章 10: Chapter 10: She Was a Maverick.

*Eason*

The bar was dimly lit, a haze of smoke hanging in the air like a veil between the present and the past. I stared down into my glass, the amber liquid swirling as if it held the answers to the questions that plagued my mind.

Ethan sat across from me, nursing his drink, his eyes sharp as he watched me. It wasn’t the first time we had visited a bar to drown our thoughts, but tonight felt different. The silence between us was thick, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on me until I could hardly breathe.

“You look like hell,” Ethan finally said, breaking the silence. His tone was casual, but I could hear the concern lurking beneath it. “Is this about Lena?”

I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I took a long sip from my glass, letting the burn of the alcohol settle in my chest. I knew he was right, but admitting it out loud felt like pouring salt on a wound that had never really healed.