Mission Pretty Possible Chapter 15.6 (Patreon)

Ethan didn’t even hear Sam approach.He just felt the shift in the air—someone stopping in front of him.His throat tightened. Great. Another witness to the mess he’d become.

“Ethan,” Sam said quietly.

Not Elena.Not the teasing lilt, not the glittery tone, not the dramatic hand flourishes.Just… Sam.Plain. Steady. Almost gentle.

Ethan’s eyes flicked up. And for a second, something in him cracked again.

“You did good,” Sam said. “Better than good.”

Ethan let out a breath that felt like it scraped his ribs on its way out.“Yeah,” he whispered. “Runner-up good.”

Sam didn’t flinch. “The crown isn’t the only thing people notice.”

“Tell that to Maximillian,” Ethan muttered. His voice sounded small. Pathetic. Like someone replaying a loss they weren’t built to handle.

“You think Graye only looks at winners?” Sam stepped closer. “People like him notice spark. Nerve. The ones who climb when everything pushes them down.”

Ethan almost laughed. “I didn’t climb. I collapsed.”

Sam shook his head once. Firm. “No. You stood there. You kept going. Even when it hurt. That matters. And trust me—pain shows more humanity than perfection ever could.”

It should’ve helped. It didn’t. Not fully.

Ethan swallowed, jaw tight. “I worked so hard. And it didn’t matter.”

Sam’s voice dropped lower, softer. “It mattered to you. That’s why it hurts this much.”