The Day Ethan Got Married Chapter 9

After Claire fell asleep, he drove to my place again.

This time, he finally sensed something was wrong.

"Look into Jules. Find out where she is. I can't reach her, and she's not home."

His assistant was reliable.

"Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Rivers died in a car accident. On your wedding day—the explosion on Washington Avenue. Ms. Rivers was there."

Ethan's eyes reddened. He collapsed to his knees, his voice trembling.

"Then where... where is she now?"

The assistant sent an address. The car drove all the way to the cemetery.

Ethan stumbled and fell to his knees before my headstone.

"Why? Why?"

"Jules, just wait a little longer for me. Why didn't you wait? It's you I care about. I've fallen in love with you. Why didn't you wait?"

"I never told you I loved you. Answer me, Jules."

He covered his face and wept.

"I know now. I love you. I know it now!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I understand now."

Watching him break down at my grave, I felt a strange satisfaction.

We'd been together four years. I'd exhausted myself trying to become what he wanted. Failed.

He'd never told me he liked me or loved me.

Now hearing it, I suddenly found it meaningless.

But I had no choice. In my current state, I couldn't leave Ethan's vicinity.

So I followed him back to my apartment.

I watched him sink into depression day after day, drinking, refusing food.

I worried he'd die right there in my apartment.

Thankfully, Claire tracked him down.

I didn't know how she'd found the place.

But clearly she now knew about my existence.

All those days before, Claire had thought Ethan was just using me as a smokescreen. She hadn't known we'd actually been physical.

She'd been raised in wealth and privilege. How could she tolerate such humiliation?

Ethan was out of it too. Annoyed by Claire's words, he shoved her carelessly.

Her head hit the corner of the table.

Blood pooled on the floor. I watched the spreading blood in silent panic, unable to make a sound.

But Ethan acted like he didn't see anything. Didn't even acknowledge it.

He just went back to drinking.

I suddenly felt frightened by Ethan's coldness.

Even if love was gone, even if he was taking his anger about my death out on Claire—this was still a human life.

And they'd once been so close. For the first time, I questioned Ethan's character.

On the third day, several of Ethan's friends arrived.

By then, Claire had stopped breathing. Their first instinct was to cover up the death.

But Ethan seemed insane. He didn't care about anything. When people gathered in the apartment, he impatiently walked out.

Leaving his friends staring at a corpse, at a loss.