Chapter Twenty- Six

**In Ethan's Room**

In stark contrast, Ethan lay in his hospital bed, shadows darkening his features as he talked with Michael.

"Is she alright?" Ethan asked, his voice hoarse with concern.

"She hates herself right now," Michael replied, worry etching deeper lines into his face.

"Don't worry; she'll be okay," Ethan offered, though unease coiled in his chest.

"I'm really sorry that everyone thinks you're the villain in this situation," Michael said, regret heavy in his tone.

"It's okay, Michael," Ethan responded, forcing a wry smile.

"No, it's not. They think you were about to marry Bella, and that's not the truth," he insisted urgently. "They need to know the truth."

"Wouldn't your mother be angry if she found out you planned to marry Emilia?" Ethan countered, shifting the focus.

"It's better than Mae hating you," Michael said.

"I don't want you getting into any unnecessary trouble right now," Ethan cautioned.

"I got you into trouble first," Michael admitted. "I had you tell everyone a lie so I could cover up my engagement to Emilia. We wanted our parents there, but the history between them wouldn't allow us to."

"I understand," Ethan said, nodding, though the weight of despair still loomed over him.

The door suddenly swung open, and Mark stormed in, fury radiating off him. He approached Ethan with purpose.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Michael asked, but before he could react, Mark seized Ethan by the collar and landed a punch squarely on his face.

"So, you're the one she's been talking about?" Mark spat, recalling their earlier encounter.

"Hey, control yourself, or I'll have you thrown out!" Michael warned, stepping between them.

"Leave him, Michael. I would love to hear what he has to say," Ethan said, his smirk unsettling.

"How could you do this to her? Killing her baby wasn't enough; you had to go marry Bella too?" Mark's voice was laced with anger.

"And how does my personal life affect you?" Ethan shot back, his agitation rising.

"You're hurting Mae!" Mark shouted, fists clenching at his sides.

"I don't hear her complaining, so what's it to you?" Ethan retorted coldly.

"You do not deserve her! She deserves someone better than you."

"And the better person would be you, right?"

"People like you are just spoiled brats who prey on others to feel better about themselves. You're worthless, Ethan. You killed your own child without batting an eye. You are a disgrace, especially to your parents. I wonder how much regret they have for bringing you into this world."

"Michael, move away," Ethan said, his patience unraveling.

"Ethan?" Michael called, afraid of the tempest brewing in Ethan's eyes.

"I said move away!" Ethan shouted, swinging his legs off the bed and ripping the IV from his hand. Michael recoiled and pressed himself against the wall.

"Did I make you mad?" Mark challenged, a smirk on his lips, but it faltered as Ethan surged forward with a fist raised.

"Don't mistake my silence for weakness," Ethan warned, and in an instant, his fist connected with Mark's face, sending him staggering back.

"Ethan," Michael cried, terror gripping his heart. He had never seen Ethan so furious before, and the thought of the consequences paralyzed him.

"You can insult me all you want, but leave my parents out of this," Ethan seethed, muscles coiling with fury.

"Why should I? Are you ashamed of the disappointment you turned out to be?" Mark fired back, provoking Ethan further.

"That's it!" Ethan growled as he lunged at Mark, delivering a swift knee to his gut before tightening his grip on the collar of Mark's shirt, and punching him again. Each blow sent Mark reeling against the wall, the sound of flesh hitting flesh echoing menacingly.

"I'm sick and tired of people like you judging me when you're no better than me. Mae doesn't need you to save her like she's some damsel in distress. She's stronger than you think," Ethan spat with raw intensity.

"I'm glad you got rid of the one thing holding you two together. Now she can divorce you and finally be happy with me. I have no idea what she was thinking falling in love with a piece of trash like you," Mark sneered.

With an inarticulate roar, Ethan lunged forward again, delivering a kick that sent Mark crashing to the ground.

Ethan knelt over him, fists poised for attack, unleashing a flurry of punches that spilled Mark's blood across the sterile floor.

"I didn't just lose a child. I lost two. Even for someone without feelings, that still hurts deeply. Just because I don't show my every emotion doesn't make me less human!" Ethan shouted, fury pouring from him with each blow.

"Ethan, please stop!" Michael pleaded, heart racing as he witnessed Mark's face becoming a canvas of bruises and blood.

"I didn't want them to die. I didn't want any of this! All I wanted was for my daughter to be happy! So don't come here acting like a hero to Mae!"

Michael, paralyzed with fear, could only watch as Ethan descended further into rage.

"I am so glad you got rid of the only thing keeping you two together. Now, Mae can finally be free from you," Mark wheezed, choking on blood.

Ethan's expression darkened. "You think you're worthy of her? You're not. You're just a coward."

Michael trembled, his own heart aching for both Mark and Ethan as he moved toward the door, desperate to break up the fight and afraid to do so at the same time.

"Ethan, please stop!" Michael shouted.

But Ethan didn't stop. His fury had consumed him. He punched Mark over and over, every blow making Michael's heart race with fear.

In desperation, Michael bolted from the room.

At Mae's Room

Panting, Michael reached Mae's door, slamming it open. She was already on her feet, trying to move toward the door in her wheelchair.

"What's going on?" Mae asked, alarmed at Michael's appearance.

"It's Ethan!" Michael gasped. "He's lost it! He's about to kill someone!"

Mae's eyes widened in fear. "What are you talking about? Who is he hurting?"

"He's beating up the guy who came to see you earlier" Michael said, barely catching his breath. "The guy is barely conscious, Mae. His hands are covered in blood."

"Take me to him. Now," Mae demanded, her voice cold with determination.

