Luna locked herself inside her room again.
But this time, it wasn't fear of memories.
It was fear of people.
The truth about her father had cracked something inside her. She had spent years believing he was simply gone—lost in an accident, taken by fate. But now, fate felt like the smallest part of it.
He had made a choice.
He had chosen Adrian.
And somehow, Ethan had known pieces of that truth all along.
That hurt more than she wanted to admit.
She sat near the window, staring at the city lights outside, but seeing none of them. Her father's face was blurry in her mind, unfinished and distant. Yet tonight, she felt him everywhere.
Only one.
Only one.
The memory echoed like a wound.
Her chest tightened.
Why would he choose Adrian?
What was so important that he would leave his own daughter behind for it?
And the worst question of all—
Was Ethan part of that choice too?
A knock came at the door.
She didn't answer.
Another knock.
Then his voice.
"Luna. Please."
She shut her eyes.
Of course it was him.
For a moment, she almost stayed silent again.
But silence had already destroyed enough.
"Come in."
The door opened slowly.
Ethan stepped inside carefully, like he was entering a place where one wrong move could break everything. Maybe he was.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Luna asked, without turning around—
"How much did you know?"
Straight to the point.
No room left for avoidance.
Ethan stood still.
"Enough," he said quietly.
She gave a hollow laugh.
"That word again."
Finally, she turned to face him.
Her eyes were tired, but sharper than before.
"No more vague answers. No more protecting me. I want the truth, even if I hate it."
Ethan looked at her for a long moment.
Then he nodded once.
"…Your father came to me before the accident."
That made her freeze.
"He what?"
"He knew something was wrong. He knew people were after the drive, and he knew he was running out of time."
Luna's heartbeat started rising again.
"So he asked you for help?"
Ethan's expression darkened.
"No. He asked me to stay away."
Silence.
That—
she hadn't expected.
"…Why?"
"Because he didn't trust me."
The answer came clean.
Sharp.
And honest.
Luna stared at him.
For the first time, Ethan looked less like the man in control and more like someone carrying an old wound.
"He thought Carter Holdings was already too involved," Ethan continued. "He believed if I touched the situation, it would only get worse."
"And did it?"
The question was quiet.
But brutal.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Because the truth was simple.
"Yes."
That single word landed heavily.
Luna's throat tightened.
"What happened?"
He exhaled slowly.
"The night of the accident, I found out too late that Adrian had reached you both. I went there to stop it."
Rain.
Road.
Headlights.
Fragments flickered in her mind again.
Ethan's voice stayed calm, but there was strain underneath.
"Your father knew someone had to leave with the drive. Someone had to survive with it."
Luna whispered, "…Adrian."
Ethan nodded.
"He believed Adrian could disappear better than anyone. That if he escaped, the truth would stay alive."
Tears filled her eyes again.
"And me?"
That question broke something.
Because that was what mattered.
Not the drive.
Not the secrets.
Her.
Ethan looked at her directly.
"He wanted you alive. No matter what."
Her breathing shook.
"Then why does it feel like everyone chose everything except me?"
The room went still.
Because there was no good answer.
Her father chose the truth.
Adrian chose survival.
Ethan chose silence.
And Luna—
had been left with the consequences.
She stepped closer.
"…Did you save me?"
Ethan's jaw tightened slightly.
That memory.
That night.
The one thing he never wanted her to fully remember.
"Yes."
Her voice trembled.
"Then why do I remember another version of me pushing me first?"
He hesitated.
Because this truth was worse.
"Because by the time I reached you…"
A pause.
"…you had already chosen."
Silence.
Luna felt cold.
"What does that mean?"
Ethan's voice dropped.
"It means you pushed your father toward Adrian."
Her breath stopped.
No.
No.
That wasn't possible.
But his eyes—
weren't lying.
Tears slipped down her face.
"…I sent him away."
Not because she wanted to lose him.
But because somewhere inside her—
she believed it was the only way.
Her knees felt weak.
Ethan stepped forward instinctively, but she barely noticed.
"My father died because of my choice."
"No," he said firmly.
"Because of circumstances. Because of people chasing something bigger than any of us."
"But I still chose."
Her voice cracked.
And that truth—
was unbearable.
For years, she thought she was grieving a loss.
Now she had to live with the possibility that she helped create it.
Ethan stood in front of her, closer now, but careful.
"You were trying to protect him."
She laughed bitterly through tears.
"And I failed."
"No."
His voice was stronger this time.
"You survived. That matters."
She looked at him.
Pain.
Anger.
Exhaustion.
"…Does it?"
Because survival didn't feel like winning.
It felt like punishment.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Then quietly—
"It matters to me."
That line—
soft, simple, honest—
broke through everything else.
For a second, Luna just stared at him.
Because after all the lies, all the silence, all the damage—
that truth felt the most dangerous.
Not because it hurt.
Because she believed it.
And believing him again—
felt terrifying.
She looked away first.
Because right now—
forgiving him felt harder than remembering.
And loving him felt even worse.