The Illusion Of Us

CHAPTER 14

For the past week, Ethan had been in a state of despair, desperately trying to reach Ava. He had called her family, but they were still as much in the dark as he was. Ethan, unable to process the enormity of his loss, had locked himself in their bedroom, a prisoner of his own regrets. The days blurred into one long, agonizing stretch of solitude, punctuated only by his attempts to contact Ava and the crushing silence that followed.

On what was supposed to be their wedding day, Ethan found himself alone, surrounded by the ghosts of what might have been. The cancellation of the wedding did nothing to alleviate the ache in his heart. Throughout the day, he found himself lost in memories of their time together, the joy they had shared, and the countless ways Ava had shown her love for him. Tears would often escape his eyes as he realized the depth of what he had lost.

He had started dating Ava to spite Violet, to make her jealous, as Violet had always been envious of Ava's privileged life. His initial intention had been to lure Violet back, but she never returned. As time passed, his plan to leave Ava became more complicated.

As Ethan sat alone, lost in his thoughts, he reflected on the path his relationship with Ava had taken. Initially, he had continued the relationship with Ava out of convenience, never finding the right moment to end things without causing pain. He was conscious of not wanting to hurt her, and the fact that his family had grown incredibly fond of her only complicated matters.

Over the years, their lives became increasingly intertwined. Moving in together had seemed like a natural progression, and when he proposed to Ava after six years, it was partly because he recognized how good she was to him, and how deeply she loved him. Violet had been out of his life for so long, and he thought marrying Ava was the right thing to do, especially when his mother entrusted him with the engagement ring his father had given her.

But now, amidst the silence and solitude, Ethan was forced to confront a truth he had long ignored. The happiness he had shared with Ava wasn't just a pretense; it wasn't just going through the motions. Somewhere along the way, without him even realizing it, he had fallen in love with her genuinely and deeply. The care, the laughter, the shared moments – they weren't just acts of going along with the flow; they were real, filled with emotions he hadn't fully understood at the time.

The painful irony was that this realization came too late. Ava had left, and with her departure, the truth of his feelings stood starkly before him. The life they had built, the memories they shared, and the love that had grown in his heart – all were now tinged with regret. Ethan grappled with the harsh reality that he had lost the woman he truly loved, not through a twist of fate, but through his own blindness to his heart's truth.

His heart leaped as he heard the pincode of their door lock beeping. "Ava!" he exclaimed, a surge of hope coursing through him as he rushed to the door.

But that hope shattered as he saw who stood in the doorway. It wasn't Ava, but Nate, her older brother. Ethan's face fell, the brief flicker of hope extinguished, leaving him to face the reality of his loss.

Nate's expression was one of concern as he stepped inside. "Ethan, we need to talk," he said, his voice heavy with unspoken emotions.

Ethan could only nod, the weight of his actions and the magnitude of his loss pressing down on him. The door closed behind Nate, sealing Ethan in with the consequences of his choices, far removed from the future he had once envisioned with Ava.

Nate observed Ethan closely, the worry evident in his eyes. Ethan looked like a shadow of the man he used to be, unkempt and clearly struggling with the weight of his actions. As Ethan set the coffee cups down, the silence that enveloped them was thick with unspoken words.