Chapter 003
849 Words
Ethan Blake scrambled off the bed, locked the door, and rushed into the bathroom.
Hot water poured over his head, washing away the filth, and for the first time in years, he felt alive.
The old man hadn’t lied, he could speak again!
And not just that—there was a mysterious force surging inside him, a power that felt limitless. He could almost sense that he could do anything with it.
Even more startling, his mind overflowed with knowledge—ancient medical techniques, remedies, theories of traditional medicine that had never been his before.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Victoria Hayes saw her daughter Rosie pale and trembling.
“Rosie, did Ethan hurt you?” Victoria asked coldly.
“M-Mom, Ethan, he… he—” Rosie stammered, recalling the terrifying scene she had just witnessed.
“What about him?” Victoria pressed, secretly wondering if the useless man had finally died.
“He’s… a monster!” Rosie finally blurted.
“A monster?” Victoria almost laughed. If her worthless son-in-law really were a monster, at least she could sell him to the zoo and make some money.
She marched to Ethan’s bedroom door and twisted the handle. Locked.
The audacity! Fury surged as she pounded on the door.
“Ethan! What are you doing in there? Open up!”
“I’m showering,” came the calm reply.
Victoria froze. A voice?
“You… you just spoke?” she gasped.
No answer.
She hurried back to Rosie. “Rosie, did you hear that? Ethan spoke!”
“Mom, let’s just go downstairs. Let him come out on his own,” Rosie whispered, still shaken.
Down in the living room, Julian Hart stepped forward with a smirk. “Aunt Victoria, he won’t even come out when you call him? How disrespectful.”
Victoria frowned, catching his meaning. “Whatever. I want to see what trick he’s playing.”
Julian sneered inwardly. Garbage like him doesn’t deserve Lillian.
Not long after, Ethan descended the stairs. He wore clean clothes, his damp hair glistening, his entire demeanor strangely refreshed.
Rosie jumped to her feet, pointing at him. “Ethan, y-you… your body—”
Ethan ignored her, sat on the opposite sofa, and calmly poured himself tea.
“Ethan, stand up when we're talking to you!” Victoria barked.
He rose obediently, his face calm, his eyes steady.
Victoria hated that look. “Stop pretending! You’ve kept up this act for three years. Aren’t you tired? Speak!”
“OK,” Ethan said softly, smiling faintly.
Rosie’s jaw dropped. Julian’s eyes narrowed.
The mute had spoken.
“You… you fraud!” Rosie’s disgust twisted her face. “You’ve been pretending all this time? Didn’t want to talk to us, is that it? Then stay mute forever!”
But even in her anger, she noticed the change. He was no longer hunched, no longer weak. He stood tall, straight-backed, radiating strength.
Julian scoffed. “So you’re Ethan Blake.” He turned to Victoria. “Aunt Victoria, a man like this can’t bring Lillian happiness. He’s only hurting her. Don’t you agree?”
Victoria stayed silent. She thought the same, but it wasn’t his place to say.
Emboldened, Julian stepped closer, his eyes full of contempt. “What’s it like, leeching off the Winters family? If you truly cared for Lillian, you’d leave her.”
Ethan’s fists clenched, but he only looked at Julian the way a man might look at an ant.
“I’ll even help you,” Julian added smoothly. “I can get you a respectable job and give you some money. Walk away.”
Inside, Julian braced himself. He expected Ethan to snap, to throw a punch. Then he, a black belt in Taekwondo, could humiliate him in front of everyone.
But Ethan only stared, calm and unmoving.
Julian grew uneasy under that gaze. He stepped forward and grabbed Ethan by the collar. “What are you looking at, you useless coward?”
Ethan didn’t flinch.
Rage flared. Julian’s fist shot toward Ethan’s face—
—but froze midair. Ethan’s hand clamped around his wrist like an iron vise.
Pain jolted through Julian’s arm as he struggled. “Let go, you bastard!”
“Useless coward?” Ethan echoed, his voice laced with cold amusement.
Julian swung again with his free hand, aiming at Ethan’s head. But Ethan was faster. His other hand snapped up, clamping around Julian’s throat.
Air cut off. Panic set in. Julian’s body froze.
“L-let me go!” he croaked, terror filling his eyes.
Ethan’s gaze was ice. “You think you have the right to stand here and judge me?”
“Ethan, stop!” Victoria screamed, suddenly afraid he would kill Julian.
Ethan turned his head slowly, a mocking smile curling his lips. Oh, now you tell me to stop? Where were you when he tried to hit me?
He tossed Julian aside as if discarding trash.
At that moment, Victoria’s phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID, then answered.
“What? Something happened at Lillian’s company?!” she screamed.
Everyone in the room froze.
- Writer
