Chapter 80: Unresolved Feelings and Medical News
Chapter 80: Unresolved Feelings and Medical News
Emily flipped through the divorce agreement several times, her eyes landing on the signatures and date at the end. If she remembered correctly, that date was just a few days before her accident in the bathroom that caused her amnesia. Ethan had already signed it.
She shook her head vigorously, gently massaging her temples. Her mind was still foggy from the flood of new memories. Emily had been prepared for the memory loss, so the lack of complete recollection didn't shock her as much as it might have otherwise.
Their first two years of marriage were a chaotic whirlwind. Ethan was often away on business trips, expanding into international markets, leaving Emily alone and resentful. Despite their limited time together, their interactions were fraught with conflict and turbulence, and the rest was a battlefield of emotions.
Emily knew they had deep misunderstandings, but based on Ethan's later confessions and the few memories she could recall, she had always believed he loved her. Even if he misunderstood, hurt, and was cold toward her, he still loved her, didn't he?
Though the love wasn't healthy, Emily found a certain security in it. She convinced herself to forgive him and accept his love—after all, he was a man who had been starved for affection, a money machine who finally found love at 27, only to be betrayed and perform a two-year-long drama of unrequited love.
It was obsessive and extreme, bordering on foolish. Yet, given his inexperience in love, Emily was his only emotional experience. In a sense, Ethan, who married her, was a naive first-love boy. As for her, marrying young and displaying her arrogant and demanding nature during the marriage didn't paint her as very mature either.
Looking back, they both had a lot to learn about love. Seeing Ethan try so hard to learn how to love her and please her, Emily tried to convince herself to forgive him, to accept this humble, pure-hearted boy.
But today, seeing the signed divorce agreement made her confident resolve waver. Could it be that he didn't really like her that much after all?
When Ethan returned to the Stardust Pavilion and saw the divorce agreement in Emily's hand, he was stunned for several seconds.
"This," he said, walking over and pointing to the document in her hand, "is from before your amnesia…"
He didn't know how to explain, so he reached for the agreement. "This should have been dealt with. I put it in the drawer and forgot about it."
Emily subtly pulled her arm back, keeping the document from him. She looked up at him, her almond eyes scanning his face with a mixture of emotions.
"You were the one who suggested divorce in the first place."
Ethan blinked slowly, as if acknowledging it. He pursed his lips, looking guarded and regretful at the sight of the document.
"At the time, we were having misunderstandings and arguments…"
Before he could finish, Emily's soft voice interrupted, "This is the divorce you proposed before I fell in the bathroom…"
Ethan's eyes widened, his pupils dilated. He was completely stunned, struggling to swallow. "You… you remembered?"
Emily nodded. "I remembered."
She looked at him steadily for two seconds. "I remembered everything."
Her simple statement hit Ethan like a thunderclap. He glanced at the document in her hand, then at the dress casually tossed aside, and finally towards the dressing room door, anxiously wondering if there was a suitcase waiting to be packed.
Even though he knew she would regain her memory eventually and was prepared to do everything to please, repent, and confess again, Ethan found himself less calm than he imagined when the moment arrived.
The fear of losing her was overwhelming, a suffocating sensation of dread.
But Emily wasn't reacting with anger or sadness as he had feared. She stood quietly in front of him, her lashes lowered, lost in thought.
Ethan watched her, holding his breath, waiting for her judgment.
After a moment, Emily finally looked up. Instead of anger, her expression was more of a hurt, reproachful pouting that resembled her usual displeasure.
"Then why did you suggest a divorce?" Emily's lips drooped further. "Didn't you like me? Even if you misunderstood me, didn't you always say you loved me?"
She gave him a reproachful glance and murmured, "How could someone who likes me suggest a divorce…"
Ethan's brow twitched. He hadn't anticipated that her main concern after regaining her memory would be this.
"The divorce was said in anger," Ethan licked his lips. "We've had arguments where divorce was mentioned more than once."
But Emily didn't seem convinced by this explanation.
"Then why did you even prepare the agreement?" She flipped to the end of the document, eyeing him. "You even signed your name!"
Ethan: "…"
His lips tightened. After a few seconds, he frowned, appearing reluctant and troubled.
"At that time, we were having a really tough period. I thought I'd use this agreement to… scare you."
Emily: "…"
Scare her? Were they really married or just playing house?
Ethan pressed his lips together, confessing with difficulty, "I didn't really want a divorce."
They had argued plenty before—often, she was sharp-tongued and he couldn't argue back, ending up feeling stifled. The usual consequence of anger was cold treatment, and when things got really heated, he would assert his authority, pushing her to beg for mercy.
Words like "let's divorce tomorrow" or "I don't love you anymore" were common between them, meant to hurt and intimidate each other. Over time, they became immune to these threats.
During that period, their fights were particularly fierce. She was defiant and seemingly unafraid of him leaving. Even his usual tactics weren't effective. Over two years of marriage, she had transformed from a cute little fox into a captivating vixen, almost pushing him to his limits.
So he came up with the agreement, hoping it would curb her temper while also testing her—whether she would be genuinely disturbed by a formal divorce agreement or if she was too confident that he loved her to care.
Now, the "prop" agreement had landed in Emily's hands, and everything seemed reversed.
He was now the one who feared divorce, the one terrified of being abandoned.
"If I agree to the divorce," Emily waved the document, "if I sign it too?"
Ethan's long lashes fluttered. "You did agree."
"You were supposed to sign the agreement first," he said, looking deeply into her eyes. "You knew how I reacted later."
Emily: "…"
No wonder.
When she eagerly awaited the signing of the agreement, Ethan had been delaying it. She never saw the agreement again…
Ethan stepped forward, snatching the document from Emily's hand and placing it out of her reach. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, resting his chin on her neck—this embrace was usually a sign of a man clinging on and unwilling to let go.
"Emily, I never wanted a divorce," Ethan's voice was muffled.
Fate had other plans. He had intended to test her, but Emily turned the tables on him. When she agreed to sign, he realized just how unexpected and panic-inducing it was.
Ethan closed his eyes, his brows furrowing slightly. "I dug my own grave."
Emily: "…"
Deservedly so. :)
Emily sighed softly. "I thought you wanted a divorce because you didn't like me anymore…"
He hugged her tighter.
"No," Ethan denied softly. "I never stopped liking you."
He thought of something, and a look of sadness and bitterness crossed his face, hidden from her view.
"I love you."
"Emily, you have no idea how much I love you."
—Perhaps I love you even more than I thought.
Ethan slowly closed his eyes, his expression pained. "I was wrong before. I won't say anything about divorce again."
Emily blinked and curved her lips into a small smile behind him.
He was good at playing the helpless, charming role.
Saying he loved her, he could do that smoothly now.
She was curious to see how he would continue to surprise her with his love.
Emily gently patted his back.
"By the way, what did you want to tell me?"
Ethan stiffened behind her.
Emily pulled back slightly, creating some space between them. "Didn't you say you had something to tell me?"
Ethan looked at her silently for a couple of seconds, his eyes showing a fleeting emotion that quickly disappeared.
"The results of the last check-up came back."
"How?" Emily's voice showed clear concern. "Is there… something wrong?"
"It's the same old issue. The doctor said your stomach isn't in good shape. No more hotpot for you!"
Ethan put on a stern face and patted her head. "No more ice cream either."
Emily pouted in disappointment, reluctantly nodding.
No choice but to take care of her health. She promised herself she would eat everything she missed once she had a child!
"What else did the doctor say?" Emily asked. "Everything else is fine, right?"
Ethan blinked subtly.
"No."
He forced a smile.
"Don't worry. Everything else is fine."