"This is a mistake," Ethan whispered, his voice hoarse. "We can't…we shouldn't…"
But his hand lingered on Caleb's arm, his fingers tightening, his thumb tracing a slow, deliberate pattern on his skin. Caleb leaned in, drawn by an invisible force, and the space between them closed. He could feel Ethan's breath on his face, the heat in his body, the desperation in his eyes. His own desire was a raging storm inside him, a need so overwhelming it threatened to consume him.
He met Ethan’s mouth, their lips meeting in a kiss that was both desperate and tender, a collision of years stolen and unspoken desires. It was a kiss that spoke of pain and longing, of buried secrets and unfinished business. It was a kiss that threatened to unearth everything they had tried so hard to forget.
Ethan groaned into his lips, his fingers tangling in Caleb’s hair, pulling him closer, and Caleb felt himself falling, letting go of everything he thought he was, and sinking into the warmth of the moment, the heat of Ethan’s body, the intoxicating taste of his kiss.

The Second Chance

Chapter 35: Desperate Measures

3CfEUiLfaRO2inAVWwfUI7++X/95mivzWuLzbm+wrV3JcGz5w9auKtnBOxohXILaigGxkGD23IrRgJjkJSPuiWh0qhOfTZbfgAOaKdSSqVzZSp9BTVoZfBm4xKmk+xC2WKjkYogIP31ut0V+cNhhqSQr/bgfKMOchbWv1fjItGSxA93HWOcrIs865TWwlBCCyjXBxZ3mZn5gtP8MrpfM689nuGVNTSZauQxgTPwkLtlWQeaPmm0ozhRd6n/VNEjxqKf5S6CZsZpeYDyW5oAZIGIaeGjHaXjCYjIggG8JT+6Bn2KbPMz3SNw/tKvlQb//Y8SXaZrcpIUlF1ZEkfbMETNIkBd4dlYrIgpG+CHLg7Wi/PlDvHVO6ts2wNUqSTJgzqmxmkGo31Fmtl0wt1F9q0VdQLc+h97gkprTfs0TKLUrdCeOnCEm1IxNjD8xOSJHYNiNAFgcfT0ydmn5azCspgtr9jnakwQKyhBptQRgKQPcP3ueQhNNwc7g5beRpj0XjQrCGcBQDhW6O7N2iV1gf1gT+/dndgMZ05Ffx0TMW6pJnSLdS0e7hR7+PJmW23omdetyir2xzxQaMsYdNBujBMSjPqrimH3wXA3+q6DJE+TcabiXD5uIpp+gzNH1LVBxhzdz3/RF9cd+SKwtx7WMEOw4go4rQIR/0pqUchLQE2gSECcW7KesqGjq/UVqw3I+bMUFcyaGNTpxriAOQBfX1EPg7Iy7DeBO6h1hKP9FNdczzAyFi/W8KIZuYQ2ZyyK0b2cs0j/DR9UjgThLibLXBwxhq7ScawH4uzzbJq8q9YYVKst8pd4oynUlbHn3ecr6oy1pdnGkP8ofAxvOaBFFfRQfP7py8mXNG2fSK0utDdl9adeNVmMXHMihrXS2/K+d2/ABgBqfrBJAutNPkTtuAO8L6fHgp8FnesGvBwDzt8KXFkAR9NGjTsOVyvkUvo5YmItkJZL51JSioRBgLV75Ky9qSH2qXCePhTSY3zlvsg0g3TAI01F2PwIhJxGysl+xq/FWj85m1hMlDIkl7aBeBC0uIZxmSU73fNQpirFEJNQdFhfg4W7gYNapWBtjKzei3rS4teqb622hrKFAy8CYRpMSQOpXVSLEAsFaaJnMDu18nLm+cENZohjME4nKvJ3xrIqoNTm3iPteVLiNOlcpJ3vnbdJTuMdz139JQRSauYLZt5hYf3rvYN+olinOcxvcImVU2dc8vdWmlJl8U2iAtggZxhOj+FjmXXuzJSxOgg0E15Qv0m5xCLHBa6IKXxOVrLp6Pww5aiG7ofSVgxvknPA5EwALDv2Mvdqsvx0yEkW/yvjKpcR/JhIGioAshv4A

My My heart slammed against my ribs as the masked driver swerved closer, metal screaming against metal. The envelope with my father's records went flying, papers scattering across the passenger seat like autumn leaves. I fought to keep control of my truck, hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel....

Chapter 19: Ghosts of Yesterday

Chapter 1: The Homecoming 

Chapter 2: Ghosts of Pine Ridge

Chapter 3: The Lake House Memory

Chapter 4: A Painful Encounter

Chapter 5: The Weight of Silence

Chapter 6: Ghosts in the Rain

Chapter 7: Sparks and Shadows

Chapter 8: Dreams of You and Me

Chapter 9: A Bitter Pill

Chapter 10: Unanswered Questions

Chapter 11: Coming Home

Chapter 12: Morning Light

Chapter 13: Small Town, Smaller Minds

Chapter 14: Echoes of Fear

Chapter 15: Sanctuary

Chapter 16: Old Wounds

Chapter 17: Shadows of Doubt

Chapter 18: The Weight of Secrets

Chapter 20: Broken Silence

Chapter 21: Running Out of Time

Chapter 22: Breaking Point

Chapter 23: Into Darkness

Chapter 24: Echoes of Truth

Chapter 25: Hidden Depths

Chapter 26: Blood Ties

Chapter 27: Sins of the Brother

Chapter 28 Between Life and Deat

Chapter 29: Flight and Fight

Chapter 30: No Way Out

Chapter 31: Between Shadows and Light

Chapter 32: What Remains in the Dark

Chapter 33: Ghosts of Riverdale

Chapter 34: Breaking Point