Chapter 22
Ethan
The grocery store was too bright.
I stood just inside the entrance for a second longer than necessary, the automatic doors sliding shut behind me, the hum of lights and chatter pressing in. For a moment, I felt completely lost, like I’d forgotten how to do something as simple as shop for food.
I grabbed a basket and forced myself forward.
Milk, bread.
The cereal Lily liked.
Fruit she would probably refuse but needed anyway.
I moved slowly, double-checking labels, retracing my steps when I second-guessed myself. Lily stayed close to my side, quiet, her fingers hooked into the belt loop of my jeans. She hadn’t let go once since we’d left the house.
I was rounding the corner toward the produce aisle when I heard a voice I hadn’t heard in years.
“Lily?”
My head snapped up.
Sophie stood a few feet away, holding a mesh bag of oranges. She looked exactly like she always had. For five-two she was, petite, and utterly terrifying in the way only women who love hard and remember everything can be. Pretty, yes, but sharp around the edges, eyes too alert.
When we were kids, she used to sell lemonade on hot summer days, smiling sweetly. Even then, she’d been efficient, exacting, and quietly ruthless. The kind of girl who could charm a crowd and still make sure no one crossed her.
Lily’s whole body changed the moment she saw her.
“Sophie!” she shouted, breaking free from my side and running straight into her.
She buried her face against Sophie’s stomach.
Sophie’s expression melted instantly. One hand came up without hesitation, rubbing Lily’s back with easy familiarity.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she said softly. “Look at you.”
I stepped forward, and tried for a smile. “Hey, Soph. Long time.”
She looked up at me. And whatever warmth had been there disappeared.
Her face settled into something polite but closed off, cool and distant.
“Ethan,” she said, giving a brief nod.
Now, there was no sweetness left where Ethan was concerned. He had broken her friend’s heart, and on top of that, the word about the incident had already spread. I knew it had. In a town this small, things like that traveled faster than anything else. And I knew who people blamed.
They weren’t wrong.
“How’re you holding up?” Sophie asked. She didn’t sound too concerned.
“I’m… managing,” I said. I wasn’t sure if that was true.
Her eyes flicked over me, assessing. “Emma says Lily’s been having a hard time.”
“Yeah,” I said. “She has.”
“No surprise,” Sophie replied, tightening her hold on Lily slightly. Lily clung to her like she didn’t want to let go. “Kids notice more than adults give them credit for.”
My throat tightened. “I know.”
“I’m sure you’re trying,” Sophie said gently, but not toward me. “But she needs stability. Consistency.”
The message was clear.
I looked down at Lily, her cheek pressed against Sophie’s shoulder, and something inside me folded in on itself.
“I’m doing my best,” I said quietly.
Sophie didn’t soften.
“Sometimes,” she said, brushing Lily’s hair back carefully, “your best doesn’t erase the past.”
I deserved that.
Probably worse.
She kissed the top of Lily’s head. “You can always come over to play with Owen, okay? Any time.”
Lily nodded.
Then Sophie looked back at me.
“Emma’s doing everything she can,” she said. “Claire too.” She paused. “She’s been a rock.”
My shoulders tensed.
Of course she had been.
“So don’t make their jobs harder,” Sophie added calmly.
Shame burned behind my ribs.
“I’m not trying to,” I said.
“I hope not,” she warned.
She shifted Lily gently toward me. Careful for Lily’s sake, but firm. A silent message in her eyes.
Do better.
When Lily slid back into my arms, reluctant and stiff, I felt the weight of Sophie’s judgment settle on me completely.
“Goodbye, Lily,” she whispered, kissing her cheek.
Then, colder, “Ethan.”
She walked away.
Lily watched her go, her face filled with quiet longing. I watched her go with quiet humiliation.
I adjusted Lily against my shoulder, trying to make her comfortable, but she kept her body rigid, her face turned away from me.
And for the first time since I’d come home, I wondered if she would ever look at me the way she had, or if I even deserved that.
I walked toward the checkout in a fog. The basket felt heavier with every step, though it wasn’t the groceries weighing me down.
I couldn’t shake Sophie’s words.
I couldn’t shake Claire’s face from the night before anger and shock tangled together, like seeing me had reopened something she’d worked hard to close.
Everyone closer to her seemed to feel the same way.
I’d hurt her and they hadn’t forgotten.
Why should they?
Why should she?
By the time I reached the car, my chest felt tight. I pressed a hand to my forehead and stood there for a moment before unlocking it.
I didn’t know how to fix any of this.
I didn’t know if I even could.
All I knew was that Lily had cried in my arms, Sophie had looked at me like I was poison, and the whole town seemed to be holding its breath.
Waiting to see how I would fail again.
And the worst part was…
I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t.