The following day, after work, Derek and Evelyn went to Ethan's house. They stopped at a wine shop en route to buy a bottle to celebrate his discharge and recovery.

Bottle in hand, they arrived at Ethan's and Derek knocked lightly. Moments later, Rayna opened the door. "Evie!" she exclaimed, hugging her friend warmly. "It feels like ages since I've seen you properly!"

"It really does," Evelyn replied, her voice tinged with guilt. "We need to catch up."

Rayna stepped aside. "Definitely. Come in, both of you."

Inside, the house was cozy and inviting, softly lit and smelling faintly of freshly baked bread. Ethan sat on the couch, his injured arm still in a sling, but his face lit up when he saw them. "Look who decided to show up!" he teased, grinning widely.

Derek raised the bottle. "Bearing your favorite wine. Thought you'd appreciate it."

Ethan chuckled. "You know me too well. Thanks, man," he said, then smiled at Evelyn. "Hello, Evelyn. It's always good to see you."

Evelyn smiled. "It's good to see you, too. How are you feeling? I hope my girl is taking good care of you?" Ethan glanced at Rayna, his eyes full of love.

"She's the absolute best," he said, and Rayna grinned.

Before Evelyn could sit, Rayna looped her arm through Evelyn's. "I'm stealing her," she declared, giving Ethan a pointed look. "You boys can talk. Evelyn and I need some girl time." Derek sat down opposite Ethan.

Ethan waved them off. "Go ahead. Derek and I can handle ourselves."

Evelyn laughed softly as Rayna led her to the kitchen. Out of earshot, Rayna poured two glasses of juice and gestured for Evelyn to sit at the small dining table.

"So," Rayna began, sliding a glass toward Evelyn, "what's been going on with you? You've been so busy lately."

Evelyn sipped her water. "I'll tell you everything," she promised, "but only after you tell me how you're doing. It shouldn't always be about me. How's everything with Ethan? And the business?"

Rayna sighed, her gaze softening. "It's been a lot, honestly. Taking care of Ethan while running my business has been challenging, to say the least. But now that he's out of the hospital, I think things will get easier. Or at least, I hope so."

Evelyn studied her friend's face, noticing the worry lines at the corners of her eyes. "Is something bothering you?" she asked gently.

Rayna hesitated, then shrugged. "Not exactly. It's just that moving in with Ethan feels like such a big step. I love him, I really do, but I didn't think it would happen so fast. I guess I'm still adjusting. I love my house, and I didn't think I'd feel so attached or sad about leaving it."

"Have you talked to him about how you're feeling?" Evelyn asked, leaning forward.

Rayna shook her head. "No. I don't want to sound selfish, especially when he's considering giving up his job to be closer to me."

"He said that?" Evelyn asked, surprised. Rayna nodded.

"Yeah. His family owns a shipbuilding company. He thinks maybe it's time he joined the family business so he could focus on starting a family. I'd hoped that when he recovered and returned to work, I could go back to my place. I know this probably doesn't make sense, but it's how I feel," she said with a soft sigh.

Evelyn reached across the table, taking Rayna's hand. "Ray, relationships are all about communication. You have to tell him how you feel. Otherwise, he won't know, and you'll keep carrying this burden alone. Trust me, he'd want to know." Rayna sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. "You're right. I'll talk to him. I just don't want to make it seem like I'm not willing to put in any effort or make any sacrifices."

"I don't think Ethan will see it that way," Evelyn reassured her. "You're in this together. I'm sure he'll appreciate your openness and honesty."

Rayna nodded, relaxing slightly. "Thanks, Evie. I needed to hear that."

"Anytime," Evelyn said warmly. "Now, your turn. What's been going on with you?"

Evelyn took a deep breath, her expression growing serious. "A lot, actually. We found Derek's sister and discovered shocking things about his family."

Rayna's brow furrowed. "What kind of things?"

Evelyn explained everything—the connection between Derek and Maya, the revelation about their parents' murder, and Sandra's father's role. By the time she finished, Rayna was wide-eyed. "That's unbelievable," she whispered. "How's Derek handling all of this?"

