Moonlit Mountain (Caleb and Sarah)

"Finding Forever After the Betrayal Chapter 16

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Aiden and Ethan had made a pact, a silent agreement forged in the fires of

their shared love for Violet. Whoever she chose, the other would step aside, burying his own feelings deep down, accepting the role of friend, confidante, a shadow in the periphery of her happiness.

But she had chosen neither.

Their plan, their brilliant scheme to nudge her towards a decision, had

backfired spectacularly.

They stared at each other, their faces mirrored reflections of regret and a simmering resentment that was as much directed at themselves as it was at each other. Whose idea had this been, anyway? Whose genius plan was it to introduce a rival into their carefully constructed world, a world that had revolved around Violet for as long as they could remember?

They'd been so sure of themselves, so confident in their unshakeable bond, their understanding of Violet's heart. Now, all they had was this: a shared sense

of loss, a gaping hole in their lives where her laughter, her warmth, her gentle presence had once been.

The helicopter landed with a bone-jarring thud on the roof of the lake

house. They were unceremoniously dumped onto the rooftop, their bodies

aching, their pride bruised, their hearts a tangled mess of regret and a desperate 12:37

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<(Finding Forever After...

hope that somehow, someday, they could make things righ

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Hannah rushed towards them, her eyes wide with concern, her voice a

breathless whisper."Are you okay? What happened?"

She knelt beside them, her fingers fumbling with the ropes that bound their wrists, her touch, once a source of comfort, now a jarring reminder of their betrayal.

Aiden, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, barely acknowledged her presence. He rubbed his bruised wrists, the ghost of the ropes a burning reminder of his humiliation. He didn't need Hannah's pity. He needed Violet. Ethan, his jaw clenched tight, his eyes burning with an anger he couldn't quite place, pushed past Hannah, his shoulders brushing against hers with a force that made her flinch.

"Here," Hannah said, her voice trembling as she placed two glasses of water

on the coffee table."You must be thirsty. Did you... did you find her? Is Violet okay?"

She twisted her fingers together, her carefully cultivated composure

cracking under the weight of her anxiety. She'd known, of course,

that they'd

gone to Seattle. Violet's absence, the empty silence of the house, the frantic calls

that had gone unanswered... the clues had been impossible to ignore.

But surely, they hadn't succeeded? Surely, Violet wouldn't choose a stranger 12:37

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over them?

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Aiden's gaze snapped up, his eyes narrowing as he studied Hannah, a flicker

of something dangerous, something calculating, flashing in their depths. "What

do you mean?" he asked, his voice low, menacing."How did you know we went to Seattle?"

Ethan's eyes followed Aiden's, a cold realization dawning on him. "What do

you know, Hannah?" he asked, his voice laced with a threat that made her heart skip a beat. He grabbed her wrist, his grip tight, his gaze unwavering."Don't make us ask twice."

Fear, cold and sharp, shot through her. She tried to pull away, but his grip

tightened, his fingers digging into her flesh."I... I didn't do anything! Violet told

me... about her parents, in Seattle. She said she was going to visit them. I just... I assumed that's where you went."

Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision, but this time, her usual act,

her carefully crafted vulnerability, fell flat.

Aiden and Ethan weren't buying it.

They'd been willing to play along before, to indulge her need for attention,

her desire to be the center of their world. It had been a means to an end, a way to

make Violet jealous, to force her hand. But now, the game was over. And they were done playing.

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(Mary)

"Tell us the truth, Hannah," Ethan growled, his patience wearing in Or

we'll find out ourselves. And you won't like the consequences"

Aiden's

's gaze was cold, calculating, as he leaned forward, his voice a low, menacing purr."You enjoy your job, don't you, Hannah? Your fancy aparmen? Your designer clothes? Would be a shame to lose it all, wouldn't it? Go back to that little village of yours... empty-handed."

His words, a chilling reminder of her humble beginnings, the life she'd so

desperately tried to escape, were her undoing.