Chapter 114
Elara's POV
I stood at the front door and watched Kael walk away. His steps were fast. Almost like he was running from something.
My chest felt tight.
I told myself it was just the cold night air. Nothing more.
He'd said we were even now. That made sense. I'd helped him with his mom. He'd helped me pass the evaluation. We were square.
That should have made me feel better.
It didn't.
I shook my head hard. This was stupid. I had bigger problems than whatever weird feeling was twisting in my stomach right now.
Like how I was going to explain to my family that I needed to leave for Canada. Soon. To rescue a sister I barely knew about.
I pushed the door open.
The living room was warm. The lamp by the couch cast soft yellow light across the room. Ethan sat on the couch with a book in his lap.
He looked up when I walked in. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You and Kael were standing outside for a while," he said. His voice was casual but his jaw was tight. "Did he do something to you?"
I froze for half a second.
I hadn't realized Ethan was watching through the window.
"No," I said quickly. I closed the door behind me. "We just talked for a bit."
Ethan's eyes stayed on my face. He was looking for something. A lie maybe. Or proof that Kael had upset me.
I needed to change the subject. Fast.
"How are things with Chloe?" I asked.
Ethan blinked. The suspicion in his expression faded. His ears turned slightly red.
"Fine," he said.
Then he paused. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was rare to see Ethan smile like that.
"Good actually," he added. "We've been talking a lot. Turns out we have a lot in common. We both like reading. And she knows a ton about forest ecology."
I felt my own smile forming. It was genuine this time.
"That's great," I said.
Ethan's eyes softened when he talked about Chloe. It was the kind of look I'd never seen on his face before. Not when he talked about school. Not when he talked about training.
Only when he talked about her.
I was happy for him. Really. He deserved something good in his life.
But watching him like this also made my chest ache.
Because I was lying to him. Every single day.
I sat down on the armchair across from him. My mind was still racing.
This might be my only chance to ask. To test the waters.
I kept my voice light. Casual.
"Ethan," I said. "What do you think it would be like if we had an older sister?"
Ethan looked up from his book. His eyebrows pulled together.
"What?"
"I mean hypothetically," I said quickly. "I was talking to a friend today and she mentioned how nice it would be to have an older sister. Someone to look out for you. I just wondered what you thought."
Ethan stared at me for a long moment.
"Why are you asking me this?"
I forced a shrug. "No reason. Just curious."
He closed his book slowly. His expression was unreadable.
"I don't know," he said finally. "I've never really thought about it."
My heart sank.
So he didn't know. He had no idea about Lynette.
"Okay," I said. I tried to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "It was just a random thought."
I stood up. "I'm going to bed. It's been a long day."
I was halfway up the stairs when Ethan's voice stopped me.
"Wait."
I turned around. He was standing now. His book was still in his hand but he wasn't looking at it.
"What?" I asked.
Ethan frowned. Like he was trying to remember something from a long time ago.
"It's not that I don't know anything," he said slowly. "It's just... I'm not sure if it was real."
My pulse quickened.
"What do you mean?"
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. He looked uncomfortable.
"When I was really little," he said. "I remember waking up one night. I heard Mom and Dad talking in the kitchen. Their voices were low but I could hear them through the walls."
I gripped the stair railing.
"What were they saying?"
"I don't remember most of it," Ethan admitted. "But I remember Mom crying. And Dad kept saying something about 'our daughter.' At the time I thought they were talking about you. But you were just a baby back then. You were asleep in your crib."
He paused.
"So I always wondered if maybe they were talking about someone else. Another daughter."
My throat went dry.
"But you never asked them?"
Ethan shook his head.
"I was too young. And later I convinced myself it was just a dream. Or that I'd misheard."
He looked at me now. Really looked at me.
"Why are you asking about this, Elara?"
I forced my face to stay calm. Neutral.
"Like I said," I told him. "Just curious."
But my heart was pounding so hard I thought he might hear it.
Ethan didn't look convinced. But he didn't push.
"Okay," he said finally. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," I whispered.
I turned and climbed the rest of the stairs. My legs felt shaky.
When I got to my room I closed the door and leaned against it.
My parents knew.
They knew about Lynette.
They'd talked about her. Mom had cried.
Which meant they knew she existed. They knew she was gone.
But they'd never told Ethan. They'd never told me.
Why?