The Heartless husband's Regret : Keep Your Hands

Chapter 5

Freya

After overhearing their conversation, I finally understood why Ethan had been so eager to announce his marriage to Vivian.

It turned out there was a child he needed to protect.

I should have known. After all these years of never touching me, he must have been touching another woman.

He was a man.

He had his needs.

And now, I kept my mouth shut, pretending I knew nothing about the pregnancy while continuing to go through the motions of my daily life.

My heart was completely shattered, and I had no idea how much longer I could endure living like this.

It was cruel because I knew Ethan would never simply let me go...

That morning, I saw him in the conference room, his expression as serious as ever.

He had Vivian seated beside him.

The way they interacted looked so natural, while all I could do was try not to keep glancing in their direction.

After the meeting ended, I immediately tried to leave the conference room so I could get back to my other work.

“Miss Woods, stay here for a moment.”

He spoke without emotion, his cold eyes fixed on me.

I fell silent as I looked at Ethan.

The way he addressed me felt so unfamiliar.

Instead of calling me Ashford, he still called me Woods, as if we had never been married.

The others who had attended the meeting gradually filed out, leaving only the three of us—Ethan, Vivian, and me.

“You'll teach Vivian everything about the project.”

Ethan stood up while Vivian remained at his side, supporting him.

“Make sure there are no mistakes.”

“All right, Sir.” I lowered my head before Ethan.

I was too exhausted to argue with him. It felt as though every ounce of strength had already drained from my body.

When I returned to my office, I dropped into my chair, letting out a long breath as I tried to steady myself.

As for my married life... It was a f*****g hell.

Now my workload had only grown heavier.

A short while later, I gathered the project documents and headed to Vivian's office.

She leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. “Have you organized everything properly?”

“Yes,” I replied shortly.

I pulled a chair over and sat beside her, placing the neatly organized documents on the desk before opening them.

“Regarding the report for the first phase of construction, you can find it here. In this section, you'll see the partnership agreement we signed with—”

I was cut off when she deliberately nudged my hand.

“How can you still stay so calm?” she asked.

A sly smile spread across her face.

“You heard us yesterday, didn't you?”

At that moment, I realized she had seen me watching their conversation.

How could a woman who was involved with another woman's husband act so casually?

She was unbelievably confident, and it made my body tremble with anger.

“Why are you still hanging on?” she asked, leaning a little closer.

To Vivian—the woman who had won Ethan's heart—I probably looked pathetic, a shameless woman who didn't know when to give up.

I let out a slow breath.

“You heard Ethan yourself.”

“He's the one who refuses to let me go.”

Vivian slammed her hand against the desk, her eyes turning razor-sharp in an instant.

“All I know is that he's keeping you around because he wants to keep tormenting you—not because he loves you.”

My expression faltered slightly. Vivian was right, and her words hit me hard enough to steal my breath for a moment.

From the very beginning, I had never had that man's love.

Yes.

I had always known that.

With a dismissive smile, Vivian leaned back.

“I'm a kind person. I'll help you leave Ethan.”

Every word that came out of her mouth sounded so absurd.

I should have been the one saying something like that, yet I remained silent, even though it pissed me off.

“Help me? How?”

“It's very simple. I'll tell you how when the time is right. I don't want Ethan to have any other woman in his life.”

I fell silent for a long moment. Her offer was infuriating, but if I relied on myself to break free from Ethan...

It would be almost impossible.

But could this really be done?

I still had my doubts. Feeling uneasy, I finally stood up.

“Don't forget to read the summary, Miss Vivian.”

I turned to leave, but Vivian's voice rang out behind me, louder this time.

“If you don't accept my offer, you'll be the one who ends up destroyed.” Her words cast a dark shadow over my heart.

Without another word, I walked away. She warned that I would be destroyed. It felt like nothing more than mockery, because I was already living through it.

Once I stepped outside her office, I leaned against the wall of the empty hallway, staring at my trembling hands.

There was no place for me in that house anymore. But why was it still so hard to leave Ethan?

It was as if a part of me was still hoping that some miracle would suddenly happen...

I was utterly exhausted.

Then, something unexpected happened that evening.

I left work very late, and to my surprise, the car that had never once allowed me to ride in it stopped in front of me.

“Let Freya get in too, Ethan. I want to ask her a few more questions about the information from earlier.”

Vivian's clear voice drifted through the open window. The car hadn't stopped because of Ethan.

Of course not.

How foolish of me to hope otherwise. I wanted to avoid being in the same car as the two of them.

“I'll explain everything to you once we get home.”

I forced a small smile, even though my heart felt unbearably heavy.

I didn't want to keep standing there, so I turned and walked toward the bus that had just arrived. But Vivian wouldn't let me go.

She hurried after me and grabbed my wrist. Everything happened so fast. I turned at the sudden pull of her hand.

“Watch out, Freya!” Vivian's voice rang out clearly.

But she hadn't pulled me to save me. Instead, her tug threw me directly into the path of an oncoming car. The impact sent my body flying. Vivian fell to the ground as well, crying out in pain, tears streaming down her face.

“Ethan... Ethan... it hurts...”

“my child.., Ethan...”

Her sobs grew louder and louder. Ethan paid attention only to the scrape on her elbow.

“Get her into the car!”

As he ordered the driver to take Vivian away immediately, Ethan's cold eyes landed on me. My trembling hand reached out toward him.

“Ethan...”

He turned and walked away, as cold and indifferent as ever.