Chapter 2

A few days later, Uncle Joe and Cousin Mike dropped by the apartment uninvited.

Clara was out with Lily at a nearby park.

"Ethan, we need to talk," Uncle Joe said, his tone serious, bypassing any pleasantries.

Mike hovered in the background, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"About what, Uncle?" Ethan asked, already tired of this.

"About Sera, of course! You can't just pretend she doesn't exist. You're back in D.C. now. People will expect..."

Mike finally piped up, "Yeah, Ethan. Uncle Joe's right. Princess, I mean, Sera, she's still... well, she's Sera Vance. And that offer she made, about being her architect, maybe it wasn't so bad? Status, connections..."

Ethan cut him off. "Mike, I told Uncle Joe. I'm married. I have a daughter. My life is not what you think it is."

He remembered the constant pressure from his relatives back then, dazzled by his connection to the Vances, always encouraging him to secure his position.

His mind drifted. He had to do something to close this chapter, for his own peace, for Clara.

He still had it – the vintage silver locket, a simple piece he' d found in an antique shop, a symbolic gift he' d given Sera years ago, representing their shared future. He' d poured his heart into a letter too, five years ago, raw with pain and confusion, but never sent it.

Maybe it was time.

He found a discreet messenger service the next day. The locket, nestled in its original worn velvet box, and the sealed, five-year-old letter were dispatched to Seraphina Thorne, care of the Vance estate.

No return address. Just a final, silent statement.

He didn't expect a reply. He just wanted it gone from his life.

Two days later, an unfamiliar number flashed on his phone. He ignored it.

Then a text from his Uncle Joe: "Ethan, call me URGENT. It's about Sera."

Reluctantly, Ethan called.

"She collapsed, Ethan!" Uncle Joe' s voice was frantic. "Sera collapsed! They said it was stress. Happened right after she got some package. What did you do?"

Ethan felt a flicker of something – surprise, not guilt. "I sent her something from our past, Uncle. For closure."

"Closure? You nearly gave her a heart attack! Now Senator Vance is involved, and... look, she's invited you to a garden party at the estate. This weekend. You, and your... family."

An invitation. Not a summons, but close.

Ethan sighed. He should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

He remembered Sera as a child, her bright laughter, her absolute faith in him.

"You'll be the greatest architect in the world, Ethan," she' d declared, her eyes shining, "and I'll be right there with you."

They were young, inseparable. He' d worked tirelessly, driven by her belief in him, by the desire to be worthy of the golden girl from the powerful family. His life's goal had been simple: build a career, marry Sera.

She had been so open about their connection, pulling him into her glittering world, telling everyone, "Ethan's mine."

The whole city knew them as a pair.

Then Captain Marcus Thorne returned, a decorated war hero, charming, confident, everything Ethan, the studious architect from a working-class background, was not.

Sera' s eyes had lit up when she saw Marcus, a new kind of sparkle that Ethan hadn't seen before, a sparkle that made a cold dread settle in his stomach.

Whispers started. "Marcus is more her equal," people said. "A war hero and a Senator's daughter, a perfect match."

Ethan had tried to ignore it, telling himself Sera was different, their bond was stronger.

He remembered their annual tradition: her birthday, a quiet picnic, just the two of them, a promise renewed each year.

He' d sent a carefully chosen gift, a handwritten note requesting their usual outing.

The reply came from a household servant: "Miss Vance is otherwise engaged today."

Engaged how? His feet moved before his mind did, leading him to the park where they always met.

He heard her laugh, light and carefree, before he saw them. Sera, radiant in a new dress, hanging on Marcus Thorne's arm, both of them looking entirely too comfortable, too happy.