Ethan's POV
The fresh air hit my face as we stepped outside the hospital, and I could finally breathe again. Ella walked beside me, a soft smile on her face, her hand occasionally brushing against mine. We were free from that place, finally. The weight that had been pressing on me for weeks had begun to lift. I looked at her, knowing we had been through so much together, yet here we were, alive and healing.
Khian had already made arrangements. He offered my mom and me a place to stay for a while, a rest house, somewhere far from all the chaos. Somewhere safe. Somewhere we could take a moment to breathe. I knew it was for my mom, mostly, but I also knew he was doing it for me. 
As we walked toward the car, Khian caught my arm and pulled me aside. The look on his face told me everything. There was something we still had to discuss, something we couldn't avoid any longer.
"I told you about the case," Khian said quietly, his voice steady, but there was a sadness in his eyes. "About my dad and... everything he did."
I nodded, remembering the weight of that conversation. It was heavy. The kind of news that shifted everything you thought you knew. Khian had apologized, more than once, for what his dad had caused. For the accident. For the years of hurt. And in that moment, I saw the pain on his face. He didn’t need to apologize anymore.
"It's okay," I told him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "We didn’t know. Neither of us knew. This was never your fault."
Khian’s eyes flickered for a moment, a hint of relief, but the guilt was still there. "But I know what I need to do now," he said firmly. "I have to turn him in. My dad has to face what he's done."
I nodded again, understanding. "We’ll deal with it. Together."
It wasn’t going to be easy. None of this was. But we had each other now, and that made all the difference. Khian had been my best friend, my brother, through all of it. And even with all the mess, we were still standing. Together.
Later, as we arrived at the rest house, I could finally feel the tension in my body start to ease. It was a beautiful place, surrounded by trees, the soft sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. Nature had a way of reminding you how small your problems were, how they were just part of a bigger, endless cycle.
Ella, Lily, and Sophie were already in the clearing, running around with kites, laughing as the colorful cloth soared high into the sky. Their joy was contagious. I couldn't help but smile watching them, especially Ella. She looked so free, so happy. After everything, seeing her like that was all I needed.
Over by the fire pit, Katherine was helping Khian and my mom set up the grill. They were prepping steaks and barbeque, and I could already smell the charcoal burning, the promise of a good meal hanging in the air.
I walked over to Khian, watching him as he focused on getting the fire just right. There was a calmness in him now, something that hadn’t been there before. He looked up at me, and for a moment, neither of us said anything. We didn’t need to. The worst was behind us.
"You ready to burn those steaks?" I joked, nudging him with my elbow.
He chuckled, shaking his head. "You better not jinx it. I’ve been practicing."
We laughed, and it felt like old times again. The pain, the anger, it was still there, but it didn’t define us anymore. We were just two friends, two brothers, trying to move forward.
"Hey, Ethan!" Sophie’s voice called out from across the yard. She was struggling with her kite, the wind refusing to cooperate with her. "Come help me! These two are useless!" She pointed at Ella and Lily, who were both laughing uncontrollably, probably not even trying to help at all.
I grinned, shaking my head. "I’m coming!"
As I ran over to help Sophie, I glanced back at Khian. He caught my eye and gave me a nod. Things weren’t perfect, but they didn’t need to be. We had each other, and that was enough.
By the time we finally got Sophie’s kite flying, the sky had turned a deep orange, the sun starting to set behind the trees. The fire was crackling, the smell of food filling the air. 
I sat down next to Ella, who leaned her head on my shoulder, her hand slipping into mine. "You know," she said softly, "I think we’re going to be okay."
I smiled, squeezing her hand. "Yeah, I think so too."
I turned my head slightly to look at her, and my heart tightened in a way it always did just like before. There was something about her, something that made me feel safe, like no matter what chaos was happening, she was the constant in my life. I had been through so much pain, so much confusion, and yet, every time I saw her, every time she smiled, it was like the world made sense again.
For me, Ella was not just a friend and I realized that since we just were kids. She was more than that. She was my strength, my anchor. And as we sat there, her warmth against my side, I knew I could never let her go. 
Ella wasn’t just part of my story, she was my story.
I glanced down at her hand in mine and felt my heart race, a sense of calm and joy washing over me. She didn’t know it, but she had saved me in more ways than I could ever explain. All I knew was that wherever life took us from here, I wanted her by my side.
Forever.
-----
I was still sitting near the fire, still lost in my thoughts about everything that had happened. The sound of Ella’s laughter, the way her eyes lit up under the fading sun, it was all I needed to keep going. But reality had a way of sneaking up on you, even in moments like this.
