Ethan's POV — After Mia's Asleep
I stood in the doorway, watching her chest rise and fall beneath the soft blanket.
She looked so peaceful—so innocent. But the weight of what just happened pressed heavy on my chest.
She wasn't a kid anymore. Not really. And I couldn't ignore the way her warmth still lingered on my skin, the way her breath had fluttered against me when she fell asleep.
God, why did it have to feel like this?
Protectiveness and something darker twisted inside me, and I hated how much it confused me.
I'd always seen her as my little sister, the kid who used to run around this house with her two best friends — my sisters.
But now, when she was like this—so soft, so vulnerable—it was impossible to pretend she was just family.
There was a part of me that wanted to pull her closer, hold her tight and never let go.
But another part screamed to keep my distance, to protect her from me.
Because if I crossed that line, everything would change. Forever.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart.
Maybe tonight was just a fluke. A moment caught between childhood and whatever this was becoming.
But deep down, I knew one thing for sure—
I wasn't ready for what Mia was waking inside me.
And that terrified me.