From Now On, We Part Ways Forever

Chapter 2

When I pushed open the door to the private dining room, Ryan was already tipsy. His face was flushed, and the moment he saw me, he waved me over.

"Come on, Dani. Sit down and tell us everything."

He poured me a glass of wine.

"Who is he? Do I know him?"

"You'll find out when the time comes."

Ryan clicked his tongue. "You really know how to keep a secret. 8 years, and you haven't even let us catch a glimpse of him."

Under the table, Ethan's knee nudged mine, warning me not to push things too far.

I didn't look at him.

Isabelle leaned back in her chair. Her color had improved a little, and she forced a smile.

"Dani, you've kept this secret so well. Were you afraid we'd give your groom a hard time?"

Ryan burst out laughing. Ethan didn't. He lifted his wineglass but kept watching me from the corner of his eye.

"Ryan," I said, turning toward him. "Will you be a groomsman at my wedding?"

"Of course!"

Ethan's glass hit the table with a hard thud.

Isabelle said softly, "Careful, Ethan."

Ethan looked down at her, and his expression softened instantly.

"It's nothing. My hand slipped."

I looked away.

When the gathering ended, Ethan drove Isabelle home. Ryan offered to take me, but I hailed a cab, shoved him into it, and caught another one for myself.

I got home at 10:30 p.m. Grace Miller, our nanny, told me Mia Carter had just fallen asleep. Mia had tried to wait up for me until 9:00 p.m. but couldn't stay awake any longer.

I pushed open my daughter's bedroom door.

Mia was sprawled crookedly across the bed, hugging a faded stuffed bunny.

It was the only gift Ethan had ever given her.

I crouched beside the bed and looked at her. My eyes stung.

The words from her essay came back to me.

Back in college, I had always done well in school, but some girls in my class spread a rumor that I was sleeping with someone else's boyfriend. Later, I was cornered outside the dorm and slapped. People even posted online, calling me a slut.

No one believed me. No one listened when I tried to explain.

I had cried alone under the bleachers until midnight. Ethan, one of my classmates, was the first person to find me.

He didn't say much. He simply sat down beside me and handed me a pack of tissues.

"Stick with us from now on," he said. "No one will dare mess with you again."

And I did.

The four of us became inseparable. For the first time, I felt like I'd found somewhere safe to belong, and once I had, I never wanted to leave.

As time went on, Ethan treated me better and better, and I finally found the courage to tell him how I felt.

The night he agreed to be with me, I was so excited I couldn't sleep at all.

That was also the year I got pregnant.

And it was the year Isabelle was diagnosed with depression.

I called Ethan. He stayed silent for a long time before he finally spoke.

"Dani, Izzy was just diagnosed with depression. The doctor said she can't handle any major emotional shock. We'll have to put the wedding off a little longer."

"What about the baby?"

"Of course we're keeping the baby. Dani, this is our child."

I believed him.

When I was 5 months pregnant, I ran into Ryan at the grocery store. He stared at my rounded stomach for 3 full seconds.

"You're married?"

"No."

"Then this..."

"Don't ask."

I fled before he could say anything else.

When Ethan found out, he lost his temper with me for the first time.

"Didn't I tell you not to let anyone know yet? What if Izzy finds out?"

"Ryan just happened to see me..."

"Dani."

He crouched in front of me and took my hand.

"Just give me a year. Hold on a little longer. Once Izzy is stable, we'll get married right away. I promise."

"How are we supposed to register Mia's birth? She's your daughter too."

"I know."

He wrapped his arms around me, his chin resting on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. Just wait a little longer, okay?"

I nodded again.

That "little longer" turned into 8 years.

The front door clicked open.

Ethan came in without turning on the lights. He stood in the entryway for a moment before walking toward me.

"What was that about tonight?"

"Exactly what it sounded like."

"Danielle." He drew a deep breath. "Do you know Izzy cried the whole way home? She said you..."

"Ethan."

I cut him off.

"Mia is 7 this year. Do you even know when her birthday is?"

His body stiffened.

"Dani, listen to me..."

"Listen to what?"

I rose to my feet.

"Ethan, I've waited 8 years."

He stood too, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Why are you making a scene now? You've already waited 8 years. Why does it have to be today...?"

"Because I don't want to wait anymore."

"Just because of that?"

He frowned.

"Danielle, tell me honestly. Have I treated you badly at any point in these 8 years? What have you wanted that I didn't give you? A house? A car? Money? What have you gone without? I know you've put up with a lot, but you know what Izzy's been through. Her parents divorced. She was abused growing up. Her depression almost killed her. Right now, I'm the only person she can depend on. What do you expect me to do? Abandon her? Danielle, don't be so selfish."

"I'm selfish?"

"Can you try looking at this from my side for once?"

His voice rose.

"If I stop looking after Izzy and something happens to her, who's responsible? Do you know she went up on the roof by herself last time? I had to drag her back down in the middle of the night! And now, of all times, you're making an issue out of getting married. Are you...?"

He stopped, visibly fighting his temper.

I sat up and stared straight at him in the darkness.

"I only want one answer. Can you marry me or not?"

He froze.

He was silent for so long that I thought he might never answer.

"Dani," he finally said. "Izzy really can't handle it right now. Give me a little more time..."

"How much?"

He said nothing.

I let out a small laugh, leaned back against the couch, and turned my face away.

"Ethan, leave."

He sighed, then opened the door and walked out.