Shattered Reflection

Chapter 3

Aria

“So, Mrs. Aria, you are under arrest for murder and reckless driving. You are not allowed to leave the hospital or go anywhere else,” the officer says. My heart freezes as those words leave his mouth.

I watch as they walk out, my mind spinning in confusion. “It’s going to be fine, we’ll find a way out of this,” Evon’s words try to calm me, but they fail to cut through my panic. “How? Evon, tell me how?” My voice comes out scratchy, almost broken.

“That’s the point. How is she going to get out of this? It looks like you’re going to spend the rest of your life in jail,” she says, her words stabbing deeper than I expected.

“But I’m not the one driving. Ethan was. Where is Ethan? I need to speak to him now.” I turn to Evon, desperate and demanding.

“He says he will be here soon. I already spoke to him,” Evon says, trying to reassure me.

“I need to go out. I need to breathe,” I scramble out of the bed, urgency taking over. Evon hurries to my side, ready to help me to my feet.

“I can walk, leave me alone,” I brush her hands aside and leave the room, feeling suffocated. As I walk down the hospital corridor, I notice Evon and the police trailing behind at a distance. I ignore their presence. I need air, I need to think.

I make my way down the hallway, and when I finally reach the lobby, the silence is a small relief. It’s not peaceful, though. It feels like something is pressing down on me, suffocating. I grip the fabric of my skirt, my knuckles turning white. I can’t just wait around. I have to figure this out. I have to find Ethan.

And then, there I see him, Ethan.

A surge of excitement jolts through me, and I run toward him, my heart pounding in my chest. But I stop dead in my tracks when I see another woman walk up to him. She wraps her arms around his shoulders, and they kiss passionately.

I watch, my breath catching. He smiles at her, a smile so genuine—a smile I’ve never seen him give me. I clutch my chest to steady myself, the air suddenly thick.

I turn to the side, my eyes meeting Evon’s. Her gaze holds an apology, but she isn’t surprised. She knew. She knew all along. No wonder I felt that flicker of disgust in her words whenever she spoke about Ethan. I race back to the room, my heart heavy. I won’t cry. I won’t. As soon as I enter, I collapse onto the bed.

“You’ll be fine,” Evon says softly, breaking the silence.

“You knew about him and his... behavior with women. Why didn’t you tell me?” My voice trembles, and I can’t hold it back any longer.

She hesitates before answering. “You need to heal. You need time to process everything that’s happening around you. I didn’t want to burden you with Ethan.”

“Make it make sense. I still found out, regardless.” Anger flares inside me. Then there’s a knock at the door. It creaks open, and Ethan steps in.

“Good to see you love,” he says, flashing that smile at me.

I fix him with an icy stare. “It’s nice to see you finally remember your wife,” I say, matching his expression. “I know you’re very busy, so I’ll go straight to the point. Why are the police accusing me of being drunk and driving when you were the one behind the wheel?”

“Because you were the one,” he smirks, not even fazed.

“And it means you should be too dumb not to realize that when we got in the car, everyone saw you drive away from the reception,” I say, my confidence rising.

“You’re clueless, darling,” he chuckles, dismissing me.

“You were the only one found in the car. Ethan wasn’t there, and you were in the driver’s seat with empty whiskey bottles,” Evon says.

“What? How is that even possible? We were together when the accident happened! I can’t even drive a car! How is this possible?” I protest, my voice rising.

“You’ll explain that in court,” he says with that same infuriating smile.

“Ethan, what did I ever do to you? What’s my offense—marrying you? You said you loved me, then why are you doing this?” I ask, my voice small, and weak.

“I’m sorry, Aria. Someone has to take the blame for the loss of lives, and I’m not going to be the one,” he says coldly.

“You’ll pay for this.” Evon’s voice is filled with rage, cutting through the tension. “You won’t get away with this, Ethan. I promise you.”

“And who’s going to make me pay?” His laugh is full of mockery as he throws documents onto the bed. “Sign,” he says.

“What is this?” I ask, confused.

“Divorce papers, just in case you can’t read,” he says, the mockery dripping from his words.

I glance at the documents, my focus steady. For a brief moment, I feel tears stinging my eyes, but I won’t let them fall. I take a deep breath. “Where should I sign?”

“No, Aria, don’t sign it. This is the only thing you have left that proves your wedding happened. Don’t do it,” Evon pleads, her voice breaking.

“No,” I say, my resolve hardening. “I don’t want anything to do with him anymore. There’s nothing left to fight for. He’s too powerful, too influential. How can I go against him?” My voice cracks with defeat.

“Nice choice of words, my darling. Glad you finally know your place.” Ethan smirks.

“I’m not speaking to you,” I say, my voice dripping with rancor, every word laced with warning. I grab the pen and sign the papers, ignoring Evon’s desperate pleas.

“I want you out of here, now!” I snap, my words filled with anger.

“Alright, little princess,” he says, with that sickening smirk. “Maybe you should focus more on those scars on your face than on me.” He turns and walks out of the room.

Evon stares at me, wanting to say something, but afraid of hurting my feelings. The silence in the room is thick, suffocating.

“I need to leave the hospital, now,” I say, my voice breaking the tension.

Evon looks at me, pity in her eyes. “How do you plan to do that, Aria?”

“I’m not running away, I promise. I just... I feel trapped here. I can’t breathe. I need to get out,” I say, frustration creeping into my voice.

“Alright, I have a plan,” Evon says, a spark of hope flickering in my chest as she speaks.