Chapter 33:
New Beginnings, Old Feelings

Kathalina stood by the hospital window, her fingers brushing lightly against the cool glass. Even now, with everything that had happened, she still found herself struggling to believe it was real. Harry had remembered. After five long years, he had finally remembered her - remembered them. A soft, bittersweet ache settled in her chest. She wouldn't pretend she didn't love him anymore, because the truth was simple: she would always love him. Deeply, truly, the way you love someone who was part of your soul. But loving someone and being able to go back to the way things were... those were two very different things. Too much time had passed. Too many pieces had shifted and rearranged themselves in ways that couldn't simply be undone. Some bridges, once burned, leave scars that change how you walk forever.

She sank into the chair beside Ethan's bed, her heart heavy with a quiet, lingering regret. She should have known something was wrong that night. She shouldn't have let five years slip by believing he had chosen to walk away from her - when in truth, he never had a choice at all. He had always been the one to stand up for her, to protect her from whispers and judgment, to make her feel like the most precious person in the room. And when he needed someone to see the truth, she had failed him. She had let bitterness and hurt blind her, while the woman she once called her best friend built a world of lies around him.

"Mummy?"

The small, gentle voice broke through her thoughts, and she quickly turned away, brushing a tear from her cheek before she looked down at him.

"Why are your eyes wet?" Ethan asked, his little forehead creasing with genuine concern. He shifted in the bed, the hospital sheets rustling softly around him.

Kathalina forced a soft smile and reached out, smoothing his hair back gently from his face. Her breath caught, as it always did - those bright, expressive green eyes, so unmistakably Harry's, and those soft, chocolate-brown curls that framed his face. He was the perfect blend of everything she had loved most in the world. And every day she looked at him, she was reminded that half of him had grown up without the other person who loved him most.

"Mummy's just thinking about some things, baby," she whispered, kissing the top of his head. "Nothing sad, I promise."

Just then, a soft but clear knock sounded on the hospital door.

Ethan's face lit up instantly, his eyes sparkling. "Is it Daddy Lucas?!" he beamed, wiggling excitedly and throwing both little arms into the air. "He said he'd bring me chocolate milk today!"

Kathalina's chest tightened. She stood up slowly, taking a steadying breath before opening the door. And when she saw who stood there, her heart gave a painful, unexpected leap.

It was Harry.

He stood there in the quiet hallway, his hands in the pockets of his coat, looking tired and yet somehow more himself than he had been in years. But it was the look in his eyes - a mix of hope and hesitation - that made her voice catch in her throat.

"Harry..." she whispered, stepping just outside the door and pulling it gently closed behind her so Ethan wouldn't hear. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see him," he said quietly, his voice steady but heavy with emotion. "To see our son."

Kathalina shook her head gently, though her heart ached for him. "Harry, it's too soon. He doesn't know you exist. I can't - I can't just walk in and tell him everything all at once. He's only five. It would be too confusing."

From inside the room, Ethan's little voice called out, muffled but clear. "Mummy? Is that Daddy Lucas out there?"

She glanced back through the narrow gap in the door. "No, sweetheart. Just... an old friend of Mummy's. Why don't you finish building your tower while I talk for a minute?"

"Okay!" he chirped happily, and she heard the soft clatter of his toy blocks as he turned his attention back to them.

When she looked back at Harry, his expression had shifted. There was something wounded in his gaze, something he tried to smooth over by straightening his shoulders and adopting a more serious expression. But she knew him too well - or at least, she used to.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" she suggested gently. "Downstairs? There's a quiet café. It will be more private."

He nodded, his jaw set, and followed her down the hallway without another word.

Fifteen minutes later, they sat across from each other at a corner table in the hospital café. The morning sun filtered softly through the windows, but the air between them felt still and heavy. Kathalina wrapped her fingers around her warm cup of tea, unsure how to begin. Every possible opening felt wrong, every question felt like stepping on thin ice.

Finally, she lifted her gaze to meet his.

"How are you?" she asked softly. "And... how did things go? With Olivia?"

Harry looked down at his hands resting on the table for a long moment before answering.

"I'm... trying," he said honestly. "As for Olivia - I've moved out. We've gone our separate ways. There was too much hurt, too many lies standing between us. I couldn't stay there anymore. Not once I knew what the truth felt like."

Kathalina nodded slowly. There was so much more she wanted to say, but none of it felt like her place anymore.

"So," Harry began again, his voice quieter but sharper now, like he was carefully choosing his words. "Tell me about this Lucas. Why does my son call another man his father? Who is he to you?"

"He's someone who stepped in when I had no one else," she answered gently but firmly. "He's been kind, Harry. He's been a father figure to Ethan since the day he was born. He didn't have to do that, but he did."

"I saw him on my way up," Harry said, a muscle tightening in his jaw. "He looked comfortable there. Like he belonged."

"He does belong, in his own way," she said softly. "Harry... there's something I need to tell you."

She lifted her left hand slowly, turning it so the light caught the simple, elegant ring resting on her finger. His eyes fixed on it, and for a heartbeat, everything seemed to go quiet.

"We're engaged," she said, her voice trembling just a little. "We haven't set a date yet, but... yes. He asked, and I said yes."

Harry nodded slowly, but he couldn't quite hide the way his breath hitched. He looked away, out the window toward the parking lot, his expression closing off like a door clicking shut.

"That's... wonderful," he said, though his voice sounded hollow. "You deserve happiness, Kathalina. You both do. If he makes you happy... then I'm glad for you."

"It doesn't mean I don't care about what happened to you," she said softly, reaching across the table to rest her hand lightly over his. "Or that I don't feel for you. I'm so sorry, Harry. For everything that was done to you. For the years you lost. I wish... I wish things could have been different."

He looked back at her then, his eyes glistening faintly in the soft light. He turned his hand slowly and gave hers a gentle, fleeting squeeze before pulling away.

"Don't apologize," he said quietly. "None of this was your fault. And it wasn't mine either. Sometimes... life just happens to us while we're busy making other plans. All we can do now is move forward, even if it's not in the direction we expected."