In Ethan's Room

Mae's heart shattered as she entered the room. Mark lay unconscious on the floor, bruised and bloodied, while Ethan stood above him, breathing heavily. His hands were slick with blood, his eyes wild and unrecognizable.

"Ethan, stop!" Mae's voice rang out, but it fell on deaf ears.

She moved toward him, her legs shaking, and knelt behind him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"I love you," she whispered, her voice trembling.

Ethan froze, his hands suspended mid-air. Slowly, he looked at his bloodied fists, then down at Mark, who lay unmoving on the floor.

The rage faded from his eyes as Mae spoke the words he needed to hear.

"Michael, take Mark to the nurses," Mae instructed softly. Michael, still shaking, nodded and hurried out with the lifeless body of Mark.

Alone in the room, Mae and Ethan sat in silence, the weight of the past few days hanging heavy between them.

"Why did you do this?" Mae whispered, her heart aching for the darkness that had consumed him.

"If you had a problem with me, why didn't you just tell me? Why did you have to go to him?"

"Are you jealous?" she asked, striving for lightness in a shattered moment.

"Don't make me laugh, Mae. I can't be jealous of someone like him," Ethan shot back, though the mask of anger was wavering.

"Why?"

"He's just someone who makes himself feel better by making the weak depend on him."

"Are you indirectly talking about me?"

"I didn't point any fingers," he snapped, rising to his feet, tension radiating off him.

"Did you marry Bella?" she asked, voice trembling.

"Why do you care?"

"I just want to know," she pressed, desperation creeping into her voice.

"I didn't," he stated flatly.

"Why?"

"Thanks a lot for stopping me from killing your lover. I think I've seen enough of you for one day; please just leave."

"Really, Ethan? Don't put all of this on me! You're not the only one who has the right to get upset. You got rid of our kids without thinking of how that would affect me!"

"Is that what your parents told you?"

"Yes!" she insisted, anger battling with sorrow.

"What's wrong with choosing you over them?" He challenged.

"Really, Ethan? I thought you understood me. Do you know how terrible I feel knowing that my kids died for me to live? That makes me the one thing I've always feared."

"Mae, you only have one life. Are you willing to risk it just to be a good mother? You can have kids anytime you want."

"Easy for you to say. They weren't growing in you. You didn't feel their movements or hear their heartbeats. You weren't there for every appointment, every breakdown, every craving. You didn't experience the joy of carrying life inside you. It's easy for you to say that because you never cared! They were just a weapon for you to use against me!"

"So, what you're trying to say is that I shouldn't have saved you?"

"Don't turn this around on me!"

"I think they're better off without you."

"Excuse me?"

"I will not lie. You would have made a terrible mother, and getting rid of them was the best decision I made."

"Why do you hate me so much, Ethan?"

"I don't hate you, Mae."

"That's a lie! What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"You wouldn't be able to handle the truth."

"I want to know!"

"Do you remember an accident thirteen years ago on an expressway beside a cliff?"

"Thirteen years ago?" she echoed, confusion still clouding her mind.

"You were in the backseat, and your mom was driving. She passed a car that crashed through the railing," he said, venom lacing his words.

"I can't remember."

"You were holding a white stuffed bunny," he added, watching her reaction carefully.

The memory struck her, vivid and painful. The stuffed bunny her mother had won for her at the amusement park. A fleeting image of their car swerving past another vehicle, the aftermath of a collision.

"How do you know about that accident?"

"Maybe because I was in the car that day," Ethan replied, his voice colder than ice.

"You were there?" she gasped, heart racing as the implications settled over her.

"I lost my sister because of your mother's reckless driving. She sped off without a second thought for those inside the car," he spat out.

"That's not true! My mom called for help. She said she wasn't the cause!"

"Enough, Mae! I'm done with your lies to protect your family! My sister was due to give birth, and I watched her bleed to death. You of all people should know what that feels like."

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Ethan," she stammered, heart sinking under his words.

"Sorry doesn't bring her back. My sister's baby grew up without a mother, and I will make your family pay for what they did," he declared, rage sparking in his eyes.

"I had no idea that my mom caused the accident!"

"You were in the car with her. How could you not know?"

"I was…."

"I will get justice for my sister, and I will do that by ruining every member of both your families. I will start with your mother and then your father."

"Ethan, please! Leave my family out of this—punish me instead!"

"It took me twelve years to find you. I'm not going to walk away just because you want to play hero."

"Ethan, please, I beg of you," she pleaded.

"When I found you, I thought you'd be the sacrificial lamb for your family. But after seeing how much you've suffered, you're no longer just a pawn in my game."

"Ethan, do anything you want to me, but please spare my family."

"I've done everything I wanted to you, but it's not enough. I will take away everything you love, and I will make you feel the pain I endured that day," he vowed.

"Ethan," she called softly, desperation creeping into her voice.

"Brace yourself because I won't show any mercy, unlike how I treated your lover," he said darkly.

"I'm sorry, Ethan. I truly am."

"If only that could change the past, it would mean something," he said as he turned to leave.

"Whatever happens, I want you to know that Mark is just a friend. You are the only one I ever loved, Ethan. I am sorry you had to endure so much pain because of me. I hope one day you can forgive me."

He reached for the door handle, opened it, and stepped out, leaving Mae alone with the weight of their fractured world.

Fuming with anger and hurt, Mae turned her wheelchair toward the door. Why hadn't her mother told her the truth thirteen years ago? The realization dawned on her; she began to understand the depth of Ethan's pain. He had not been cruel or vindictive; he was simply a wounded soul struggling to find solace in a world that had wronged him.

Determined, Mae gripped the wheels of her chair, anger fueling her as she began her journey to find her mother. Answers were waiting, and she would not let this injustice go unaddressed.