Chapter 4: Ghosts from the Past

Ethan's POV

The phone call had been brief but loaded with promise.

Ethan stood at his office window, his gaze fixed on the skyline below, though his mind was far from the city's steel and glass. His fingers drummed impatiently on the desk as he replayed the conversation with Bella in his mind.

"We need to talk," she had said. Those words echoed in his ears like a plea. For years, Ethan had been consumed by regret, anger, and longing. But now, there was a glimmer of something else in her voice. A crack. He could feel it.

His thoughts shifted to the twins. Bella's words, "someone from Mommy's past," had been a far cry from the truth. Ethan hadn't wanted to ask about the children at the gala. He didn't want to seem desperate. But deep down, he knew what he had to confront.

The moment her eyes had locked with his, all of his questions had rushed to the surface. Seeing the way she looked at him—almost as if she were still in love with him—had shaken him to his core. But the most jarring realization had come afterward: the children. Aiden and Aria. His children.

He had no doubts. The way they looked at him, the way they resembled him—it was undeniable. The timing matched too perfectly. Bella had been pregnant when she left, but she had never once told him. He had been left in the dark, with no explanation, no closure.

As the thoughts circled in his head, a knock on his office door pulled him from his reverie.

"Come in," Ethan said, not looking away from the view. His mind was too occupied with the impending confrontation to care much about the visitor.

The door opened, and Amelia stepped into the room with her usual effervescent energy. Ethan's younger sister always had a way of making the world feel lighter, even when it was falling apart. But today, her face was serious, and her gaze was focused.

"Ethan, we need to talk," she said, crossing the room to stand beside him.

His stomach twisted. "About what?"

"You know exactly what," Amelia replied, crossing her arms and giving him a pointed look. "About Bella."

His eyes narrowed. "What about her?"

Amelia let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. "You're in love with her, Ethan. Everyone can see it. But you're too stubborn to do anything about it."

"I don't need a lecture from you," he snapped, his voice sharper than he intended.

But Amelia didn't back down. "You've been miserable ever since she left. It's time to face it. If you want her back, you need to stop running from the truth. You owe it to yourself—and to the kids."

Ethan froze. The mention of the kids hit him like a punch to the chest. He was still grappling with the idea of being a father. How could he be a father when he hadn't even been there for the woman he loved?

"Amelia, I don't even know what to say to her. She won't let me in."

"Because you're not being honest with her," Amelia said bluntly. "And you're not being honest with yourself. You have to let her know what you're really feeling. You can't keep hiding behind all this business crap."

Ethan opened his mouth to argue, but before he could speak, his phone buzzed on his desk. The name on the screen made his heart skip a beat.

Bella.

Amelia smiled knowingly. "Looks like you're about to get your chance."

He ignored her teasing and picked up the phone, swiping the screen. His thumb hovered over the message, but he hesitated. The words were so simple yet held so much weight.

Bella: I'll meet you tonight. Same place.

Ethan's breath hitched. She was going to meet him. He didn't know what to expect, but everything inside him screamed that this was his moment. The moment to bridge the gap between them.

"Guess I'll have to take my own advice," Amelia murmured before walking toward the door.

---

Later That Evening

Bella hadn't responded to any of his messages since the gala, but Ethan had hoped, prayed for this—this one chance to get her back. He'd watched her from afar for too long, trying to understand why she had run, why she had disappeared from his life without a word.

But now, he was ready. He couldn't keep living in the shadows of his past.

When he arrived at the café, his pulse quickened. Bella was already there, sitting at a table near the back. Her posture was stiff, and her eyes avoided his gaze. But her beauty—her grace—was still the same. She hadn't changed.

The sharp ache of longing hit him hard, but he forced it down as he approached.

"Bella," he said softly, taking a seat across from her. The air between them crackled with tension, the space between them filled with unspoken words.

"Ethan," she replied, her voice cool, almost distant. "I didn't want to meet like this, but we need to talk."

"I know." His heart was in his throat, but he pushed on. "I know you're angry. But I've never stopped thinking about you. About us."

Bella's eyes flickered, but she quickly masked the emotion. "You think you can just come back into my life after all this time? After everything you did?"

Ethan flinched at her words. "I'm not asking you to forgive me, Bella. I just want to be part of your life again. Part of our lives."

The mention of the twins caught her off guard. Her hand trembled slightly, but she didn't pull away.

"Your lives?" she repeated softly. "You don't know anything about them, Ethan. You don't know what it's been like."

"Then let me in," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Tell me. Tell me everything."

There was a long silence as Bella looked at him, her eyes dark with something he couldn't quite read. Finally, she spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

"I can't."

Ethan's heart sank, but he refused to let her shut him out completely. "Why? Why can't you just let me be there for you? For the kids?"

The mention of her children caused Bella to stiffen. She glanced away, her eyes focusing on the empty cup in front of her. "Because you don't know what it's like, Ethan. You don't know how much I've protected them. How much I've kept them from the pain. And you—being part of their lives—it's too dangerous. It's not just about us anymore. It's about their safety."

Ethan frowned, confusion flickering across his face. "Their safety? What are you talking about?"

But before Bella could respond, the door to the café swung open. A man stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on their table. The moment his gaze met Bella's, Ethan felt a chill run down his spine.

It was Vince Reyes.

And he was looking directly at Bella.