HATING YOU WAS EASIER

CHOOSING YOU

The black car was coming straight toward us.

For one frozen second, neither Ethan nor I moved.

Then Ethan grabbed my hand.

“Lena, run.”

We turned and hurried toward the nearest shop, but the car slowed before reaching us. Instead of stopping, it continued down the street and disappeared around the corner.

I stood there, breathing hard.

“Did you see the driver?” I asked.

“No.”

“Do you think they were trying to hit us?”

Ethan looked down the road.

“I don't know.”

That answer scared me more than anything else.

I looked at him.

“What do we do now?”

He took out his phone.

“Call the police.”

I nodded.

For once, neither of us tried to handle everything ourselves.

While we waited, Ethan kept looking around, making sure nobody was following us. I could tell he was worried, even though he tried to hide it.

“You're shaking,” he said.

“So are you.”

He looked at his hand.

He was right.

I gave a nervous laugh.

“I guess we're both terrible at pretending we're fearless.”

He smiled faintly.

“Maybe.”

The police arrived a few minutes later and took our statements. They also contacted the school because the threats had started there.

After everything was explained, Ethan walked me home.

Neither of us spoke much.

When we reached my gate, I stopped.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For staying.”

He looked at me.

“I'm not going anywhere.”

Something about those words made my chest tighten.

“Ethan…”

“Yeah?”

“I was scared.”

“So was I.”

“I thought something might happen to you.”

He smiled softly.

“I was more worried about you.”

I looked down.

For years, I had convinced myself that Ethan Blake was the last person I could trust.

Now he was the first person I wanted beside me whenever things became difficult.

“I don't hate you anymore,” I said quietly.

He laughed.

“That's good.”

“Don't sound too happy.”

“I've been waiting years to hear that.”

I smiled.

He stepped back.

“Get some sleep, Carter.”

“You too.”

I watched him walk away.

For the first time, I didn't feel like I was saying goodbye to my enemy.

I was saying goodbye to someone who had become my friend.

Maybe something more.

But I wasn't ready to name it yet.

The next morning, everything changed.

My father called me into his study.

Ethan's father was there too.

That alone told me the situation was serious.

I sat down.

“What happened?”

My father exchanged a look with Mr. Blake.

Then he sighed.

“We owe you the truth.”

My heart began beating faster.

“About our families?”

“Yes.”

He placed an old folder on the table.

“Twenty years ago, your parents and the Blake family were partners.”

I already knew that.

“What we didn't tell you was that someone inside the company was stealing money.”

“Marcus?”

My father nodded.

“But Marcus wasn't alone.”

I looked at him.

“Who was helping him?”

He hesitated.

“Victor Hayes.”

I frowned.

“Rebecca's father?”

“Yes.”

I looked at Ethan.

“So Victor betrayed everyone?”

“Not exactly,” Mr. Blake said.

I frowned.

“What does that mean?”

“Victor discovered what Marcus was doing and tried to expose him. But before he could, someone framed him.”

“Who?”

My father looked down.

“An executive named Daniel Cross.”

I stared at him.

“Who is that?”

“He was your parents' most trusted adviser.”

Ethan looked shocked.

“What happened to him?”

“He disappeared after the accident.”

I felt a chill.

“Was he the one behind everything?”

“We believe so.”

My father handed me another document.

“Your parents discovered the truth shortly before the plane accident. They planned to expose Cross.”

I looked at the papers.

“Then what happened?”

“Cross found out.”

The room became silent.

“He arranged for the evidence to disappear,” my father continued. “He made it look as though your parents' deaths were an accident, then disappeared before investigators could question him.”

I swallowed.

“And my mother?”

“She survived.”

My head lifted immediately.

“You knew?”

“We suspected.”

“Where is she?”

My father looked at me.

“We finally found her.”

My heart stopped.

“What?”

“She contacted us last night.”

Tears filled my eyes.

“She did?”

“Yes.”

“Is she okay?”

“She is safe.”

I covered my mouth.

After twenty years of believing she was gone, I finally knew she was alive.

“Can I see her?”

My father nodded.

“Yes.”

Two weeks later, I stood outside a quiet house on the edge of the city.

My father stood beside me.

I couldn't move.

My mother was inside.

The woman I'd spent my entire life believing was a memory was only a few steps away.

I opened the door.

She stood in the hallway.

Older than the photograph.

But I recognized her immediately.

Her eyes were mine.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then she whispered my name.

“Lena.”

I couldn't stop the tears.

“Mom?”

She walked toward me.

I ran into her arms.

For the first time in years, I felt like a missing part of my life had finally returned.

She held me tightly.

“I am so sorry,” she whispered.

I cried against her shoulder.

“You're alive.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn't you come back?”

“I wanted to.”

She pulled away and held my face in her hands.

“I tried.”

I nodded through my tears.

“I know.”

She looked over my shoulder.

“Where is Ethan?”

I laughed softly.

“You know about him?”

“Your father told me everything.”

I shook my head.

“Of course he did.”

My mother smiled.

“You two used to hate each other.”

“We did.”

“And now?”

I hesitated.

“I don't know.”

She smiled knowingly.

“Sometimes the person we spend the most time fighting is the person who understands us best.”

I laughed.

“Maybe.”

A month later, the truth about Daniel Cross became public.

The evidence my parents had collected was finally released.

Cross was found and arrested, and the investigation into everything that had happened twenty years earlier finally came to an end.

Marcus was also exposed for his role in the financial crimes.

My family and the Blakes began repairing the relationship that had been destroyed years ago.

And somehow, in the middle of all of it, Ethan and I were still standing beside each other.

The leadership competition arrived on a Friday afternoon.

We stood together on the stage in front of the entire school.

A few months earlier, I would have hated the idea of standing beside him.

Now I couldn't imagine anyone else being there.

We finished our presentation to a room full of applause.

When we walked backstage, Ethan looked at me.

“You did well.”

“So did you.”

He smiled.

“Does this mean we're finally friends?”

I pretended to think.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Don't push your luck.”

He laughed.

Then he became serious.

“Lena?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm glad we stopped fighting.”

I smiled.

“Me too.”

He looked at me for a moment.

“You know, I think hating you was easier.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Because liking you is terrifying.”

I laughed softly.

“You're scared?”

“Very.”

“Good.”

He smiled.

“Why good?”

“Because now we're both scared.”

He shook his head.

“You're impossible.”

“And you're still annoying.”

“Some things never change.”

I smiled.

“No. They don't.”

We walked outside together.

The sun was beginning to set over the school grounds.

For years, Ethan Blake had been the person I competed against.

The person I argued with.

The person I insisted I couldn't stand.

But somewhere between the arguments and the secrets, something had changed.

We had learned each other's fears.

We had protected each other.

We had trusted each other when everyone else had given us reasons not to.

And maybe that was what made our story different.

We hadn't fallen for each other because everything was perfect.

We had found each other in the middle of the mess.

Ethan stopped at the gate.

“So, Carter.”

“Yes?”

“Are we still enemies?”

I smiled.

“No.”

“Friends?”

I pretended to consider it.

“Maybe something better.”

His smile widened.

“I'll take that.”

We walked away from the school together.

For the first time, there was no rivalry between us.

No family feud.

No secrets waiting to tear us apart.

Just two people who had spent years believing they were supposed to hate each other.

And discovered they were much better together.

The End.