"No," Ethan said firmly, his voice low but laced with unyielding conviction.
He turned around with measured defiance, his expression hardening as he crossed the room towards the bed where Precious lay curled up under the thick blanket. The tension in the air was so heavy it could be sliced with a knife. His footsteps echoed softly on the wooden floor, but his eyes—his eyes were storming.
He stood by her bedside now, eyes trained on the lump under the covers, knowing she was awake—knowing she could hear him.
"I'm not leaving," Ethan said, his voice now raw, heavy with emotion. "I'm not leaving you like this. I'm not walking out that door pretending I didn't see what I just saw. You can't just hide from this… from me."
The blanket remained still.
"You think I'm going to pretend everything's fine? No," he continued, taking another step forward. "You think I'll let you sit in pain and act like I don't care? I do care, damn it."
Still no movement.
His jaw clenched. Frustration rippled through his face as he reached out suddenly and yanked at the blanket. But Precious held on, fiercely gripping it like it was the only thing tethering her to sanity.
"Ethan, stop—stop!" she cried, fighting him as he tugged again.
He pulled harder.
"Let go!"
And with one final wrench, the blanket came free.
Precious sat upright, her face streaked with fresh tears, her hair tousled from the struggle. Her eyes were wide with disbelief, rage, pain—all swirling in one volatile storm.
"What the hell are you doing?!" she shouted, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions. "Are you insane?!"
Ethan stood frozen, still holding the blanket, stunned by the fury blazing in her eyes.
"You don't get it!" she continued, breathing heavily. "You've already taken over my life, Ethan! What more do you want? Huh?! What else is there left for you to take?"
Her voice broke then, tears rushing down her cheeks with no restraint. She was shaking—physically and emotionally—each word torn from a place buried deep inside her.
"I can't breathe without someone bringing you up. I can't post, can't speak, can't even walk into a room without being compared to you. You've taken everything, Ethan… everything."
Ethan's throat tightened. He watched her, stunned, the blanket slipping from his hands as he saw her collapse emotionally in front of him. His heart ached as her words echoed in his head, unrelenting.
"I never asked for any of this," she whispered, her voice cracking again. "I didn't ask to be your sister. I didn't ask to live in your shadow."
"I'm sorry," Ethan murmured, stepping toward her. "I didn't mean to—"
"No!" she pushed his hands away when he tried to hug her. "Don't touch me, Ethan!"
But he didn't back away. He stayed right there, his arms out slightly, his face stricken with regret. "I'm not leaving you like this. You can hit me, scream at me, do whatever you need to—but I'm not going anywhere."
She shoved at his chest once, then again, until her strength gave out. And when it did, she fell against him, sobbing harder than he'd ever seen. Her body trembled as she clung to him now, no longer fighting, no longer shielding herself.
Ethan wrapped his arms around her gently, one hand stroking her back, the other smoothing her hair as he whispered, "I've got you. It's okay. Let it out, Precious. I've got you."
The room fell into a strange calmness, broken only by the sound of her heart-wrenching cries. Minutes passed like that—Ethan holding her, Precious clinging to him like the broken pieces of her soul were being held together by his touch.
Eventually, the sobs began to slow. Her breaths grew ragged, stuttering with soft hiccups as her body slumped against him, exhausted.
Ethan said nothing, just watched her—watched her face slowly relax from anguish to weariness. His hand still moved through her hair gently, like it had a purpose.
Then, without warning, Precious stirred.
She pulled back from his embrace and stood up, brushing her tear-streaked face with the back of her hand. Ethan blinked, caught off guard as she began moving around the room—grabbing a pillow here, folding a throw blanket there, wiping her desk. She was packing. Tidying.
"Precious?" Ethan called softly.
She didn't look at him.
"Precious," he repeated, this time stepping forward. "What are you doing?"
Still no response.
"Precious," he said again, firmer now.
She finally paused, letting out a long, tired sigh before turning halfway toward him.
"What, Ethan? What?" she snapped—but her voice had lost its earlier venom. She looked at him, eyes red and puffy, voice thick and brittle. "I know I'm being difficult right now. I know I'm… I know I'm lashing out."
Her voice shook again. "But I can't help it. I can't let it go. Every time I look at you… I see the face everyone compares me to. Every time you smile, I see the image they say I should live up to. Your success… it's beautiful, Ethan. But it's suffocating me."
Ethan stood still, listening.
"I know I shouldn't feel this way," she continued, her voice trembling again. "I know you didn't ask for this… that none of this is your fault…"
"No," Ethan interrupted suddenly.
Precious froze, blinking up at him.
"What?"
"I said no," he repeated, more gently this time, but with deep conviction. "That's wrong. I did ask for this. I wanted this life. The fame. The music. The lights. I chased it."
She scoffed a little, shaking her head as if his words surprised her, but she didn't argue.
Ethan stepped closer.
"And I don't want you to feel sorry for what you are," she began again—but he cut her off a second time.
"I'm not going to feel sorry for myself, Precious," he said firmly.
She looked up, startled by the intensity in his voice.
He glanced around the room, then back at her.
"This life I'm living right now? I couldn't be more grateful," he said softly, but with undeniable passion. "I was able to buy cars for Mom and Dad. I was able to get Dad the money to buy Mom's Dream engagement ring. I've made more than we ever thought possible."
He took another step.
"And not just for me, not just for our family. Rebecca's sister? She got the help she needed. People I've met along the way—people I've been able to help, even just a little? That's because of this life. Because of what I asked for."
His voice was rising with emotion now, but it wasn't pride—it was purpose.
"I'm not sorry for it," he said again. "I love it."