"It's been hard on him," Evelyn admitted. "But he's strong. He's coping."

Rayna shook her head, a smile breaking through her astonishment. "And Maya's his sister? That's amazing."

"It is," Evelyn agreed. "She's been a blessing through all of this."

Rayna's eyes lit up. "I always liked her, but thought she'd be uncomfortable if I got close since she worked for you. Maybe we can all hang out one of these days."

Evelyn smiled. "That sounds like a great idea. I think she would like that."

"It's crazy how Sandra's father is involved," Rayna said, shaking her head. "When I told her about it"

"You told her about it? When? Did you go to see her?" Rayna asked. Evelyn nodded and recounted her weekend visit.

"I don't feel sorry for her. And I'm not going to forgive her. I didn't make any promise to anyone to forgive her. I hope she rots in there," Rayna hissed, and Evelyn smiled.

"I understand how you feel, Ray. And I'm not asking you to forgive her," Evelyn said softly.

"You'd better not. So, what's the plan? Now that all of this has been settled, when are you two getting married?" Rayna asked curiously.

Evelyn smiled. "When he proposes to me, we will get married."

"Or maybe you can just propose since he's taking too long," Rayna suggested.

"No. I'm not doing that. I'm going to wait, even if it takes him a year. I deserve a proper proposal. And I'm not sophisticated enough to want to propose to a man," she said, and Rayna rolled her eyes.

"Obviously," she said dryly, and they both laughed.

Rayna sighed. "Life's strange—full of coincidences and twists."

Evelyn nodded. "Life really is. But I'm beginning to think that it's those twists and turns that make it interesting, don't you think?"

Rayna smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

After chatting, they rejoined the men in the living room. The men fell silent as they approached. "Why did you two stop talking?" Rayna asked curiously.

"We were giving a moment of silence in respect to the arrival of our beautiful ladies," Derek joked, and both Evelyn and Rayna laughed.

"That was a good one," Ethan said with a chuckle.

They chatted for a while, then Derek and Evelyn left to have dinner with Samantha and the family. Ethan and Rayna returned inside. As they settled on the couch, Rayna decided to talk to Ethan about her worries.

"Ethan?" she called softly as he scrolled through Netflix.

"Yes, sugar," he said, turning to look at her.

"There's something I want to talk to you about," she said hesitantly, and he nodded.

"Sure. Go ahead," he urged gently.

"It's about my apartment," she said, pausing to find the right words.

"What about it?" Ethan asked, sensing it was serious.

Remembering Evelyn's advice, she took a deep breath. "I'm attached to my place. I've been living there for such a long time, and now it's just really hard to move out so suddenly"

"You don't want to stay here? Do you want to move back there? Don't you like this place?" He asked, trying to understand.

Rayna shook her head. "It's not that. Here is lovely and more spacious and conducive for indoor baking than my place. I'm just having a hard time letting go of the apartment," she said. Ethan was silent for a moment, studying her face.

When he remained silent, she rushed to assure him, "It has nothing to do with our relationship, and I don't want you to think I'm selfish or that I don't appreciate your thoughtful decision to quit your job. It doesn't change anything. I just wanted you to know how I'm feeling. We don't have to do anything about it. I'm sure I will adjust soon enough," she babbled. "What do you think we can do about it?" Ethan finally asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing. You don't have to"

"I would have offered to move in with you, but as you pointed out, my place is more spacious and conducive, and it's logical you move in with me. But what if, when my hand feels better, you return to your place, and we date for a few months? Do you think that would help you feel better and slowly get accustomed to the idea of moving out?"

"But you want to get married soon"

"Yes. I want to. But don't forget that was also because of my job. But now that I'm considering quitting, it means I have more time. And giving you a couple of months to make up your mind wouldn't be too much of a sacrifice for our future together," he said, and Rayna smiled.

"You're sure about that?" She asked. He nodded.

"Absolutely. And I'm happy you talked to me about it. I hope you will always do that," he said, kissing her forehead.

"I will," she promised softly, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm so relieved now. Thank you."