Chapter 4: Shadows of the Past
1285 Words
The hum of the wind outside the cabin seemed to echo Scarlett’s restless thoughts as she stood by the window, staring into the snowy darkness. It had been years, and yet the memories of Ethan’s betrayal—or what had felt like betrayal back then—still haunted her.
Ethan was Daniel’s best friend, the boy who had always been there. He had been the steady hand to Daniel’s impulsiveness, the quiet protector when Scarlett tagged along on their childhood adventures. To her, Ethan was more than just Daniel’s mate; he was the one she could always count on. The one she trusted implicitly.
Until that night, everything changed.
Scarlett had been 18 then, standing on the precipice of adulthood. She still remembered the smell of summer in the air, the scent of freshly cut grass mingling with the faint aroma of Ethan’s cologne. Her parents had been hosting a barbecue to celebrate Daniel’s university acceptance, and the house had been alive with the sound of laughter and the clinking of glasses.
But for Scarlett, the world had shrunk to one person: Ethan.
He’d looked effortlessly handsome that night, his dark hair catching the light of the patio lanterns, his green eyes glinting with an unreadable emotion. She had tried to convince herself that it was nothing, just a crush she’d outgrown. But when he smiled at her, that soft, almost teasing smile, it felt as though the ground shifted beneath her feet.
She had lingered near him throughout the evening, finding excuses to talk to him, to be near him. And Ethan, ever polite, never brushed her off. But there was a distance in his eyes, a barrier she couldn’t quite breach.
When the festivities wound down and the guests began to trickle out, Scarlett found herself alone with Ethan in the garden. The soft glow of the fairy lights cast a warm halo around him, and for a moment, she let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way she did.
“I’m going to miss this,” she said softly, breaking the silence.
Ethan turned to her, his expression curious. “Miss what?”
“Having you around all the time,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing. “You and Daniel are always off doing your own thing. And now he’s leaving for university...”
He smiled faintly. “You’ll be fine, Scarlett. You’ve always been stronger than you think.”
She looked at him, her heart hammering in her chest. The words tumbled out before she could stop them. “What if I don’t want to be fine without you?”
Ethan froze, his smile faltering. “Scarlett—”
“I mean it,” she said, stepping closer. “I know I’m not supposed to feel this way, but I can’t help it. I—”
Before she could second-guess herself, she leaned up and kissed him.
For a moment, the world stood still. His lips were warm against hers, and she thought she felt him respond, just the faintest pressure.
But then he pulled away, his hands gripping her shoulders gently but firmly.
“Scarlett, we can’t do this,” he said, his voice strained.
“Why not?” she demanded, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Because you’re Daniel’s sister,” he said, his tone pained. “Because you’re too young. Because... because it wouldn’t be right.”
Scarlett took a step back, shaking her head. “You’re just making excuses. If you cared about me, you’d—”
“Stop,” Ethan said sharply, his green eyes full of anguish. “You don’t understand. This isn’t about you, it’s about me. I can’t give you what you want. You deserve better.”
His words felt like a slap. Without another word, she turned and ran, the sting of rejection burning hotter than the summer air.
She didn’t know where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get away—from Ethan, from the house, from the ache in her chest. She ended up at a bar on the edge of town, a place she’d only heard about from whispers at school.
It was there that she met James.
He had been older, polished, and confident in a way that felt intoxicating to Scarlett’s wounded heart. He had bought her a drink, and asked her questions about herself that made her feel seen in a way Ethan never had.
“You’re too pretty to be sitting here all alone,” he had said, his dark eyes glinting with charm.
“I’m not pretty,” she had mumbled, still nursing her bruised ego.
“Then the mirror’s lying to you,” he had replied with a grin.
It was foolish, and impulsive, but Scarlett had latched onto James like a lifeline. Over the weeks that followed, he became her escape, her way of proving to herself that she didn’t need Ethan. That she could be loved by someone who wasn’t afraid to choose her.
Her parents hadn’t approved of James, of course. They said he was too slick, too smooth, that he had an edge to him that felt dangerous. But Scarlett didn’t care. She was 18, in love—or what she thought was love—and determined to forge her own path.
By the time she realised how controlling James could be, how his charm masked a darker side, it was too late. They were married, and she was trapped in a gilded cage of his making.
Scarlett closed her eyes, the weight of the past pressing down on her. She had been so young, so desperate to prove her independence, that she hadn’t seen the warning signs. And now, years later, the consequences of her choices were still catching up with her.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Ethan’s voice broke through her reverie.
She turned to see him standing in the doorway, his expression guarded but curious.
“Just thinking about the past,” she said quietly.
Ethan stepped into the room, his presence filling the space. “Scarlett, about what happened back then... I never meant to hurt you.”
She gave a bitter laugh. “You’ve said that before. It doesn’t change what happened.”
“I know,” he said, his voice heavy with regret. “But if I could go back and do things differently, I would. I was an i***t, trying to protect you when all I did was push you away.”
Scarlett met his gaze, her heart aching with a mix of anger and longing. “Why are you telling me this now? After all these years?”
“Because I can’t stand the thought of losing you again,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
The raw honesty in his words caught her off guard. She looked at him, and for the first time, she saw not just the boy who had broken her heart, but the man who had carried his guilt all these years.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” she said honestly.
“I don’t expect you to,” he replied. “But I’m willing to spend the rest of my life trying to earn it.”
The tension between them crackled like electricity, and for a moment, Scarlett allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, they could find their way back to each other.
But the shadows of the past weren’t so easily banished, and as much as she wanted to trust Ethan, a part of her still held back.
Because trust was a luxury she couldn’t afford—not when James was still out there, waiting to strike.
- Writer
