Chapter 71: Reunion at the shore

The sun was beginning to set, casting golden hues over the calm waters as the family walked along the beach. Olivia had taken a step back from the group, her mind drifting as the soothing sound of the waves wrapped her in a sense of peace she hadn't felt in years. Linda had proposed this vacation, hoping to pull Olivia out of her constant state of worry, and Olivia had finally agreed after seeing Eva's excitement. They all needed this break, this chance to breathe again after years of anxiety and distance.

Eva, who loved the color blue just like her father, had packed her suitcase with every shade imaginable. Today, she wore a sleeveless blue denim gown paired with white sneakers. Her curly hair fell freely, clipped with a small center clasp, making her look like a little doll. As the family strolled down the beach, Eva was laughing, running between Alex, Emma, and Max, who held her hand as they admired the sea.

Olivia had wandered into a nearby shop selling beach souvenirs. She browsed the trinkets absentmindedly when something caught her eye—a pair of sibling pendants made from delicate seashells. A perfect gift for Eva and Max, she thought, as she reached for them. 

Lost in thought, she hadn't noticed Eva wandering off, looking for her mother. By the time Olivia turned back toward the beach, her heart froze at what she saw—a man in a wheelchair, sitting next to Eva, who was staring up at him, curious and unafraid.

Olivia's breath quickened, her heart pounding in her chest. Her instincts screamed at her to run. She dropped the pendants and rushed toward Eva with every ounce of strength she had. But as she drew closer, her feet came to a sudden halt. It was him.

Ethan.

Her worst nightmare stood right in front of her.

But his face—it was no longer scarred like it had been when she left him. He looked... different. Healthy. And he was sitting in a wheelchair, something she had never expected. A wave of confusion washed over her.

"Leave us alone!" Olivia screamed, her voice thick with panic. She stood protectively in front of Eva, shielding her from the man she once called her husband. "I won't let anything happen to Eva, not again!"

Ethan looked equally stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Liv... Is that really you?"

His voice, that name—it pierced through Olivia's panic like a sharp blade. *Liv*. He had called her that so casually, with the same familiarity from their past. Only two people ever called her that—Emma and the real Ethan. Yet, ever since the hospital, he had only referred to her as *Olivia*.

Her heart sank, and she took a deep, careful look at the man in front of her. This was Ethan—she could feel it in her bones. But how? How was his face unscarred? Why was he in a wheelchair? And why did he sound... like her Ethan, the one who loved her, the one who had vanished from her life?

Trembling with confusion, Olivia quickly called out for Linda. "Mom!" Her voice was tight with fear, her hand clutching Eva's tightly.

Linda, Alex, and Emma hurried over, their faces filled with concern. As they arrived, they saw Olivia, frozen, standing before the man they hadn't seen in three long years.

"Ethan?" Linda whispered, her voice thick with disbelief. The others looked just as shocked, their eyes darting between Olivia and the man in the wheelchair.

Eva, sensing her mother's tension, clung to Olivia's side, confused by the fear in her mother's voice. "Mommy, isn't this daddy?" she asked, her small voice trembling.

Olivia looked down at her daughter, then back at Ethan. The same eyes she had stared into the night he left in the storm. The eyes that she thought she'd never see again, not like this. Her mind whirled with questions, her body trembling with both fear and confusion.

The Ethan she had left behind had been a cold, cruel shadow of the man she once loved. But this man in front of her now—he wasn't the same. He couldn't be.

Ethan, still in shock, stammered, "They said you were dead... But Liv, I've been searching for you."

The tension in the air was palpable. Olivia's heart raced as she tried to make sense of the man standing before her. Every fiber of her being screamed that something was off, yet a part of her hoped—hoped that this could be her Ethan. The one she had lost, the one who would never abandon her or their daughter.

Linda stepped forward, placing a protective hand on Olivia's shoulder, her eyes never leaving Ethan's face. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice firm and laced with suspicion.

Ethan's gaze flicked to Linda and then back to Olivia. "I've been praying for you to be alive," he said, his voice pleading. "I had no idea... no idea that you were alive. And now... here you are."

As his words hung in the air, Olivia's mind reeled. Could this really be her husband? The man who had claimed to love Jenna, who had denied Eva, who had betrayed her in the most painful way possible? But something about his eyes, his voice, felt eerily familiar—like the Ethan she had once known.

Linda glanced at Alex and Emma, and they all exchanged worried looks. They had spent years protecting Olivia and Eva from the ghosts of their past. And now, that past had caught up to them, in the most unexpected way.

Olivia took a deep breath, her grip on Eva tightening as she tried to steady herself. "I don't know who you are anymore," she whispered, her voice breaking. "But you don't get to walk back into our lives like this. Not after everything."

Ethan's face fell, and for a moment, there was a flicker of pain in his eyes. But Olivia couldn't let herself believe it—not yet.

Linda, ever the protector, stepped in between them. "We need answers," she said firmly. "And we're not going anywhere until we get them."