Was enough

Emily

I paid the cab driver, feeling the cool air wrap around me as I stepped out of the vehicle. The Frost Mansion loomed in front of me like some gothic dream, its massive gates greeting me like the mouth of an ancient creature.

The driver pulled away, leaving the quiet hum of the city behind me. I stood there for a moment, trying to gather myself before walking up to the gates on foot.

I wasn't sure what I expected-maybe the security would let me pass without a question, or maybe they would give me that look, the one people gave when they recognized me as just another person in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The look that said I was in trouble, that something about me was wrong. But as I approached the gates, the man on guard immediately raised his hand, signaling for me to stop.

"Miss Emily," he called, his voice low and professional. "Please wait here. We need to contact the main house."

I nodded, biting my lip to keep myself together. I didn't need to make a scene. Not here, not now.

I let my eyes wander over the pristine grounds, trying to take in the calm beauty of the mansion, but the overwhelming storm inside me was impossible to ignore.

While one of the guards made a call, the other, a tall guy I didn't recognize, walked up to me. His eyes swept over the grounds before landing on me, his expression serious, almost like he had something important to say.

"Are you being followed?" he asked quietly, his voice tense but controlled. His gaze flickered behind me, scanning the road.

I paused, my heart racing. How did he know? Was I really that obvious?

"I don't know," I admitted, my voice shaky as I glanced back over my shoulder. "But... I wouldn't be surprised. There's been enough drama for one evening."

He gave a short nod, a look of concern flashing across his face. "Stay close," he warned. "We'll make sure everything's clear before you go inside."

I nodded gratefully, but I didn't feel reassured. He didn't need to tell me the obvious-Reuben had been around. That much I could feel in my bones, his presence lingering even after everything had gone down.

The guard nodded at his partner and signaled for me to move ahead. "Go on inside, Miss Emily. We'll handle it."

I didn't need to be told twice. I walked past them, my shoes clicking against the stone as I made my way along the long, winding terrace leading to Lila's old lab house.

My feet moved slower than usual, each step dragging, heavy with the weight of everything that had happened. The air felt colder, though the night was still.

I kept my head low, my hands clenched into fists, trying to push the thoughts away.

But my mind refused to stay quiet. I couldn't stop thinking about Ethan.

That damn recording. His voice. His words. That look in his eyes when he admitted it was him on the tape-guilt, regret, and something I couldn't name.

I remembered the way his hand had reached for me, the coldness of his touch as he tried to explain himself, but it wasn't the apology that hit me. It was the pity in his eyes. It crushed me.

"Emily, it wasn't like that," he'd said, but I could hear it in his voice.

He wasn't fighting for me, wasn't trying to convince me that what we'd shared had been real. He wasn't trying to prove that there was more between us than just his voice on that recording.

No, instead, he was looking at me like I was some poor, naive girl who had been deceived, like I didn't understand the real world of money and power.

The thought twisted inside me, tight and ugly. Had everything we'd shared been because he pitied me?

I let out a soft, shaky breath. Why was I letting myself believe this? I had no reason to doubt him-except for the fact that I was seeing everything through a haze of disappointment and pain.

But no, it couldn't be true. Ethan wasn't like that, was he?

I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts, but they kept coming back, relentless.

The sound of my footsteps was the only thing that filled the silence as I walked along the terrace, and for the first time in a long while, I felt completely alone.

I couldn't talk to Lila about this-she didn't know about Ethan and me. And Reuben? He was the last person I wanted to talk to.

What was the point, anyway? He was the one who had started all of this, the one who had made everything complicated, and now I was left picking up the pieces.

I smiled bitterly to myself as I remembered a better time. A time when everything seemed so simple, when I wasn't wrapped up in lies and betrayal. I remembered the afternoon Ethan, Caden, and I had spent together.

Ethan had invited me over to play with Thor and Loki, his two massive German Shepherds. The dogs had been all over me, jumping and barking, their energy infectious as they ran circles around us.

I could still hear the laughter from that day, still feel the warmth of Ethan beside me as we tossed the ball for the dogs, watching them chase after it with reckless abandon.

I stopped walking for a moment, blinking back the tears that had started to form. Why did it hurt so much? It wasn't just Ethan. It wasn't even just the betrayal. It was the fact that I had allowed myself to care, allowed myself to get attached. I had let myself hope for something, only to have it taken away, shattered like glass.

I could feel the tears start to burn as they slowly slid down my cheeks. I wiped them away quickly, but it didn't help. The pain inside me felt like it was spilling over, too much for me to handle.

Was it Ethan I was crying over? Was it Reuben, his cruel betrayal still echoing in my mind? I didn't even know anymore. It was all just a jumbled mess of hurt and confusion.

I couldn't tell what was real and what was just my mind making up stories to cope with the hurt. I couldn't even say whether I was crying over the loss of Ethan or over the loss of myself.

The girl I had been before all of this had disappeared somewhere along the way.

I blinked hard, forcing myself to regain composure. Lila was just ahead, I reminded myself. I had to keep it together, just a little longer. I could be strong for her. I needed to be strong for her.

When I finally reached the entrance to the lab house, Lila was already standing there, waiting for me. The moment she saw me, her expression softened, and she rushed forward, pulling me into her arms.

"Em," she said softly, her voice laced with concern. "What happened? What's going on?"

I didn't answer her at first. Instead, I just let her hold me for a moment, the familiar comfort of her embrace soothing me in a way I hadn't realized I needed.

I felt small in her arms, vulnerable and raw, but it was what I needed. I let the tears come again, silently, as Lila rubbed my back gently, whispering reassurances that I wasn't alone.

"I'm sorry," I whispered between breaths, the weight of everything pressing down on me. "I didn't know where else to go."

"You don't have to apologize for that," Lila murmured, pulling back slightly to look at me. Her hands cupped my face, her eyes filled with understanding. "Whatever happened, we'll figure it out together. You're safe here. Come on, let's get you inside."

I nodded, grateful for her presence. She led me into the lab, the familiar smell of chemicals and books filling the air.

The quiet hum of equipment in the background seemed almost peaceful, like the lab was a world apart from the chaos of everything else.

As I followed Lila deeper into the lab, I realized just how much I needed this, just how much I needed to be away from everything that had happened. But even in the safety of the lab, with Lila by my side, the knot in my chest didn't loosen. The questions, the confusion, the pain-it was all still there, waiting for me to confront it. But for now, I allowed myself the comfort of being with someone who understood, who would never look at me with pity or regret.

For now, that was enough.