The Illusion Of Us

(TWIST) CHAPTER EIGHT

Upon landing at the airport, Fred wasted no time heading straight for Ethan and Ava's Manhattan apartment. The lateness of the hour was of no concern to him; his mind was consumed with the need to understand the situation. Fear for Ava gnawed at him—the fear of how she might be coping in the aftermath of her breakup with Ethan. Knowing the depth of Ava's love for Ethan, Fred could only imagine how difficult it must have been for her to end their relationship, especially just days before they were meant to wed.

As Fred stepped into the dimly lit apartment, he was immediately struck by the somber atmosphere. Ethan's listless greeting barely registered as Fred took in the scene before him: an apartment echoing emptiness and sorrow, littered with empty beer bottles—a testament to Ethan's attempt to drown his sorrows.

 "Ethan?" Fred's voice was laced with concern. 

"Hey, Fred," Ethan's greeting was flat, void of any spark as he motioned for Fred to sit. "So, you've heard the news, huh?" he asked, dropping wearily onto the sofa, a table laden with empty beer bottles before him.

Fred stayed standing, taking in the stark contrast of the lifeless apartment to its once vibrant state. "Yeah, Carlson filled me in. Told me you and Ava have have broken up," he said, gathering the scattered empty bottles from the floor to clear some space. "Is drowning in booze really helping? Have you tried reaching out to Ava?"

Ethan let out a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of his world. "I've been trying since yesterday. Her phone's off, and... I even went to her parents, hoping she'd be there. They told me she's gone and not to follow her." The words seemed to weigh heavily on him, each one a struggle.

Fred noticed the bruises marking Ethan's face, evidence of the turmoil he was in. "Ethan, what on Earth happened?" he pressed, hoping for clarity amidst the confusion.

Ethan met Fred's gaze, a mixture of surprise and resignation in his eyes. "I guess you haven't been filled in yet. I really screwed up, man. I...I said things about never really loving Ava, thinking no one else was listening. And Ava...she heard everything." His voice broke, a testament to his regret. Fred clenched his fists, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Ethan took a deep, shuddering breath, the weight of his next words pressing down on him. "Then Violet came back, and with her, all the old feelings resurfaced. She wanted us to pick up where we left off, to be together again," he confessed, the turmoil clear in his voice. "And I... I found myself wanting the same, drawn back to her in a way I couldn't resist."

He paused, the silence heavy between them. "So, I continued to meet her, secretly, behind Ava's back. We met up several times, and every time, I felt more like a traitor. We never went as far as sleeping together—I couldn't bring myself to cross that final line while I was still engaged to Ava. But that doesn't make it any less of a betrayal, does it?" Ethan's voice broke with the admission, the reality of his actions laying bare the depth of his betrayal.

In the heavy silence that followed, Fred found his voice again, this time with a chilling clarity that cut through the despair hanging in the air. "You know, Ethan," he began, his gaze fixed on something far beyond the walls of the apartment, "right now, you're drowning in regret for hurting someone as pure as Avaline. But the truth is, you haven't even begun to comprehend the magnitude of what you've lost. That kind of regret," he paused, his voice heavy, "it's going to consume you, making you wish for an end to the relentless agony. But it never ends... because I'm still living through that torment." His words, steeped in a profound sorrow, left an ominous echo, a forewarning of the desolation yet to fully unfold in Ethan's heart.

Without another word, Fred stood up and walked out of the apartment, leaving Ethan to ponder the cryptic yet haunting truth in his parting message.