Chapter 52: Why won’t the universe let me be happy?

( third person’s pov)

For the past week, Ethan had barely stopped moving.

Between meetings at Parallax HQ, revised mockups, scheduling calls with Galactic Entertainment, and endless presentation drafts, his days had begun blending together into one endless stretch of fluorescent lighting and coffee-stained paperwork. Most nights, by the time he got home, he was too exhausted to do anything except loosen his tie, collapse onto the couch, and call Raina before nearly falling asleep halfway through their conversations.

And Raina noticed.

At first, she told herself not to overthink it. Ethan was finally succeeding. He had the promotion he deserved, a beautiful office, important clients, and for the first time in years, he genuinely looked proud of himself.

She wanted to support that.

But support and loneliness were two very different things.

Their calls became shorter. Their dinners less frequent. Even his texts felt distracted now, as though part of his attention was always somewhere else while replying to her.

So on Monday afternoon, after staring at her phone for nearly ten minutes debating with herself, Raina finally decided to surprise him.

With lunch.

Because if Ethan Crux was left unsupervised for too long, there was a very real possibility he would survive entirely on vending machine coffee and stale crackers.

And honestly...

She missed him.

—

The Parallax HQ building buzzed with movement as Raina stepped through the revolving doors carrying two carefully packed lunch bags in one hand.

Employees crossed the marble lobby with tablets tucked beneath their arms while elevator chimes echoed every few seconds. Behind the reception desk, a massive digital screen cycled through branding reels and advertisements beneath soft instrumental music.

Raina adjusted the sleeves of her cream-colored coat before approaching the front desk.

The receptionist looked up immediately.

"Good afternoon, ma’am."

"Hi," Raina replied with a polite smile. "I’m looking for Ethan Crux’s office?"

Recognition crossed the woman’s face instantly.

"Oh—Mr. Crux? Fifth floor. Executive design wing. Last office on the right."

"Thank you."

The elevator ride felt longer than it should have.

Raina leaned lightly against the mirrored wall as the numbers climbed higher, her reflection staring back at her.

You’re overthinking this.

He’s working.

That’s all.

Still...

Something uncomfortable lingered beneath her ribs.

And by the time the elevator doors opened, the feeling had only worsened.

The fifth floor was quieter than the lower departments. More polished. More expensive. Frosted glass partitions separated departments while employees moved through the corridors speaking in lowered professional tones.

Raina walked down the hallway until she reached Ethan’s office.

The door was slightly open.

A faint smile crossed her lips as she pushed it wider.

"Etha—"

The word died instantly.

A woman sat on the edge of Ethan’s desk.

Too close.

Close enough that her knee nearly brushed his arm.

They were laughing about something.

Ethan leaned back slightly in his chair beneath her, relaxed in a way Raina hadn’t seen all week.

Then the woman turned.

Short hair.

Sharp eyes.

A familiar face.

Susan.

For one terrible second, the room tilted sideways.

Recognition hit Raina so hard she nearly lost control of her expression.

Susan.

Here.

With Ethan.?

Her fingers tightened unconsciously around the lunch bags.

Both Ethan and Susan froze.

"Raina?" Ethan stood immediately. "I—I didn’t know you were coming."

His voice sounded nervous.

Too nervous.

Raina forced a smile onto her face so quickly it hurt.

"Hey, babe," she said evenly. "I missed you, so I thought I’d bring you lunch."

Her gaze shifted toward Susan.

"And who’s this?"

Susan slid off the desk gracefully before Ethan could answer.

"Oh," Ethan said quickly, "this is Susan."

The name alone felt poisonous.

Susan smiled politely and extended a hand.

"It’s nice meeting you."

Raina stared at the offered hand for exactly one second too long before ignoring it completely.

Instead, she looked at Ethan.

"Susan?" she repeated. "I didn’t realize you were on a first-name basis with clients."

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right... well... Susan and I actually knew each other in college."

"We were close," Susan added smoothly.

Then, after the slightest pause—

"Really close."

The way she said it made something twist violently inside Raina’s chest.

Not flirtatious.

Intentional.

Susan held her gaze the entire time, studying her carefully, almost as though she were trying to remember something.

Raina smiled again despite the pressure building behind her ribs.

"Well," she said, "it’s nice meeting you, Susan. I’m Raina. Ethan’s girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Susan blinked faintly.

Then her expression shifted.

Just for a second.

A flicker of confusion.

Recognition.

Unease.

Like she’d suddenly seen something she almost understood.

"Funny," Susan murmured slowly. "he never mentioned you."

Ethan visibly stiffened.

Raina noticed immediately.

And so did Susan.

The smile faded from Raina’s face before she could stop it.

Slowly, she turned toward Ethan.

"You never mentioned me?"

"I—it’s not like that," Ethan replied too quickly. "I just didn’t think discussing my relationship with a client was appropriate."

Raina knew instantly he was lying.

Not entirely.

But enough.

His eyes wouldn’t stay still. His hand remained at the back of his neck. He answered far too fast.

And judging from the subtle look crossing Susan’s face...

Susan knew too.

"Well," Raina said quietly, tightening her grip on the lunch bags, "maybe I shouldn’t be here."

"Raina—"

"I should probably leave you two to work," she continued calmly. "Clearly I interrupted something."

Then she turned and walked out.

"Raina!"

Ethan hurried after her immediately.

