Chapter 26
ALICIA
“Quiet! Quiet! My show’s about to start!” Alexis screamed over my parents, who were bickering in the kitchen.
My family came to the city to celebrate my promotion, then decided to stay the rest of the weekend.
I hadn’t realised how much I missed them until my apartment was filled with constant teasing and off-tune singing.
I sat in the corner of the couch, my nephew snuggled in my lap as I buried my nose in his hair. Austin wasn’t one to keep still for long, but I was a master negotiator and bargained with chips and chocolate—he was currently stuffing his face.
Alexis side-eyed me, fiddling with the remote. “Did you have to give him junk food so late? He’s going to have a sugar high before bed.”
I poked out my tongue, which Austin immediately copied. “Leave my boy alone,” I said, cuddling him closer.
Alexis huffed when our parents walked in, my mum shaking her head as Dad followed behind like a lost puppy.
Harriot Thorne was currently giving her husband a lecture on clean eating after he was caught sneaking a thick slice of cake. After his stroke, Mum had taken it upon herself to be his main carer and primary supporter. Which also meant she was the boss.
Sure, she was overprotective and manic at times, but Dad was making a remarkable recovery, surrounded by those who loved and cared for him.
Defeated, he collapsed on the couch beside me, grumbling under his breath. Incognito, I pulled a spare candy bar from behind the cushion and slipped it under his arm.
His face lit up before he gave a cheeky wink, sliding the gift into his pants pocket.
That’s when Alexis gave a sharp gasp, turning up the volume on the TV. Before I could ask, his voice rang through the room as if he were right there with us.
“I was fourteen years old when I realised my mother didn’t love me…”
Ever since we had parted ways the night before, I had been ruminating on the meaning behind his goodbye.
I never would have guessed that he was referring to a live national television interview.
My eyes were glued to the screen, cataloguing each expressive feature, trying to distinguish if it was truly real.
Ethan was breathtakingly open and raw as he relayed his traumatic past to the world. I couldn’t help but be proud of him.
Despite the public domain, I knew he was doing it for me .
Everything seemed to fade into the background as my attention was solely placed on him, soaking in every sentence, absorbing each revelation.
My heart ached for the little boy he described, and for the man who lost his self-worth chasing after a delusion.
Ethan was resolving all my unanswered questions, providing reasons for why he reacted the way he did. But also gave resolutions on how he wanted to change and the actions he was initiating to make that happen.
There were no excuses, just the bare truth, his vulnerability both brave and awe-inspiring.
Then, I swear my useless organ of a heart nearly gave out when he mentioned Runaway Girl.
That dreaded video, his explanations, the hurtful words he replaced with meaningful ones. They had me unravelling.
“Now, I’m speaking directly to you, love. ”
My breath hitched in my throat.
“Oh my—Holy shit, Ali! What are you going to do? He just said…” Alexis continued to rant as my brain misfired.
Who is this man?
I continued to listen with single-minded rapture, not wanting to miss a moment.
“Ah, Aunty… you’re hurting me,” Austin said in a low whine.
That’s when Mum’s concerned voice filtered through. “Are you alright, Alicia? You look like—”
“Like me when I was having a stroke.” Dad cut in, crowding into my space. “Are you okay, Ali? You’re pale—trembling, even.”
I immediately released Austin, who I’d unintentionally squeezed into a tight grip, then jumped up, pressing closer to the screen.
Their voices filtered into a buzzing static as Alexis seethed. “Shut up and let the man speak!”
“To the world, she’s known as Runaway Girl. When all I want is for her to run back to me. Don’t walk, baby, sprint full-speed, run as fast as you can—because I fucking swear, I’ll catch you this time!”
When the end credits began rolling, my knees were already on the floor, my legs refusing to hold my weight.
“Someone tell us what the hell is going on?!” Mum asked. “Who is that man?”
Austin continued chomping on his goodies as he enlightened my parents. “I thought he was my daddy, but Mama said he wasn’t father material, just like he said on TV. What does that mean?”
All eyes pivoted to Alexis, including mine.
She raised her hands. “I saw him outside your office in the early days of his betrayal. And he was acting smug as if his fame could get him out of the hole he’d dug himself.”
“And what do you think now, Lex?” I asked, voice low and strained, on the verge of being defeated.
Her features softened, genuineness shining through. “I think he’s putting in the work, Ali. I think he’s doing everything he can to be worthy of you.”
Mum stepped closer. “Alicia, who are you to that man?”
“ I’m Runaway Girl.”
Pause. “And… are you going to run back to him? Like he asked?”
“I-I don’t know…”
“Do you want to?”
“ Yes .” The answer was so immediate that the response was out of my mouth before I could compute.
That’s when the unsettling realisation fully took root. I had already forgiven him.
It was both gradual and all at once.
Ethan’s subtle pleas, his silent support, the guarded protection. After so many months, I had softened towards him.
I missed us together. I missed my friend and lover.
The night before, I had asked Burt if love was worth the heartache. I hadn’t been able to get his answer out of my head. Despite all of Ethan’s wrongdoings, I, too, was willing to push through the bad times to relive the good ones.
“ Well.” Dad scoffed, cutting into my thoughts. “He has to go through me first. He can’t just say a few words on TV and act like everything is fine.”
Mum sighed. “You heard what he’s been through, Phil.”
“And I heard what he said about Ali, too.”
I rubbed my temples. “Dad, I’m a grown woman.”
“So what? You’re still my baby. He has another thing coming if he thinks he—”
“Mum.” I interrupted. “Dad’s got a chocolate bar hidden in his pocket.”
Stark betrayal flashed in his eyes as Mum’s narrowed on him.
“Every man for himself.” I winked.
Crisis averted. For now.