"It does," he said sharply. "It f*****g wrecks things. It turns people into liars and cowards or worse dependents. And I won't be any of those."
Lydia stood there watching the war play across his face. Something cracked in him just a little but enough that she could see the truth behind it.
"You're already in it, Ethan," she said gently. "You just haven't named it yet."
He didn't move. Didn't speak just stared at her like she'd handed him a truth he wasn't ready to hold. Then he exhaled, stepped back once like he needed space to breathe and muttered, "Don't say that again."
Lydia nodded, but her eyes never left his. "Okay."
He turned away, hand running down the back of his neck. "We should eat," he said, voice low and controlled again.
She didn't argue. She watched him