Several employees stepped out of the elevator at the exact moment she reached it, forcing her to stop while they exited. Just as the doors began sliding shut, Ethan shoved his hand between them.

The doors reopened.

He stepped inside beside her, breathing harder than before.

The elevator descended in silence for two floors before Ethan finally spoke.

"Raina... I’m sorry."

She kept her eyes on the glowing floor numbers.

"Are you?"

"I don’t fully understand what just happened," he admitted, "but I can tell you’re upset."

"Upset doesn’t even begin to cover it."

Ethan exhaled slowly.

"I should’ve told you Susan was the client."

"You think?"

The elevator continued downward.

"And when exactly were you planning on mentioning that your ex-girlfriend suddenly walked back into your life?"

Ethan blinked.

"How did you—"

Oops.

Raina almost cursed herself internally.

But she recovered fast.

"Oh please," she said sharply. "’Really close’? Any idiot could’ve figured that out."

Ethan sighed, frustration crossing his face.

"I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you worrying."

"That worked out wonderfully."

"I know." His voice softened instantly. "I know I handled this badly."

He stepped closer.

"But Susan and I ended years ago, Raina. There’s nothing there anymore. I swear to you—it’s work. Just work."

The sincerity in his voice hurt more than she expected.

"I don’t have feelings for her," he continued quietly. "I love you. Only you."

And somehow...

That still didn’t fix the feeling clawing at her chest.

The elevator dinged softly as the lobby doors opened.

They stepped out together.

"What do I need to do to make this right?" Ethan asked.

Get rid of Susan.

The thought appeared instantly in Raina’s head.

Clean.

Cold.

Effortless.

And what terrified her most was how natural it felt.

Raina swallowed hard before forcing a faint smile onto her face.

"It’s okay," she said softly. "Really. As long as it’s just work."

"It is," Ethan answered immediately. "I promise."

She studied him quietly for a moment.

Then nodded.

"I’m happy you got this job," she murmured. "And I don’t want to become the reason you lose it."

"You’d never be that."

"I mean it, Ethan. If this makes you happy... then I’m happy too."

His expression softened completely.

"I love you, Raina Takahashi."

Warmth returned to her expression just long enough to answer.

"I love you too, Ethan Crux."

They kissed briefly.

Short.

Tender.

Dangerously convincing.

Then Raina handed him the lunch bag.

"You should actually eat today instead of surviving on coffee."

Ethan laughed softly as he opened the bag slightly.

Inside was his favorite lunch.

Homemade.

Carefully packed exactly the way he liked it.

His chest tightened instantly.

"...You even remembered the extra sauce."

"Obviously," Raina replied lightly. "Someone has to keep you alive."

Ethan smiled despite himself.

"Yes, ma’am."

"And don’t skip lunch again."

"I won’t."

She nodded once.

"I should go."

Ethan kissed her forehead gently.

"Drive safe."

"Always."

Raina turned and walked away.

But the second Ethan could no longer see her face—

Her smile vanished completely.

—

When Ethan returned upstairs, Susan stood near the office windows overlooking the city skyline.

"I’m really sorry about that," Ethan said as he walked back inside.

Susan turned toward him slowly.

"No problem."

But something had changed in her expression now.

Something uncertain.

Ethan placed the lunch on the desk before sitting down again.

Susan tilted her head slightly.

"How come you never mentioned you had a girlfriend?"

Honestly...

Ethan didn’t know.

He frowned faintly.

"Like I said," he replied, "it never really came up during work."

Susan hummed softly, though her eyes drifted back toward the office door again.

"She’s beautiful."

"She is," Ethan admitted immediately.

Susan crossed her arms lightly.

"...Strange though."

"What is?"

She hesitated.

Then looked back at him.

"I know this is going to sound weird," she said slowly, "but when I looked at her earlier..."

Her brows furrowed slightly.

"I felt like I recognized her."

Ethan chuckled faintly.

"Yeah. She gets that a lot."

But Susan didn’t laugh.

Instead, she stared silently toward the door for several long seconds.

Unease crept slowly into her expression.

Like a memory trying desperately to surface.

Then she forced a smile back onto her face.

"Anyway," Ethan said, trying to move past the awkward tension, "we should probably finish reviewing the campaign layouts."

"Right."

They returned to work.

But the atmosphere inside the office had changed completely.

—

The moment Raina stepped into her apartment in Opalvine, she went straight to her bedroom.

The door slammed shut behind her.

She threw her bag violently onto the bed.

"Ahh—!"

The scream ripped from her chest before she could stop it.

Her breathing came fast now.

Sharp.

Uneven.

"Fucking Susan."

The name alone made her blood boil.

Of all people.

Of all the possible people in Harrington.

Susan.

Raina paced across the room, dragging trembling fingers through her hair.

"It’s always something," she muttered bitterly. "Every single time... every fucking time."

Her chest tightened harder.

Why now?

Why her?

Why did the universe insist on dragging ghosts back into her life the moment things finally started becoming peaceful?

She stopped moving.

Silence swallowed the room whole.

Then slowly...

Very slowly...

Her breathing steadied.

A different expression crossed her face now.

Not hurt.

Not jealousy.

Something colder.

Something dangerous.

"Well," she whispered into the empty room.

"Too bad."

Her eyes darkened.

"Because I don’t play by the universe’s rules anymore."

She reached for her phone.

"If I want happiness..." she murmured softly, "I’ll take it myself."

Then she dialed a number.

And waited.