Chapter 4: The Two Worlds Collided
Three months later, Ethan was sitting in a county jail cell in Sonoma, waiting for his trial. He’d lost all contact with Emma, with Lila, with anyone who’d ever cared about him. He’d lost his job, his money, and his freedom, and he had no one to blame but himself.
He’d written a letter to Lila, apologizing for leaving her, for lying to her, for being a terrible father. He’d sent her a check for $10,000, hoping it would help her pay for the baby’s expenses, but he’d never heard back from her. He’d also written a letter to his father, James, thanking him for turning him in, for trying to save him from himself. He’d never heard back from his father either.
Ethan spent his days sitting in the jail cell, thinking about his life, about the choices he’d made, about the lies he’d told. He thought about the day he’d first stolen Ethan Carter’s identity, about the day he’d started working at Veridian Global, about the day he’d met Emma. He’d thought he’d found a way out of his old life, but he’d only found a way to make it worse.
One day, a FBI agent came to visit him. It was the same agent who’d arrested him at the wedding, Agent Miller. Ethan looked up at him, his eyes filled with hatred. “What do you want?” he said.
Agent Miller sat down across from him, pulling out a file. “I have some news for you,” he said. “Your father, James, died last week. He was found dead in his trailer park home, from a drug overdose.”
Ethan’s blood ran cold. He’d known his father had a drug problem, had known he’d been using meth since he was a kid, but he’d never thought he’d die from it. He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. He’d spent so much time hating his father, so much time blaming him for his own mistakes, that he’d never taken the time to understand him. He’d never realized that his father had been struggling too, that he’d been trying to make ends meet, that he’d been trying to take care of him when he was a kid.
“I’m sorry,” Agent Miller said. “He left a note for you. He said he was sorry for being a bad father, sorry for not being able to give you a better life. He said he hoped you’d forgive him one day.”
Ethan took the note from Agent Miller, reading it over and over again. “I’m sorry, Liam. I know I wasn’t a good father, but I tried. I tried to keep you safe, to keep you out of trouble. I know you hate me, but I had to do what I did. I had to turn you in to save you from yourself. I love you, son. I always have.”
Ethan closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. He’d spent his whole life running from his past, from his father, from his mistakes. But now, his father was gone, and he was left with nothing but regret.
Meanwhile, Lila was living in a small apartment in Portland, raising her newborn son, Liam Jr. She’d gotten a job at a local bookstore, working part-time, and she’d made a few friends at the community center where she took Liam Jr. to playgroup. She’d received Ethan’s letter and the check, but she’d decided to keep the check, using it to pay for Liam Jr.’s medical bills. She’d also decided not to tell Ethan about his son’s birth, not wanting to give him any hope of a future together.
Emma was working at a non-profit organization in San Francisco, helping homeless youth find housing and jobs. She’d started therapy, working through her feelings of betrayal and hurt, and she’d finally started to feel like herself again. She’d met a new man, a teacher named David, who was kind, gentle, and completely honest. She’d told him about Ethan, about the wedding, about the FBI agents, and he’d listened without judging her. He’d told her that she was strong, that she could get through this, and she believed him.
One day, Emma was walking through the park with David, pushing Liam Jr.’s stroller, when she saw Lila sitting on a bench, holding Liam Jr. She walked over to her, smiling. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Emma. I wanted to say hello.”
Lila looked up at her, smiling. “Hi, Emma. I’m Lila. This is Liam Jr.”
Emma knelt down, looking at the baby. “He’s beautiful,” she said. “What’s his name?”
“Liam Jr., after his father,” Lila said.
Emma’s eyes widened. “You named him after Ethan?”
Lila nodded. “I know it’s strange, but I wanted to give him a piece of his father. I know he’s not a good man, but he’s still Liam’s father.”
Emma smiled, tears streaming down her face. “You’re a good mother, Lila. You deserve to be happy.”
Lila smiled back. “You too, Emma. You deserve to be happy too.”
The two women sat on the bench, talking about their lives, about Liam Jr., about the future. They didn’t talk about Ethan, didn’t talk about the wedding, didn’t talk about the FBI agents. They talked about the things that mattered, about the things that made them happy.
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Meanwhile, in the jail cell, Ethan was sitting on the floor, holding his father’s note. He thought about Emma, about Lila, about Liam Jr., about the life he’d lost. He thought about the two worlds that had collided at the wedding, the world of wealth and power he’d tried to join, and the world of poverty and pain he’d tried to escape. He thought about the life of heartless deceit he’d lived, and how it had finally hit a brick wall.
He closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face. He’d spent his whole life running from his past, but now, he realized that he could never outrun it. He’d made his bed, and now he had to lie in it.
