TORN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS

The moment my mother's call ended, a cold weight settled in my chest. Daniel. The last person I wanted to deal with. My parents had been trying to push him into my life for years, convinced he was the perfect match for me. And now, he was asking about me? I should have ignored the feeling clawing at my gut, but the truth was, Daniel was the least of my problems right now.

I turned back to the room, where the tension between Ethan, Olivia, Liam, and Lena was so thick it was suffocating. Ethan was still standing stiffly, his eyes on me, but Olivia had taken a seat, arms crossed, a victorious smirk on her lips. Lena, on the other hand, looked like she was barely holding back a storm.

"Well?" Olivia said, raising a brow. "Who was that? Another man we don't know about?"

I clenched my jaw. "Not that it's any of your business, but it was my mother."

Liam let out a low whistle. "Oof. Family getting involved? That's never good."

Ethan finally stepped closer to me, his hand brushing against mine, the touch grounding me. "Hazel, is everything okay?"

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to brush it off, pretend like my life wasn't crumbling in every direction. But then Olivia snorted.

"Oh, please," she said. "Your family's probably just doing what any sane people would do-warning you about him." She gestured toward Ethan. "And let me guess... Daniel called them, didn't he?"

I stiffened. "How do you know about Daniel?"

Olivia laughed, shaking her head. "Sweetheart, just because you don't talk about your past doesn't mean others don't. Daniel's been around long before you decided to throw yourself into Ethan's arms."

Ethan tensed beside me. "Hazel, who the hell is Daniel?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "He's someone my parents always thought I should be with. He's successful, smart, stable..." I trailed off.

Olivia's grin widened. "In other words, everything Ethan isn't."

Ethan's jaw clenched. "Cut the crap, Olivia."

Lena scoffed, finally stepping forward. "No, I think she's onto something. How do you think this is going to play out, Hazel? You're stuck between two worlds-one where your family already has your future mapped out, and one where you're throwing yourself into something reckless with Ethan. Do you even know what you want?"

My heart pounded as I looked around the room. Olivia, smug. Liam, curious. Lena, judgmental. And Ethan-he was staring at me like I was slipping away from him.

I took a deep breath. "I don't need any of you telling me what's best for me."

Ethan reached for my hand again, this time gripping it. "Then tell me, Hazel. Do you want me? Or is this just a distraction from the life your parents want you to live?"

Silence stretched between us. The pressure was suffocating. Ethan's touch burned, Olivia's eyes judged, and somewhere in the background, Daniel was waiting.

Before I could answer, Lena's phone buzzed, breaking the tense moment. She glanced at it, her face twisting in irritation. "Daniel's in town," she announced. "And guess what? He wants to see you."

My stomach flipped. Olivia smirked, clearly enjoying this. "Ooooh, now this is getting interesting."

Ethan's grip on my hand tightened. "You don't have to see him," he said firmly, his voice low and dangerous.

Liam, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke. "Actually, I think she should."

Ethan shot him a glare. "Are you insane?"

Liam shrugged. "No, I'm just saying-she needs to see for herself. If Daniel is everything she's been told he is, then fine. But if he's not? Then at least she knows she made her choice for the right reasons."

Lena nodded. "Liam's got a point."

I exhaled sharply, my head pounding. This was too much. The suffocating expectations of my family, Olivia's constant needling, Ethan's intensity, and now Daniel inserting himself into my life again? It was too damn much.

Ethan looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Hazel. What do you want to do?"

I hesitated, torn between the life I had always known and the one I was desperately trying to build with Ethan. One wrong step, and I could lose everything.