Chapter 70: Chapter 70
Ethan couldn’t take his eyes off Lane. He was terrified that if he looked away for even a second, she might vanish into thin air, and it could be years before he saw her again.
He was dying to go over to her. He wanted to talk to her, hold her, and feel her warmth one more time.
He wanted to show her just how much he’d missed her. But he didn’t have an opening because her two friends were hovering over her like bodyguards, acting like they thought he was going to hurt her.
Ethan clenched his fists as he replayed the conversation he’d had with Noah just before they walked into Uncle Richard’s room.
"Stay away from her, Ethan," Noah had warned.
Ethan hadn’t backed down. He’d snapped back, asking Noah who the hell he thought he was to tell him to stay away from his own wife. He told Noah he had no right to interfere.
But all Noah did was let out a sarcastic laugh.
He told Ethan he had some nerve calling Lane his wife when he’d never actually treated her like one.
Noah threw everything back in his face, reminding him of all the times he’d neglected her. He brought up the moment that broke everything: the day Ethan chose to save Olivia instead of Lane.
Those words had left him speechless. It felt like a massive hand was crushing his chest, making it impossible to breathe. It was like his heart was being pierced by a thousand daggers. He couldn’t even defend himself because the guilt was eating him alive.
He just wanted to apologize. He wanted to explain why he’d chosen to save Olivia that day.
In reality, Ethan’s first instinct had been to save Lane the moment she fell into the pool. He had jumped in immediately to get to her.
But before he could reach her, he saw that Noah was already there, pulling her to safety. Just as he was about to head toward them, he heard Aunt Rebecca screaming for him to save Olivia. Since he knew Lane was safe in Noah’s arms, he turned back to rescue Olivia instead.
He never imagined that one split-second decision would ruin everything. By saving Olivia, he’d made Lane believe he was choosing the other woman.
But the truth was, there was never a choice to be made. Ever since he fell for Lane, she was always the one.
"How is my godchild doing, Lane?"
Ethan snapped out of his thoughts and stood up straight when he heard Eva ask that.
Godchild?
Was Eva talking about his child with Lane?
He caught Lane sneaking a glance at him.
He held his breath, waiting for her to answer because he was desperate to know about the kid he’d never even met. He didn’t even know the child’s name.
The thought of it made his heart ache. He wanted so badly to see his kid, to hold him or her, and to see who the kid looked like.
Maybe the child took after Lane, just like Tyler took after his mother. That was the main thing he wanted to ask her if he could ever get her alone. He wanted to know about their baby.
But it was pretty clear she didn’t want him anywhere near the kid, considering she’d left them behind.
"He’s fine," Lane said shortly. Eva must have picked up on the tension because she didn’t push for more details.
Ethan sighed. His child is a boy then. He’d just have to be the one to ask when he got the chance. He started praying that Eva and Noah would finally leave so he could get a moment with her.
"Ethan."
He looked over at Aunt Eleanor.
"Yeah, Aunt?"
"You’ve been standing there forever. Have a seat," she said.
"I’m good, Auntie," he replied. He looked back at Lane and his heart skipped a beat when he caught her staring at him. Their eyes locked for a second, and a wave of pure joy hit him.
He was about to smile at her, but she looked away instantly. He sighed again.
Finally, he saw a glimmer of hope when the two friends started saying their goodbyes.
"Auntie, we’re heading out now," they told her mother. "We’ll be back tomorrow."
"Thanks for coming by, guys," Auntie Eleanor said. "Get home safe."
"I’ll walk them out, Mom," Lane offered.
Ethan watched her leave the room to escort her friends. She went out of her way to avoid looking in his direction.
Several minutes passed, and Lane still hadn’t come back.
"Auntie, I’m gonna step out for a minute," he said.
Once she nodded, he headed out to find Lane. He’d only gone a few steps down the hallway when he saw her walking back.
She was buried in her phone and didn’t see him at first. But when she looked up and their eyes met, she froze. Her eyes went wide.
It was obvious she wanted to bolt, but he moved toward her before she could run.
He hadn’t even reached her when a familiar voice stopped him cold.
"Dad!"
He looked past Lane and saw Olivia holding Tyler. Tyler wiggled out of his mother’s arms and sprinted toward him, grabbing his leg in a huge hug.
"Dad!"
Ethan looked at Lane and felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. The look in her eyes as she watched Tyler hug him was pure, unadulterated pain.
Fuck.
____________
Lane bit her lip as she watched the little boy clinging to Ethan’s legs. Even though she hadn’t asked who he was, she already knew.
Just hearing him call Ethan "Dad" confirmed it. This was the child he had with Olivia.
