told him. Sighing he turned to leave but stopped in front of the door. "Rebecca please I just want to ask this one last thing of you before I leave. Don't do something rash please." Ethan begged. "Bold of you to ask me for anything after what just happened." Rebecca rebutted. " I know. I know I don't have any right to ask you of anything but please I have no one else to turn to." Ethan said. " Dad won't listen, mum would be heartbroken and I'd probably be disowned and left hungry in the streets. So please don't tell anyone about this please." Ethan begged. Rebecca shut her eyes in pain, "I'll do what you asked just because I still care for you."

"So tell me about you and Carl and how all these started." Rebecca asked. She needed the clarity because everything in her mind was mush and she couldn't make sense of this whole situation right now. "Well it started when I noticed I didn't talk about girls the way boys my age did and I never really felt anything." Ethan began. " I was unsure of my feelings and dad being an imposing figure in my life encouraged me to date girls. I dated so many girls but I always just saw them as my little sister." Ethan continued. "It all started making sense one summer I was sent off to a leadership camp. I was fourteen when I met David. Spending time with him was always the highlight of my day. Everyone thought it was friendship or we were brothers but we both knew it was more than that." A smile formed on Ethan's face as he narrated. " On the final day of the camp we disappeared into the woods for a few hours where we spent time having deep conversations. As the sun began to set he kissed me and professed his love for me. In that moment I did the same and I actually felt loved for the first time. Sadly that was the last time I ever saw him." Ethan ended.

"And Carl?" Rebecca asked softly her eyes filled with understanding. "Carl?" Ethan echoed, a soft smile gracing his lips. "Carl is... different. He's... I've never met anyone like him before. He's kind, compassionate, and fiercely loyal. He sees me, the real me, not just the Greenwood name or the expectations that come with it."

He paused, gathering his thoughts. "We met at a charity gala a few years ago. I was there, doing my usual song and dance, pretending to be the perfect son, the perfect heir. He was volunteering, helping set up. He bumped into me, literally, spilling a tray of canapés all over my ridiculously expensive suit. Most people would have been mortified, apologetic. Carl just laughed, a genuine, carefree laugh that made me stop and actually look at him. He didn't care who I was. He just saw a clumsy guy who needed help cleaning up a mess."

"We talked that night, for hours. About everything and nothing. He was so easy to be around. I felt... seen. Like I could finally breathe. With him, I didn't have to pretend. I could just be Ethan."

"It wasn't instant fireworks or anything like that," Ethan continued. "It was more like... a slow burn. A growing realization that this person, this amazing person, was someone I wanted in my life. Not just as a friend, but as something more."

"It took time," he admitted. "I was terrified, honestly. Terrified of what my parents would think, of what the world would think. But Carl... he was patient. He understood. He never pressured me. He just... waited. And when I was finally ready, when I finally had the courage to admit to myself what I truly felt... he was there."

"It's not perfect," Ethan said, his voice tinged with sadness. "It's messy, complicated. But it's real. It's the most real thing in my life."

He looked at Rebecca, his eyes filled with a mixture of regret and hope. "I'm so sorry, Rebecca. I never meant to hurt you. You deserve someone who can give you everything you deserve. And I... I couldn't do that."

Rebecca listened, her expression a mixture of sadness and understanding. She finally spoke, her voice soft. "Thank you, Ethan. Thank you for telling me the truth." She paused, then added with a small smile, "He sounds like an amazing person."

Ethan returned the smile, a genuine one this time. "He is."

The silence stretched between them for a moment, then Rebecca spoke again. "What are you going to do?"

Ethan sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I have no idea. But I know I can't keep living like this. I can't keep lying to myself, to him, to everyone."

He stood up, a newfound determination in his eyes. "I have to figure things out," he said. "I have to find a way to be true to myself, to Carl, to everyone. It won't be easy, but... I have to try."

He looked at Rebecca one last time. "Thank you, Rebecca," he said softly. "For everything."

Then, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Rebecca alone with her thoughts. He didn't know what the future held, but for the first time in a long time, he felt a flicker of hope. He had told the truth. He had finally acknowledged his feelings. And that, he realized, was the first step towards being free.