.
Chapter 8
A punch accompanied by the wind knocked Ethan to the ground. I knew I’d won the bet.
Nathan’s complexion wasn’t good–pale, with unsteady steps.
“Ethan, don’t push me,” he warned.
The two men exchanged hostile glances. I had a persistent sense of foreboding.
Ethan surprisingly swallowed his pride and left.
“Waiting for me, Amy,” he said before leaving.
But Nathan firmly held my wrist.
He collapsed weakly onto the sofa, his eyes visibly tired.
“Amy.”
His voice was hoarse as he leaned against my right shoulder.
“Amy, don’t leave me.”
I was startled. When I turned to look, Nathan was already asleep.
Some distant memory gradually became clear. I remembered someone else had said those same words to me before.
By the time Nathan woke up, the sky was completely dark. The aroma from the kitchen gradually calmed him.
“Amy,” he called softly, with a touch of caution.
“Nathan, did your family give you a hard time?”
During his sleep, I gently lifted Nathan’s pant leg, the swelling and bruising around his knee made my eyes redden. He had clearly been mistreated by his family these past few days.
“Why?” I asked.
Nathan smiled gently, smoothing over my shock. Enunciating each word clearly, he said, “Amy, I don’t want to miss my chance with you again.”
“My biggest regret was handing you over to Ethan.”
I couldn’t hear him clearly, so he leaned toward my ear, his warm breath gradually rising.
“Amy, I like you.”
“Don’t worry, the company just had some issues. It has nothing to do with you. My family actually likes you a lot.”
22:02
Chapter 8
He was comforting me. I broke into a smile through my tears, though still somewhat concerned.
“Amy, I’ll explain everything soon.”
Nathan didn’t elaborate, and I didn’t ask.
The next day, he hired the best lawyer for me, saying that what was rightfully mine shouldn’t be compromised, and what wasn’t mine, he didn’t covet either.
My divorce from Ethan was straightforward, except Ethan was now dragging his feet.
But there were countless photos of him and Sophia in intimate embraces–in every case, Ethan had made the first
move.
Ethan now resorted to the very tactics he once despised. He blocked my way at the entrance to my complex and even bought an apartment upstairs.
“Amy, I won’t divorce you,” he insisted.
I sneered, striding forward and pointing to my right ear, the only one that could hear.
“Ethan, do you really know me?”
“Amy, I know everything. I know you like seafood, that you’re allergic to corn. I know everything.“,
He murmured softly, but I found it even more ironic.
“No,
you
don’t know. You still don’t know that my right ear can hear.”
“Ethan, you said we would eventually divorce. I’m just fulfilling your wish.”
He jerked his head up, shock impossible to hide. Ethan’s trembling hand reached out to explain, but I mercilessly pushed it away.
“Amy, I’m sorry. I just realized I can’t live without you.”
But what difference did that make? Without Ethan, I was living quite well.
“Ethan, you’re wrong. I don’t like seafood. You were the one who liked it.”
“Everything you think you know about me is just your own assumptions.”
I watched him drop to his knees, apologizing and begging for forgiveness. But I could never forget how he had humiliated me in front of others.
“Ethan, we were just playing around. Why are you taking it so seriously now?”
I smirked. The sight of him crying made me feel nauseous.
“Amy, that wasn’t how I really felt. I didn’t mean it.”
22:02
Chapter 8
“Ethan, let’s end this amicably. Don’t make me lose all respect for you.”