She tried her best to stay numb, but the pain broke through anyway. It wasn’t even about her own feelings anymore. It was for her son, Calvin.
It killed her that in all these years, Calvin never got the chance to hug his father the way this boy was right now.
She could tell Ethan saw the pain in her eyes because he looked rattled the moment they made eye contact. It was a small miracle she managed to keep from crying right then and there.
She was about to walk away to avoid witnessing a family reunion that felt like salt in a wound, but a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Lane."
She took a deep breath before turning around. Olivia was walking toward her with a smile. To Lane’s surprise, the second Olivia got close, she pulled her into a hug.
"When did you get back?" Olivia asked.
Lane started to answer, but Ethan beat her to it. She hadn’t even realized he’d moved closer. When she stole a glance at him, his brow was furrowed and his jaw was set tight. He looked like the last thing he wanted was for Olivia to be there.
"What are you two doing here, Olivia?" Ethan asked, his voice ice-cold.
"We came to visit Uncle Richard," Olivia replied.
"Why are you asking, Dad? You don’t want us here?" the little boy chimed in.
"I’m just asking, Tyler," Ethan said, his tone softening instantly for the kid.
"Oh, anyway, Lane," Olivia said, turning her attention back to her. She looked at her son.
"Tyler, honey, come here."
So, Tyler was Ethan’s son. Same initial, definitely his. But looking closer, Lane didn’t see much of Ethan in him.
The boy looked exactly like Olivia. It was a sharp contrast to her own son, Calvin, who was the spitting image of his father. Calvin had inherited every single one of Ethan’s expressions.
The boy stepped up to Olivia. "Tyler, this is your Aunt Lane," Olivia said, introducing her.
"Her Dad is your Grandpa Richard and her Mama is Grandma Eleanor. Introduce yourself."
"Hello, Aunt Lane," the boy said politely.
"My name is Tyler Blackwood. I’m four years old. My mom is Olivia and my dad is Ethan."
Hearing that last name felt like a physical blow. It was like being stabbed a thousand times at once.
Blackwood. Ethan’s name. Meanwhile, her own son didn’t even get to use his father’s surname. He used hers.
That had been a brutal decision for her to make. She’d spent so much time agonizing over it, even asking her parents for advice. Her father told her he’d support whatever she chose.
In the end, Lane followed her head instead of her heart. The last time she followed her heart, everything fell apart.
She gave her son her own name because she wanted a clean break from Ethan. She didn’t give him his father’s name because she was convinced Ethan never wanted them in the first place. His old, hateful words still echoed in her mind.
She looked up, and her eyes widened slightly when she caught Ethan watching her. He had this look of pure concern on his face, like he wanted to reach out and hold her.
She quickly looked away and focused on the boy. Despite the mess of emotions inside her, she managed a small smile for Tyler. The kid was innocent; he didn’t ask for any of this drama.
"Hi, Tyler," she said. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," he chirped.
Lane cleared her throat and looked at Olivia. "If you want to see my father, we can head to his room now," she said.
She didn’t wait for a reply before leading the way. She didn’t look back at Ethan, even though she could feel his eyes on her.
"Oh, Lane. Did you get your friends off okay?" her mother asked when she walked in.
Lane just nodded. She noticed her mother’s expression shift into a frown. She tried to look away, but it was too late. Her mother had already caught the look in her eyes.
"Are you okay, Lane?"
Before she could answer, the other three walked through the door. Her mother’s eyes went wide.
"Auntie," Olivia said, greeting her.
Before her mother could even say hello, she shot a worried look at Lane. Lane just gave her a small, forced smile to let her know she was fine so she wouldn’t worry. Her mother took a deep breath and turned to the guests.
"Olivia."
"We heard about Uncle Richard, Auntie.
That’s why we’re here," Lianne explained.
"I see," was all her mother managed to say.
"Dad, pick me up!" Tyler said, reaching his arms up toward Ethan.
Lane watched as Ethan lifted the boy. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Olivia watching her before turning back to her family.
It stung to see the smile on Olivia’s face as she reached up to stroke her son’s hair.
A happy family. That’s all Lane saw when she looked at the three of them. As much as she tried to fight it, she was hit by a wave of pure envy.
She knew it was wrong, but she couldn’t help it. This was the life she had once dreamed of having with Ethan.
She jerked her gaze away when Ethan looked up at her. Luckily, her phone started ringing right then, giving her the perfect excuse to bail before she burst into tears.
She pulled the phone out and saw it was Mae. She looked up one last time and caught Ethan’s intense stare.
"E-excuse me. I have to take this," she stammered.
She didn’t wait for anyone to say anything before she bolted out the door.
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