Ethan's voice trembled, a fragile thread stretched taut.
"I know that's a lie, Mara."
His eyes bore into hers, searching for a flicker of truth, a sign that his words might reach the heart he once knew.
"You and him… You were never together, not really. He's just your friend. Because your heart it still belongs to me. Your body remembers my touch, craves it. You love me, not him. Admit it, Mara. You're doing all this just to hurt me, aren't you?"
His voice cracked, the weight of his pain pressing down on him.
"How much longer will you punish me for my mistakes? What more do I have to do?"
He struck his chest with a clenched fist, as if trying to still the ache within.
"If I could rip my heart out and show you how it beats only for you, I would."
Tears streamed down his face as he fell to his knees, the world around them fading into a blur.
"I belong to you, Mara. I haven't so much as looked at anyone else since you left. It's only you. It has always been you."
