The grand front door clicked open. Ethan let himself in without knocking - an old habit Alexander never asked him to break. The house was quiet, too quiet for its size — pristine and cold in its elegance.
Ethan had barely stepped inside when tiny footsteps thundered down the stairs.
"Uncle Ethan!" Luca barrels into his legs with a huge grin.
Ethan grinned and ruffled the boy's hair, steadying him with one arm.
Ethan crouched down to his level. "There's my little champ. How was school? "
Luca beamed. "Made a volcano! The fake lava went all over Miss Pearson's shoes. "
"Of course, it did. You're a Starling blood. " Etthan smiled.
Alexander appeared at the top of the stairs, tie loosened, shirt sleeves rolled up. He looked really tired - a tiredness that had nothing to do with work.
"Luca, " Alexander called, his voice gentle but firm. "Go wash up. Dinner's soon. "
The boy nodded, and sprinted back up the stairs, but not without giving Ethan a high five.
"Bye, uncle Ethan. " He waved excitedly and Ethan chuckled while waving back till he was out of sight. The little guy was adorable.
As the little boy disappeared, Ethan heard the familiar click of heels behind him. He turned, already bracing.
Karen stood at the edge of the adjoining dinning room, a crystal wine glass in one hand, eyes sweeping over him with a bored look of disdain.
"Ethan, " she said, not moving closer, her voice cold. "Still making yourself at home where you're not invited? " her voice was sickenely sweet but empty.
Ethan's smile didn't falter, but his eyes flicked to Alexander. "Wouldn't dream of missing your charm, Karen. " He offered a practiced smile.
Karen didn't bother to walk over. She didn't answer either. Just sipped her wine and disappeared into another room, her heels clicking like a threat.
Ethan shakes his head as Alexander gestures towards the den. Alexander stood by the bar, pouring two glasses.
"Still prefer Macallan over that Japanese stuff you pretend to like? " Alexander asked, glancing over his shoulders.
Ethan sprawled on the couch like he owned the place, one leg propped up, shirt unbottoned just enough to reveal the smooth arrogance he carried like second skin.
"I like variety. Unlike you, I don't cling to a particular stuff like it's a lifeline. " Ethan shot back with a lazy grin.
Alexander chuckled and handed him a glass. "Suit yourself, man. "
They settled in with drinks. Ethan lounged on the couch, Alexander by the fireplace, swirling the glass in his hands. They drank in silence for a moment longer. Then Alexander leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring into the fire.
"She wasn't always like this, " he said suddenly, voice quieter now.
Ethan didn't need to ask who he meant.
"Karen? " he asked anyway.
Alexander nodded slowly. "After Ava... everything changed. I kept waiting for her to come back - the woman I married, the way she used to laugh at horror movies and cry at stupid movies, dance barefoot in the kitchen, forget where she left her phone every damn day...."
His voice drifted. Ethan said nothing. He too loved Ava to the moon. She was such a cute little girl with bright green eyes. He hadn't even made it to her funeral - Alexander insisted he stayed in Tokyo for his business deal. Regretted it ever since.
"Karen never cried, not even once, " Alexander went on. "She just went cold. Started organizing everything. Her grief turned into control. And now - if I breathe the wrong way, she snaps. If I stay silent, I'm selfish. If I speak, I'm cruel. "
Ethan finally broke his silence. "You think she blames you? "
"I think she blames the universe. " Alexander sighed. "But I'm the only one close enough to hit. "
The fire popped, sending sparks up the chimney. Ethan leaned back, scotch forgotten in his hand.
"It's been a year since Ava passed. I know grieve does things to people, but she's not just grieving, she's weaponizing it. "
Alexander exhaled, a low, bitter sound. "She twists everything. Even Luca's afraid to speak around her now. I come home and feel like I'm stepping into a war zone. She resents me for breathing. "
"You're not the only one she resents. " Ethan said quietly. "She resents the world for taking Ava. But that doesn't mean you should let her destroy what's left of your family. "
Alexander's eyes darkened. "I don't know what to do anymore. Divorce feels like betrayal, like I'm leaving her in her worst moment... but staying is tearing me apart. "
Ethan sat back, swirling his scotch. "You ever think she already left you? Emotionally, mentally... she's gone, man. What you're holding onto probably doesn't exist anymore."
Alexander laughed, but it was hollow. "I guess i know that. But then I think about Luca. How much he'd lose. " He paused and continued "What kind of father I'd be if I left him with her. I won't let her raise him alone. He's already tiptoeing around her moods. He's just five. "
Ethan watched his best friend for a long moment, then nodded, just once and drinks.
"I wish I had some grand advice, but my love life's a car crash in slow motion. "
Alexander chuckled lowly. "That would require you to actually fall in love with someone. "
Ethan's grin returned, crooked and smug. "Actually, I met someone interesting. "
Alexander turns his head to look at him properly, intrigued.
"You? " he looked caught off guard.
"I know. " Ethan shrugged. "Shocking."
