Chapter 5
At that same moment, as he exchanged wedding rings with Victoria, Ethan felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Seeing the message from me, Ethan dropped the ring and stumbled out of the hotel:
“To the airport!”
Hearing to the cold busy tone on his phone, his frown deepened.
He impatiently urged the driver:
“Can’t you drive any faster? It’s the Ferrers family–hell, I can pay for your damn traffic tickets!”
The driver wiped sweat from his forehead and replied miserably:
“Mr. Ferrers, I would if I could, but there are too many people out for Valentine’s Day. Look at this traffic
jam!”
“Today is… Valentine’s Day?” Ethan repeated, momentarily stunned.
Today was the anniversary of our dating, but he had forgotten.
He had planned to comfort me after the wedding ceremony.
He had prepared many explanations, but never imagined that my son and I wouldn’t wait for him.
Outside, the impatient drivers honked as the cold wind blew in, and he suddenly remembered climbing through my window in similar weather during our dating days.
Back then, I would always pull him in with concern.
I would have hot milk and heated blankets ready for him.
But now, everything was gone.
The driver in front continued honking dutifully, but the line of cars wouldn’t budge.
Ethan wiped his face, as if making a decision:
“Open the door. I’ll run there myself.”
Two miles felt incredibly long.
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When Ethan reached the airport, his mouth tasted of blood.
He stared blankly at the airport staff, as if unable to understand her words:
“The passengers you’re asking about took off an hour ago.”
Looking at the empty waiting area, he felt like part of his heart was missing.
It was as if someone he had always counted on had suddenly disappeared.
Realizing this, Ethan suddenly laughed out loud.
How could it be? How could Freya bear to leave him?
She… wouldn’t want to…
Then he returned to his office by Uber.
Avoiding his mistakes, as if not addressing them would make everything return to normal.
That’s how he was when he lied to me, and when he hurt Oliver.
His phone rang. It was Victoria.
“Ethan, where did you go? You’re not gonna go through with the wedding, huh?”
The voice he on now sounded shrill and hysterical beneath its fragility.
As if she couldn’t survive without him–completely unlike me.
If Victoria was like a rose, dependent and clinging, then I was like ivy–vibrant with life, not needing a tree to support me as I grew toward the sun.
Ethan pressed his tongue against his cheek, finding roses tasteless for the first time.
He casually replied: “Yes, just stop it.”
After saying this, he hung up regardless of her desperate protests.
At his office, Ethan sprawled on the sofa, scrolling through our old messages.
In the past six months, our conversations had become pitifully sparse.
Most were just me asking if he’d eaten on time, if he’d slept well.
And inevitably, after each night he spent in Victoria’s room, I wouldn’t respond to his messages the entire
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Chapter 5
next day.
As if using this silence to express my anger.
The messages grew fewer until a week ago, when I stopped asking about his daily life altogether.
He sat up, frowning deeply.
The messages from the previous week fit on a single screen.
Just three of them.
The first two were from two days ago, asking if he would attend Oliver’s birthday party.
He vaguely remembered that I had reminded him, but he had forgotten.
He had thought Oliver was making a fuss just to secure his position.
Ethan felt annoyed. He had said he would apologize–why I couldn’t just wait a little longer.
The last message was the farewell:
[I’ve left with Oliver. Wish you happiness. Let’s not meet again.]
With a loud crash, Ethan kicked his chair against the wall, his face dark.
His long fingers flew across the screen:
[Freya, have you lost your mind?]
[What kind of good life do you think you’ll have without me?]
[If you come back now, I might still graciously stay with you!]
[Don’t worry, I didn’t marry Victoria. You’re still my only wife.]
Ethan waited restlessly all night.
No reply.
When he called, he only ever heard: “The number you have dialed is currently busy…”
Ethan couldn’t wait any longer. He drove to the penthouse.
The streets were extremely quiet in the early morning, with only one burger restaurant open.
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