Chapter 77

Ethan 

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she focuses on finishing her pour, her hands steady, but her eyes, when she finally looks at me, there’s a deep, aching sadness reflected in them.

“I don’t know,” she whispers, her voice barely holding together. “Maybe. Everything’s just... a mess right now.”

“Sydney…” I start, my tone gentle, but she immediately shakes her head, cutting me off.

“Don’t,” she says, her voice almost too soft to hear. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

I want to push, to break down the walls she’s putting up, but the pain in her eyes stops me. It’s raw, unfiltered—like she’s barely keeping herself together.

I nod slowly, accepting the glass she hands me. “Okay,” I say quietly. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

The silence stretches between us. Then, without warning, Sydney tilts her head back and downs her drink in one go.

“Sydney!” I shout. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”

She stares