There was a flicker of something lighter in his expression, something rare. "It was accidental. A bakery. Seemed like she's the owner. I walked in for coffee and walked out humbled. "
Alexander smirked. "You? Humbled? "
"Don't look so surprised. She told me I looked like heartbreak and smelt like expensive cologne. "
Alexander laughed softly. "That's a new one."
"She's different. Absolutely not impressed by me. And has eyes that say she's seen too much and doesn't trust a damn thing I say - which, to be fair, is smart. "
"That's why you like her. " He smiled faintly.
"Yeah, probably. " Ethan nodded. "Her name's Harper. "
"Well, Harper might be the first woman to keep your feet on the ground. "
"God, I hope not. Ground's terrifying. " Ethan chuckled.
Alexander looked at him for a long moment, then raised his glass. "To the women who see too much.... and to the fools trying to win them over. "
They clinked glasses admist laughter, the sound sharp and clean in the quiet room.
There was a beat of silence, and then Alexander said, "Maybe hold on to this one. "
Ethan didn't reply, but the corner of his mouth tugged upward - the kind of smile that didn't need words.
*. *. *.
The sound of the front door closing echoed faintly through the hallway. Alexander had just seen Ethan off.
Karen stood just out of sight, her back pressed against the cool wall, one hand gripping the edge of the archway.
She hadn't meant to listen.
Not at first.
But when she heard Ethan's voice drifting down the hall, her curiosity had her rooted in place. Something in his tone had her still.
Now, she stared at nothing, her breathing shallow.
She'd heard every word.
Weaponizing grief. Resentful. Gone.
The scotch in Alexander's hands. The quiet way he'd spoken about her. As if she were some... thing to be endured. A storm to be survived.
Her nails dug into her palm.
Of course, Ethan had turned him against her. Charming, smug Ethan, with his perfect smirk and half hearted sympathy. Where was he when she was burying her child? And Alexander - God, Alexander. Acting like he was the one broken, like he had to carry the burden.
Had he forgotten who'd carried Ava's body?
Who'd buried her?
Who'd screamed in the middle of the night, unable to wake up from that looping nightmare?
Karen blinked. Her vision blurring with unshed rage.
And now he was talking about her like she was already gone. Like he'd started planning his escape.
Karen almost laughed. A bitter, soundless thing.
No. She wouldn't let him rewrite the story. She wouldn't be made the villian of a narrative he was too cowardly to own.
She stepped back into the shadow as Alexander's footsteps padded towards the staircase, heading to Luca's room. She slipped away, noiseless and smooth, like she'd never been there.
Let him think he had secrets. Let him think he was smart and she was a fool.
Karen was done being the woman everyone pitied.
*. *. *.
The clinking of dishes had quieted, replaced by the soft hum of jazz from the speaker in the corner and the occasional crackle from the candle wick burning low on the coffee table. Harper sat curled up at the end of the couch, nursing a cup of tea. She was wearing a mickey mouse pajamas and her hair was tied in a messy bun.
Seraphina flopped down beside her, tucking her legs under herself. "Okay. You've been chewing on something all through dinner. You want to tell me, or should I just start guessing?"
Harper smirked. "You'd like that too much."
"I would," Ariana said, grinning. "But I'd also get it right. So?"
Harper took a slow sip of the tea in her hands. "There was a guy. Came into the bakery this afternoon."
Seraphina's brows lifted. "A guy guy or a 'wrong order, can I speak to the manager' guy?"
"A guy guy," Harper said, staring into her glass like it might offer her a way out of the conversation.
"Hmm... Okay... Seems like this guy got to you. You never talk about guys. " Seraphina chipped. "Did he flirt with you? "
"Kind of. Like, he walked in and asked if he came in 'because the place smelt like heaven or fate brought him in'. What does that even mean?"
"That sounds illegal." Seraphina teased while chuckling.
"Obviously." Harper paused, a little flustered. "And I wasn't having it."
Seraphina raised a skeptical brow. "But you're telling me about it now. Which means you're thinking about it."
Harper sighed, staring into her tea. "He had this… ease. Like he wasn't trying too hard, but he knew exactly what he was doing. And his eyes—dark, like they'd seen things and laughed at all of them."
Seraphina was still. "Wow. He made that strong of an impression?"
Harper looked over at her, almost defensive. "I didn't say I liked him. I'm just saying he's the type that could wreck someone if she's not careful."
"You seem like you're warning yourself. You're scared," Ariana said without judgment.
Harper nodded. "Because I know how this goes. It always starts nice. They see the warm lighting and the good coffee and the woman who makes things from scratch, and they think that means I'm... safe. Sweet. Simple."
"You're not simple," Ariana said quietly.
"I'm not," Harper agreed. "I've got a messy divorce, a scar where trust used to be, and a habit of sleeping with one eye open—emotionally, I mean." She let out a humorless chuckle. "But he looked at me like maybe... none of that would scare him off."
Ariana reached over and tucked a loose strand of hair behind Harper's ear. "So what're you going to do if he comes back?"
Harper gave her a withering look. "Hopefully he never returns."
Seraphina chuckled and sipped her tea. "Seems to me like you're in trouble already. "