Time of the Avenger
her. The door had opened to reveal Ethan himself, looking unusually un
read it," he said, unchar
sed the door and opened the envelo
pend a week with me. No expectations, no pressure-just time to talk, to understand each o
p and stay well out of Ethan's way and all the messiness he brought with him. But another, quiet
hie at the airport w
orb the splendor of the private jet without any commentary. She could not help but admire how thoughtful everything was: her favorite tea
top surrounded by rolling vineyards and fields of lavender. The villa was a testament to ru
She allowed herself a short moment to close her eyes with the
beautiful," she ad
d, the relief audible in his tone. "Come in
and large windows that allowed wind to circulate, making the space feel bright and welcoming. E
n simply," he said, wavi
ine and engaged in forced small talk. But gradually, the tension wore off. Ethan began sharing events from his childhood-his tr
he said softly. "I know that doesn't
didn't just hurt me, Ethan. You destroyed my famil
y that guilt for the rest of my life. But the thing is, there's
him!" Sophie shot ba
le position. Alex and I... we just took advantage of an opportunity. It was ruthless, I admit that.
a man brought down by forces outside of his control. Now, however, she
der field in the vicinity. The great expanse of purple flowers manipulated the eye;
think," he said, breaking the silence
defenses. They walked on for a while, in silence, with t
me here, Ethan?" So
e man who made those horrible decisions... but a ma
cket and produced a small enve
read what was in it-an amount for a settlement tha
money," she said,
way of trying to give back what I took. I know
aistband and clutched it tightly, a c
top. Ethan, to Sophie's disbelief, fit right in under the bright light with laughter and joyous chit-chat. He playfully negot
, Ethan was trying to eat a pastry wit
y at the moment," she said,
than shot back, grinning. "I am
la by candlelight. The sun sank in the hampers of orang
t my whole life chasing success, thinking it would make me happy. But it didn
g she could not really put a finger on. "You hurt me, Ethan. More than I thoug
ion. Ethan leaned across the table, his palm hovering just abo
spered, "we try
they intertwined their fingers as they b
to Re
ness, creating a fine balance between glamour and intimacy, chaos and serenity. Sophie was unsure if this was a conce
orning in Tuscany. A silver tray held freshly baked croissants, a
ie said, sitting up against
sponded, grinning. "I've taken enough
gled to make eye contact. She wanted to believe this new Ethan was si
ed into a vintage convertible rented by Ethan, cruising through winding roads embellished wit
there for a long time. The wind tangled through her hair, and she laughe
g you like th
e wh
ap
ded, but soon recovered. "I g
d the night with truffle pasta and seared scallops. He asked a hundred questions, and his ans
ean it again: I'm sorry, Sophie, for all of it. For what happened to your father, for the pain I put y
tions were a jumbled mass: "I don't know if I can forgive y
was a little too much. "Tha
stillery, where they discovered the process of making essential oil. The sweet and calming s
ndmade pottery and bright scarves. The last thing Ethan bought was for Sophie-a dai
The conversations turned more dignified and vulnerable-they had some stories, especially about
her father's downfall, her family's strug
tter," she confessed one night. "But it
phie. You're stronger than anyone I've ever met. And you've taught me mo
e swimming in the Mediterranean's crystal clear waters. Ethan had prepared a pi
nge to pink, Ethan turned to Sophie. "Now, there's something I want
o see inside a pair of diamond earrings. They were gorge
she whispered, t
ave them to me years ago, told me to give them to someon
, tears filling her
rupted. "I just want you to know how much
toward him and pressed her lips against his in what
er's bodies. Their coupling was wild with passion that was possible only under pressure from emo
ets at the end of it, in those quiet moments, Ethan stro
you, S
name them yet. She rested her head on his chest
ough," she confessed. "But I thin
held her close. "Take all the time
xt morning with a not
Meet me outside-I've got
de the convertible, a misc
e asked as she slipped i
he said, revvi
ost impressive views while relishing more local delicacies. They got to a p
ich had engulfed her for so long did not seem to have a place in her now. The future remained u
e said to Ethan on their last evening to
shining with determination. "Wherev
villa and watched the world spread itself bef