After having a Chinese take-out, Ethan and I head to the family room to let Chloe have her night sleep. Ashton left a couple of hours ago for a dinner appointment, but despite his brief visit to see Chloe, it brings a new hope that he may have started to come to terms with having a daughter.

"He's Chloe's father, isn't he?" Ethan asks, his eyes fixed on the coffee vending machine that is now making a fluttering noise.

"Yeah." I nod. "Obvious, isn't it?"

"And Chloe still thinks I'm her biological father."

"Ethan Watkins. Not you. You are Ethan Nolan for her."

Ethan shoots me a glare. "Char, I am Ethan Watkins. Sooner or later she's going to find out. Once she discovers the magic of the Google search engine, she will learn that my name is Ethan Watkins."

"Okay, okay. I know I need to fix this soon," I mumble as I cross one arm over my chest while my other hand massages my temple. "Just give me a couple of weeks tops. I want Chloe to be at least a bit stronger to take all of this information. But I promise I'll sort this out."

"This is so messed up, you know. She despises Ethan Watkins, which is me, but also not me. On the other hand, you let her believe that Ashton Knight is a friend while he's the one who is responsible for this mess."

"No," I interject. "If anything, I'm the one who is responsible for this. I'm the one who lied. Ashton didn't know about Chloe until last Monday."

Ethan frowns as he stares blankly at the machine in front of him, seeming busy with his thoughts. I don't know what's on his mind right now, but I can't let him blame Ashton for the mess I created.

As soon as the black liquid stops flowing, he picks up the cup and hands it to me before setting up another cup on the machine tray. "Are you and Ashton...a thing?"

I stop sipping on my coffee, my lips hovering over its cup rim. "Huh? How did you get the idea?"

"You should answer a question with an answer, Char, not with another question. I'm not your client."

"I thought it was more a lawyer thing." I shrug.

"Touche." Ethan chuckles as he slips his hands into his pockets, staring back at the machine that is making the same noise once again. "But seriously, though. Are you guys maybe looking into some kind of relationship in regards to raising Chloe together?"

I shake my head. "No. It's been only a working relationship between me and Ashton. And I want to keep it that way when we start with the co-parenting role. Second of all, he has someone."

"Hmm, okay." I can almost hear the relieved tone in his voice. "Then I read it wrong."

I tilt my head, feeling anxious all of sudden. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing. It's just...the way you looked at him while he and Chloe were talking made me feel...left out." Ethan almost mumbles when he says the last word.

His somber expression tugs at my heartstring. He's been going through dark moments, and seeing him like this makes me sad for him. "I wasn't trying to make anyone feel left out. I was just glad that Chloe has a chance to connect with her father after everything she's been through. But that's all about it."

He turns his head to me, his dark eyes glinting under the dim light. "That's all about it?"

"Yeah," I reply, ignoring the uneasiness that is creeping up inside me.

Ethan's lips curl up into a smile. "That's the answer I expected to hear from you, to be honest."

"Oh?"

"Char, I've been–"

"Excuse me," says a voice behind us, startling us. "Are you two done with the vending machine?"

"Oh, yes. My apology for standing in the way," Ethan replies as he snatches his cup from the machine. Once we find a table in the corner of the room, he continues, "I believe you've noticed by now, that I want us to try again."

"Ethan–" I'm about to say something but Ethan raises his hand to stop me.

"Let me finish first. I know I messed up big time back then. I didn't trust you enough and chose to believe other people over my own girlfriend. I had no idea that Lydia stirred this problem just to break us up."

Ethan mentioning the girl's name brings up my old resentment to the surface. I always knew that behind her friendly smile, Lydia had been wanting him for herself but he was just too stubborn to see it. Ethan took her words seriously because they'd been buddies for years before I came into his life, and she knew it damn well. 

"And it was too late when I realized it. Three months late, and you were already carrying someone's baby. It crushed me big time. I know you said you still wanted us and after the delivery, you wanted to try again. But the pregnancy messed up my head. And I ran away." Ethan sighs in exasperation. "That was the biggest mistake I made, Char. Because no matter where I went, no matter what I did, you're always there in the back of my mind."

"Yet you never tried to find me," I mutter under my breath.

"I know. I've been denying my feelings for years. I thought by carrying on with my life, focusing on my career, meeting someone new, falling in love again, and having a kid would just get my life back in gear." Ethan takes a gulp of his coffee as if it will give him the courage to what he's going to say next. "But once I saw you again that day, I knew I'd been fooling myself all these years. I still love you, Char. I've always loved you. It's been eight years and nothing has changed."

I open my mouth before closing it again. I've been waiting for this moment forever; the moment Ethan finally admits that he made a mistake by leaving me. There are so many things I want to throw at his face right now. I want to tell him about how much he hurt me, how much he broke me, and how I became dysfunctional in a long-term relationship ever since.

The thing is that even though my mind is now running a mile, my heart refuses to budge. Because I can't hate him. Maybe I have forgiven him at some point in my life without realizing it. I can't hold his mistake against him forever, can I? If I heard that he impregnated a random girl right after we broke up that day, I would be as devastated as he was. Hell, I would probably do worse things than just disappearing on him.

But the question is: do I want to reopen the door for him? Do I still want us?

"I know the timing is just not in our favor. We both are still in the mess, but I don't mind waiting." Ethan runs his fingers through his black hair as he smiles weakly. "Honestly, I didn't plan to say this to you today. I guess, learning about Chloe meeting her dad pokes my nerves. The thought of losing you once again scares me."

"I don't know what to say. I'm just...my brain is just not functioning at the moment," I say.

"That's why I said I would wait. Take as much time as you need. I'm not going anywhere this time, Char."

I shift my gaze to him and our eyes meet. Unlike eight years ago, I see no doubt coating his dark eyes. The man who is now sitting in front of me is the Ethan I wished he had been back then. Maybe, just maybe, I can still find my way back to him.

Fumbling with my empty paper cup, I smile and nod. "Okay."

Chloe has been a fighter since the very beginning of her existence.

She is getting stronger and has started to stand up and walk. Just a few steps at a time until she can reach the bathroom and say goodbye to the urine pot she's grown to despise. It's been a week since the accident and judging from Chloe's recovery progress, I can go back to work today. I'm so grateful to have Mom and Sophie who are willing to take a turn in keeping an eye on Chloe while I'm away. And the good news is, she's expected to be discharged sometime this week.

Max agreed to my proposal in taking a half-day of work until Chloe is settled at home. I just need to pop up at work to sort out things I can not do from home, such as client visits and some paperwork. My team has been nothing but supportive. Even the sassy Gina keeps making sure that I'm holding on just fine with the workload.

It's almost lunch break when my intercom rings. I'm in the middle of rechecking my to-do list for tomorrow before I can pack my bag and head to the cafeteria, my last stop before I go to see Chloe. At this point, I would do anything to avoid the hospital cafeteria. Ashton is right about the food. It sucks.

"Hello, Charlotte speaking," I greet as I press the phone receiver between my ear and my shoulder, my hands busy throwing all my stationery into the drawer.

"Come to my office. I've ordered lunch for us and it's time to have a little talk."

I freeze. That voice.

The last encounter we had in the hospital is still left unsolved. Ashton hasn't pursued further explanation about how Chloe's father is Ethan Watkins. I did tell him briefly that it was some kind of misinformation and I would explain more later. He just nodded and said "okay" before he left the hospital.

And now he wants what is promised to him.

⭐⭐⭐