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Part 25 – Fading Distance
Two days before Anna's birthday, the hallways of the school buzzed with laughter, the chatter of students echoing between lockers. Anna walked beside Ethan, her hand lightly resting in his. At first, the touch had felt heavy, unwanted, like chains pulling her down. But lately… she was learning to live with it.
Ethan made her laugh sometimes. He teased her gently in ways that surprised her, held doors open, brought her coffee in the morning, and wrote little notes in her notebooks—"My love", "My forever".
She still felt the fear deep inside, but little by little, she had begun to smile more when he was around. Maybe it was acceptance. Maybe it was survival. Maybe, in some strange way, her heart was trying to convince itself this was easier than fighting.
Nick noticed.
He leaned against the stair railing that afternoon, watching from a distance as Anna giggled at something Ethan whispered. Her smile looked real this time—not forced like before. For the first time in weeks, she seemed… lighter.
It broke him in ways he couldn't explain.
She had told him she didn't love him, that her heart belonged to Ethan. And now, seeing her like this, he could no longer argue with the picture in front of him. Maybe she really did love Ethan. Maybe Nick had just been fooling himself all along.
So, he stayed silent.
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Later that day, Nick found himself face to face with Ethan in the boys' locker room. Ethan, ever confident, smirked. "Something you wanna say, Carter?"
Nick tightened his jaw, stepping closer. "Yeah. One thing."
Ethan raised a brow.
Nick's voice was calm but firm. "If Anna really loves you… then don't break her. Don't play with her. She deserves someone who'll actually keep her safe and happy. If that's you, then fine. But if you hurt her—" He stopped, his eyes hardening. "You'll answer to me."
For a moment, Ethan's smirk faded. He studied Nick with a mix of irritation and something else—respect. Finally, he shrugged. "Relax, hero. She's mine, and I don't plan on letting her go. I'll take care of her better than anyone else could."
Nick gave a short nod and turned away. He wouldn't fight anymore. If Anna had chosen Ethan, then Nick's only role left was to watch from the shadows and make sure she was okay.
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That night, Anna sat in her room scrolling through her messages. Ethan had texted her a picture of the necklace he bought for her birthday—silver with a delicate heart pendant. "For my girl. Only two days left, can't wait to see it around your neck."
She smiled faintly, her fingers tracing the picture on her screen. Somewhere in her chest, the guilt for lying still burned, but… Ethan's efforts were softening the sharp edges of her fear.
Maybe… maybe things wouldn't be as bad as she once thought.
And as she drifted to sleep, Anna didn't realize that outside her world of confusion, Nick had already decided to step back—for her happiness, or at least the version of it she chose.
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