The crunch of footsteps caught my attention. I looked up, and my heart sank. Two police officers were walking toward us, serious looks on their faces. I nudged Khian, who was busy helping Ethan’s mom with the food.
"Khian..." I whispered, and he turned around, his face hardening as he saw them coming.
They weren’t here for a friendly visit, that much was clear.
Khian and I exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between us. This wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The officers stopped in front of us, clearing their throats. "Ethan, Khian," one of them said, nodding in our direction. "We need to have a talk again."
My chest tightened. This was it, the thing Khian had warned me about. The police had been digging deeper into my case, and everything was about to unravel.
Khian stepped forward, his face calm but I could see the tension in his shoulders. "What is this about?" he asked, though we both already knew.
The officer glanced around, noticing the others. "Can we talk in private?"
We moved a bit further away from the group, just enough so the girls wouldn’t hear. Or so we thought.
The second officer pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket. A warrant. "We’ve been investigating the car accident," he said. "And we wanted to inform you that we’ve caught the mastermind behind it."
Khian’s face went pale. My heart raced as the officer paused, his eyes locking onto Khian’s. "We know now that it was your father, Khian. He’s been arrested. He turned himself in earlier today, out of town."
I felt the world tilt for a second. Khian’s dad… He had finally given himself up. I glanced at Khian, who was frozen in place, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.
"He provided enough evidence," the officer continued. "Receipts, deals, papers… all pointing to the fact that he orchestrated the entire thing. It was a cover-up, meant to protect his business dealings years ago. We have everything we need now."
Khian’s jaw tightened, and I could see the struggle on his face. He had known this was coming, but hearing it out loud was different. 
And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw her, Ella. She had been listening, standing just a few feet away. Her face was pale, her hands trembling as she processed what was being said.
"Ella," I said softly, stepping toward her, but she shook her head, her eyes wide with fear.
"Is it true?" she asked, her voice shaky. "Is Dad really got arrested?"
Khian looked like he was about to crumble, but he kept his composure, stepping forward to face her. "Ella… it’s true. He turned himself in. He did the right thing. He’s going to face what he’s done."
Tears filled her eyes, and she hugged herself, like she was trying to keep from falling apart. "But what’s going to happen to him? What’s going to happen to Dad?"
I wanted to reach out and hold her, to tell her everything would be okay. But I knew that wasn’t what she needed right now. She needed answers.
Khian knelt down in front of her, his voice soft but steady. "Ella, he’s going to face the consequences of what he did. He’s going to be okay, but he needs to do this. He made a mistake, and now he’s fixing it."
Ella’s tears began to fall, and my heart broke watching her. She wasn’t just scared, she was devastated. Her whole world was crashing down, and I didn’t know how to make it better.
"Ella, it’s okay," I said, stepping closer. "He did the right thing by turning himself in. Let him finish what he started, and we’ll be here with you the whole way."
She shook her head, her sobs growing louder. "I don’t want to lose him," she cried. "I don’t want him to go to jail. What if... what if something happens to him? I can’t—"
Khian stood up, wrapping his arms around her as she broke down. "It’s going to be okay," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I promise, Ella. We’ll figure it out. But right now, you need to calm down, okay? Please."
I could see the panic rising in her, the way her chest heaved with every breath. Khian glanced at me, and I knew what he was thinking. Her heart, she couldn’t take this kind of stress.
"Ella, breathe," I said, trying to stay calm for her sake. "Look at me, okay? Just breathe. We’re here. You’re not alone."
She nodded, though her tears kept falling. Slowly, her breathing started to even out, and she leaned into Khian’s embrace, still trembling but a little more in control.
Khian stroked her hair, his voice soft. "We’ve got you, Ella. You don’t have to do this alone."
I stood beside them, watching as my best friend, the girl I loved, fought to hold herself together. I hated seeing her like this, hated knowing that no matter what we said, the fear wouldn’t just go away.
But we had each other. That had to be enough for now.
When Ella’s sobs finally quieted, she looked up at us, her eyes red and puffy. "I’m scared," she whispered.
"I know," Khian said gently. "But you don’t have to be scared alone."
I nodded, stepping closer to her. "We’ll get through this together, Ella. I promise."
We had made it this far, through all the pain and chaos. We weren’t going to let this tear us apart.
We stood there, a quiet resolve settled between us. Khian’s dad might have been the cause of all this, but we weren’t going to let it destroy what we had.