Chapter 220: A Rare Possessiveness
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I lingered in the library’s quiet long after Ethan’s question hung in the air, feeling it settle around me like a weight I couldn’t shake off. The silence wasn’t cold or angry, it was just heavy, the kind that happens when two people who care about each other run out of safe topics to discuss.
His hand was still loosely holding mine, and I could sense the slight tremor in his fingers, the effort behind keeping his voice steady.
I forced myself to look into his eyes again, and before I could think too much, the words tumbled out, soft and sad and sincere.
"For what it’s worth," I said, "my feelings for you haven’t changed. Not even a little."
His eyebrows went up slightly, surprise flitting across his face.
"You were my first love, Ethan," I carried on, this confession feeling both enormous and inevitable. "And I still love you. I probably always will, even if it takes me a while to find the right words to express it. This whole situation I’m dealing with involving someone else? It doesn’t erase you. What we had is still very real."
He studied my face for what felt like an eternity, his blue eyes tracing every line, searching for any hint of a lie and finding nothing. Gradually, the tension in his shoulders eased, and that familiar, charming smile returned, smaller than usual but genuine.
"That’s a relief," he said quietly. "Knowing there’s still a space for me there, even if someone new is around too."
He let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh. "For some reason."
I managed a faint smile in response, my chest aching in both a good and bad way.
Ethan leaned back in his chair, running his hand through his hair. "You know, now that I think about it... it’s probably for the best if I don’t know who this mysterious person is."