Chapter 2
1079 Words
"You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just that when I’m with Sophie, I finally understand what it feels like to be needed by someone. Claire, you’re too independent."
"That’s it? That’s your only reason?"
Ethan didn’t even notice how dark my face had turned.
He gave a casual hum of affirmation. "As for your mom… she’s already gone. Even if you come back now, there’s nothing you can do anymore."
I finally lost control and slapped him across the face. The sharp c***k echoed through the room.
"My mom paid for your education! She raised you like her own son! How can you say something like that about her?"
The day I received news that my mother had died in a fatal car crash was the sixth time my leave request had been rejected.
I had called Ethan while sobbing so hard I could barely breathe, begging him to help me apply again. Even if it was only a temporary leave, I wanted to see my mother one last time.
He said he would handle it. But the moment he hung up, a new project assignment landed on my desk. Just like the previous five times I had requested leave.
Back then, I never understood why every time I requested leave, a new assignment would suddenly appear.
Now everything finally made sense.
Ethan’s head tilted to the side from the force of my slap. His expression darkened with irritation.
"I have already divorced Sophie in order to fulfill my marriage promise to you. During the three months since you came back, I haven’t contacted her at all. If you still can’t accept this, then we can cancel the wedding."
The words hung in the air.
He didn’t spare me another glance. He grabbed Sophie’s hand, who had already sobered enough to stand on her own, and walked out without hesitation.
As they turned to leave, Sophie glanced back at me and flashed a smug, victorious smile.
I wanted to chase after her and grab her. To scream and demand what she thought she was doing.
But my feet felt like they were locked in concrete. I couldn’t move even an inch.
I collapsed onto the sofa, helpless, my entire body trembling, completely blindsided by this sudden, crushing collapse of my life. I had no idea what I was supposed to do next.
Ethan’s mother had once worked as a club entertainer. In the end, she died in bed with a married man.
After the scandal spread through the neighborhood, everyone avoided Ethan as if he carried bad luck. Not a single person was willing to help him or even give him food.
I was afraid he would starve to death alone in that dark apartment, so I begged my mother to help him.
At the time, my father’s gambling addiction had already destroyed our family. Debt collectors came to our home every few days demanding money.
Even though my mother was already exhausted from constantly dealing with everything, she was still kindhearted enough to tell me to bring meals to Ethan every day.
He was only fifteen at the time. Thin, small, and fragile looking. Neither my mother nor I ever expected him to repay us for our kindness.
Everything changed the day my father was caught stealing money from my mother again.
She dropped to her knees in front of him, crying and begging. "That money is Claire’s college tuition! You can’t take it!"
But my father didn’t listen. He stormed over and kicked both of us repeatedly.
We curled up in a corner, with nowhere to escape, completely convinced we were going to die.
That was when Ethan burst through the door, holding a knife.
He stabbed my father in the side, then swiftly cut off two of his fingers before anyone could react.
Amid my father’s screams, Ethan’s face twisted into a cold, violent expression, something no fifteen-year-old should ever have.
"If you ever touch them again, next time it won’t just be your fingers. And if you call the police, you’ll still be arrested for domestic abuse."
My father was terrified. Not only did he refuse to report Ethan, but he also immediately agreed to divorce my mother.
From that day onward, my mother and I were never beaten again.
Grateful for what Ethan had done, my mother worked tirelessly to support both of our educations.
After the college entrance exams ended, Ethan confessed to me with a flushed face.
"Claire… I like you. Will you let me take care of you for the rest of your life?"
I blushed so hard I could barely look at him, and I said yes.
Knowing how hard he worked to pay for both our tuition, I forced myself to become independent.
I found part-time jobs because I realized I couldn’t depend on him for everything, even though I never truly understood why it had to be that way.
Deep down, I simply didn’t want to become a burden or cause him to exhaust himself by always taking care of me.
How did that become the reason he fell out of love with me?
A sharp, twisting pain suddenly shot through my lower abdomen. Only then did I remember. I had found out that morning that I was two months pregnant. I had planned to tell him after the party.
I clenched my fist, so tightly my nails dug into my skin, letting tears fall silently.
Although logic told me there was no point in clinging to a man whose heart had already changed, I still held on for the sake of everything we had gone through, and so I wouldn’t live with regret.
I decided I would tell Ethan about the baby first, then make my final decision.
I sat there in a daze the entire night.
When dawn finally came, I returned to what was supposed to be our marital home.
The scattered lingerie strewn across the floor and the man’s dress shirt tossed carelessly over the sofa painted a vivid picture of what had taken place.
The lingering, intimate words exchanged between lovers echoed in the room.
And in that instant, the last thread of my self-control snapped completely.
- Writer
