13
Ethan, always careful, let go of my hand the
second we were outside.
He turned to me, his voice soft, “Want me to
take you home?”
“Yes.”
He seemed relieved. “I’ll have the driver
deliver the furniture then.”
“Okay.”
Ethan drove.
<
Cuman urove.
He fumbled with his seatbelt, then turned to
- me.
“Olivia, my mom came to see you a month
ago, didn’t she?”
I paused.
“Yes.”
“She threatened to hurt Michael if you didn’t
break up with me?”
“Yes.”
L
“Yes.”
Ethan was silent for a long time.
Then, his voice, stripped of its usual
arrogance, trembled slightly, “So… you left me
for him?”
“My mom kidnapped him. You could have come to me. I would have helped you. I would
have burned the city down for you. Why did
you break up with me?”
I didn’t answer.
He didn’t start the car, just kept staring at
- me.
く
- me.
Finally, he took a deep breath. “Olivia, look at
me.‘
I turned.
No anger. No shouting. Just a steady gaze.
For a second, I was back in our happy days.
Then, reality crashed down.
Ethan’s voice was soft, almost pleading, “You broke up with me because of my illness,
didn’t you?”
<
I stared at him.
Then, I told the truth.
“Yes.”
Ethan was usually just arrogant and hot- tempered. But his episodes, his breakdowns, they were always because of me.
Because I was hurt. Because I was in danger.
His doctor had told me privately that staying
with him would make his condition worse.
Because Ethan, who cared about nothing and
<
Because Ethan, who cared about nothing and
no one, cared too much about me.
Ironic.
But true.
Another long silence. Then Ethan asked,
“There’s something else, isn’t there?”
He studied me for a moment, then continued,
“I know my mother. She gave you a hard time
when you went to save Michael, didn’t she?”
I didn’t answer.
A hard time? That was an understatement.
く
A hard time? That was an understatement.
She’d had her bodyguards hold me in a
remote house.
I thought I was careful, but I’d underestimated
her ruthlessness.
If the police hadn’t arrived…
She would have destroyed me.
Permanently.
That’s why I broke up with him.
Not on impulse.
<
Not on impulse.
Not just because of his mother or his illness.
Because of what happened in that dark room.
The humiliation. The degradation.
It wasn’t just words.
His mother had been a notorious bully before marrying into money. She knew how to inflict
pain.
And if the police had been even a few
minutes later, her bodyguards would have…
<
изучи
…
I was still physically unharmed, but the mental
scars…
I couldn’t forget.
I didn’t tell Ethan any of this. I looked out the
window, my voice low, “Maybe someday I’ll
tell you the real reason.”
There was nothing wrong with our
relationship.
But what his mother did…
I couldn’t get past it.
<
“Okay.”
After a long moment, Ethan touched my hair,
his voice gentle, “I understand. I’ll leave it to
time. And to me.”
He started the car.
We didn’t speak again.
I knew why he’d wanted me to look at him.
He wanted to see if I still loved him.
And I hadn’t hidden it.
く
Love like that couldn’t be hidden.
I didn’t want to lie. Life wasn’t a soap opera.
Love built on misunderstandings wasn’t
romantic.
Our relationship was fine. I just needed time
to heal.
If I could get past it, I’d come back to him.
く
Then, I told the truth.
“Yes.”
Ethan was usually just arrogant and hot- tempered. But his episodes, his breakdowns, they were always because of me.
Because I was hurt. Because I was in danger.
His doctor had told me privately that staying with him would make his condition worse.
Because Ethan, who cared about nothing and no one, cared too much about me.
L
Ironic.
But true.
Another long silence. Then Ethan asked,
“There’s something else, isn’t there?”
He studied me for a moment, then continued,
“I know my mother. She gave you a hard time
when you went to save Michael, didn’t she?”
I didn’t answer.
A hard time? That was an understatement.
She’d had her bodyguards hold me in a
L
remote house.
I thought I was careful, but I’d underestimated
her ruthlessness.
If the police hadn’t arrived…
She would have destroyed me.
Permanently.
That’s why I broke up with him.
Not on impulse.
Not just because of his mother or his illness.
r
Because of what happened in that dark room.
The humiliation. The degradation.
It wasn’t just words.
His mother had been a notorious bully before marrying into money. She knew how to inflict
pain.
And if the police had been even a few minutes later, her bodyguards would have…
I was still physically unharmed, but the mental
scars…
<
I couldn’t forget.
I didn’t tell Ethan any of this. I looked out the
window, my voice low, “Maybe someday I’ll
tell you the real reason.”
There was nothing wrong with our
relationship.
But what his mother did…
I couldn’t get past it.
“Okay.”
After a long moment, Ethan touched my hair,
<
his voice gentle, “I understand. I’ll leave it to
time. And to me.”
He started the car.
We didn’t speak again.
I knew why he’d wanted me to look at him.
He wanted to see if I still loved him.
And I hadn’t hidden it.
Love like that couldn’t be hidden.
I didn’t want to lie. Life wasn’t a soap opera.
<
romantic.
Our relationship was fine. I just needed time
to heal.
If I could get past it, I’d come back to him.
<
14
