Chapter 154: Proud Of You
Though the words felt weighty, real and final but oddly... they brought her peace.
"Are you serious?" Ethan’s voice rose slightly, surprise thick in his tone. "You’re really moving?"
"Yeah," Rayna murmured, her eyes tracing the familiar outline of the quiet street outside her window—the place she’d called home for longer than she could remember. "I’ve been thinking about it for a while... since Ruby accepted Stefan back into her life. I just... I needed the push, I guess. And this? This is it. I’m going."
She heard Ethan blow out a low whistle. "Wow."
He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked gently, "Do you have any idea where you’ll stay? What you’ll do there? Have you thought it through?"
It was going to be hard for him but then, he just had to support her decision. He’d do same for Stefan.
Rayna smiled faintly, a soft laugh slipping past her lips as she sat back down on the bed. "I have, actually. Ruby’s been trying to get me to move closer since Stefan.... She even told me yesterday that Elizabeth—Stefan’s mom— offered to help me settle in if I ever decided to come. She said she’d help me get a house, maybe even a position in their company if I wanted."
Ethan let out a low, impressed hum. "That’s surprisingly nice of Elizabeth."
"I know," Rayna agreed with a small shake of her head. "But to be honest... I don’t think I want to work for the company. That’s not really me."
She leaned back against the pillows, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of her comforter.
"I think I want to focus on my blog," she added softly. "You know... actually take it seriously. I’ve spent years treating it like a hobby and after that blunder caused by my worker, but maybe this is the right time to build it into something real. And right now—" her voice steadied, her eyes darkening with purpose—"right now, I want to use it to help Ruby. To get her side of the story out there. So when the time comes for her and Stefan to speak publicly, there’ll already be people who are willing to listen and not just believe Ivy’s lies."
There was a stretch of silence on the other end of the line. Then Ethan’s voice came, soft and warm: "I’m proud of you, Ray."