As Ethan finished speaking, Precious gave a small, sad smile—bittersweet, like a memory she didn't ask for.
"And damn anyone else it affects, right?" she said, voice sharp with irony, a scoff escaping her lips.
Ethan shook his head gently. "I'm not saying that."
"Sure sounds like it," she replied, folding her arms, sarcasm wrapped around her words like barbed wire.
He took a breath, eyes locking with hers. "What I'm driving at is… I am who I am, Precious. And I'm not sorry for it. I've worked too hard to be anything else. I'm my unapologetic self. And this fame—this momentum—I'm not stopping. I can't stop."
His voice was no longer calm. It surged with fire, with a kind of stormy resolve that filled the air around them.
"I'm going to climb higher. And higher. And higher. And this this is just the start—" he gestured between them, around them, toward the world outside "—this is bigger than all of us now."
Precious stared at him, eyes wide. Not with awe. With something deeper. Something heavier.
"I really am happy for you, Ethan," she whispered. "It's just... it's just too much."
Her hands clenched into tight fists by her sides, knuckles paling. Ethan noticed—and something in his expression softened. The fire simmered, replaced by warmth.
"I know what I said doesn't make it easier. I know it's not comforting, Presh," he said quietly. "But I had to be real with you. No filters. No sugarcoating. Just the truth."
He moved closer.
"You want to know what comes with being the sister of someone like me? The whispers behind your back. The looks. The comparisons. People treating you like a shadow. Trolls that don't even know you throwing your name in the dirt just because it's next to mine. It's not fair. It's brutal. But it's real."
Precious's voice cracked as she muttered, "Is this supposed to console me?"
Ethan exhaled. "No. I'm just showing you the reality. Like I said."
"Yeah…" she said, voice low and sad, almost inaudible.
A beat passed. Then Ethan smiled—mischievous, charming.
"But hey, it doesn't come without its perks, ehn?"
She turned to look at him, brows furrowed. "What?"
"Use me, Precious."
She blinked. "Ehn?"
Ethan watched her carefully, her silence speaking louder than any words. Precious still had her arms crossed loosely, her shoulders tense, and her gaze cast down.
He took a slow step closer.
"Presh… I need you to understand something."
His voice had changed—no longer playful, no longer defensive. It was quiet now. Steady. And real.
"I'm not going to apologize for chasing this. For being this. I've worked my ass off to get here. I've lost sleep, lost things, given up so much to be who I am. And I'm not ashamed of it. I won't pretend to be smaller just to make others more comfortable."
He paused. Let the weight of his words hang there, then softened his tone.
"But that doesn't mean I've forgotten what it costs the people around me… especially you."
She finally looked up, blinking away tears before they could fall.
"You didn't ask for any of this," he went on. "You didn't choose to have your name dragged online just because it sits next to mine. You didn't ask to be judged, or expected to be someone you're not. And I hate that it's happened to you. I hate that my dream ended up hurting you."
Her lip quivered, but she said nothing. Her silence now was fragile.
"I've been so focused on climbing," Ethan continued, voice thick with emotion, "that I didn't stop to look back and check who I was dragging through the dirt with me."
That's when her shoulders began to shake—quietly, subtly. She quickly wiped her face with her sleeve, trying to stay composed, but her walls were beginning to fall.
Ethan stepped in closer.
"You were always the one telling me to ignore the noise. The trolls. The critics. 'Eyes on your goal,' you said. 'Don't let them in.' So now I'm asking you to do the same. For you. Don't let them in."
He gave a small smile.
"Because you're more than their opinions. More than the gossip or the shade or whatever else. You're not just 'Ethan Jones' sister.' You're Precious. You're funny, and stubborn, and wild when you want to be. You're the only one who ever really tells me the truth. And you're so damn loved."
She sniffled, eyes glassy now, and before she could say anything, he opened his arms.
And she walked into them.
No hesitation this time.
They hugged—tightly. A warmth that had been missing for months poured back in between them. She held him like she might never get the chance again. And he held her like he finally realized how much she'd been holding on all this time.
Ethan chuckled softly into her hair.
"Good to have you back, Presh," he murmured, voice low and full of relief.
They stayed that way for a long moment, just breathing each other in, both silently grateful for the unspoken forgiveness.
Then, still holding her, he pulled back just a bit and looked at her.
"I know my name has brought you pain," he said gently, brushing a tear off her cheek. "But maybe... it's time you saw the other side of it."
She raised a brow, still sniffling. "What do you mean?"
He smiled.
"I mean, use me."
She blinked. "Ehn?"
He grinned, tilting his head. "Yeah, you heard me. Use me. Walk into a room like you own the damn place. Flash that last name. Drop my songs in conversation like it's nothing. If the world's going to label you as my sister, then own it. Don't let it drown you. Ride the wave."
She gave a skeptical look. "So what... you want me to be like a nepo baby?"
He smirked. "Maybe not a nepo baby. But a nepo sibling? Absolutely."
She let out a choked laugh through her tears, the tension beginning to slip off her shoulders.
"I'm serious," Ethan said, nudging her gently. "I'm not ashamed of you. Don't be ashamed of me. Don't shrink, Precious. Be louder. Be more. The world already sees you through my name. Fine. But from now on, let them know exactly who you are."
She wiped her nose, a smile slowly forming.
"I'll think about it," she whispered.
"You better," he said with a grin, giving her a playful nudge. "Because like I said, I'm not stopping. I'm only going to get bigger. So you might as well cash in while it's still kind of humble."
She laughed again, this time without holding back.
Then, with her still in his arms, Ethan pulled her in tighter and said, "Now… since my name has only brought you pain till now…"
He winked.
"…let me show you some of the perks, ehn?"