Chapter 4
Ethan felt a surge of grievance in his chest as he recalled Claire blaming him for indulging Emily.
A sense of disbelief weighed on Ethan. This was someone's life on the line. He couldn't just stand by and watch Emily die. She was like a little sister to him, someone he'd grown up with.
Ethan couldn't believe Claire was so cold. She said she feels sick just looking at him, and he was nothing but an eyesore.
It was like an invisible hand was crushing his heart, suffocating him with pain.
Ethan reassured himself that she didn't mean any of that. She was just upset.
He thought she just needed to calm down. Maybe that was what she needed right now.
"Once you've cooled off, once you've been out there and had a taste of how tough things can get, you'll realize how good I am. Nobody out there loves you like I do," Ethan murmured to himself.
"When you come back, I'll make it up to you even more than before," he whispered.
Ethan walked over to the window and peeked out through the curtain. The street below was empty. There was no sign of Claire anywhere.
This was the first time she'd ever left the home they'd built together over the past three years.
"It's okay, Claire," Ethan whispered to himself.
He could let her leave for now and throw the biggest tantrum he'd ever seen.
But breaking up was never going to happen.
Claire was the woman he'd chased for four years and loved for seven. He knew, deep down, she was meant to be his wife.
This little rough patch couldn't tear them apart.
And Emily... He would find a way to fix whatever was going on with her.
Once he soothed Emily and she was herself again, he could give Claire all his care, just like she deserved.
By then, Claire would see that everything she said today was just her lashing out, nothing more.
He'd wait for her just like every other time before.
*****
For seven days straight, Ethan was caught up in a whirlwind, dealing with Emily's issues, trying to calm her down, and constantly mediating between their parents.
He was spinning like a top, but even in the rare moments when he had a break, he'd instinctively pull out his phone and tap on that familiar profile picture.
But there were never any new messages.
At first, he figured it was only natural. Claire was still mad, so of course, she wouldn't reach out.
He even had this subtle thought of letting her be the first to give in, thinking that once she'd cooled off, she'd remember all the good times and eventually break down and text him.
But day after day went by. Even when Emily was about to come home from the hospital, his phone was still dead quiet.
That pinned chat, which used to buzz with messages, now just sat there in silence.
That silence was starting to make Ethan uneasy.
Whenever Claire got mad before, it never lasted more than two or three days. There was always some little sign she was still thinking about him.
Maybe she'd accidentally like one of his posts in the middle of the night, or suddenly change her profile picture to black.
Or maybe she'd like a post from one of his friends right after he did, just to leave a little sign for him to catch, showing she was still thinking about him.
But this time, there was nothing.
A strange sense of panic, like creeping vines, started winding around his heart.
After dropping Emily off at home and turning down the invitation to stay for dinner, Ethan practically rushed back to the home he shared with Claire.
The place felt empty and cold, with no sign of life, like nobody lived there anymore.
Standing in the middle of the living room, Ethan looked around and realized just how many of Claire's things were missing.
Her favorite slippers, the mug she always kept on the coffee table, the little succulents she tended on the balcony... all gone.
He couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed his phone, found Claire's number, the one he could dial in his sleep, and called her.
But instead of the usual ringtone, there was a quick beep, then an automated, icy voice. "Sorry, the number you dialed is currently busy. Please try again later..."
Ethan just stood there, stunned, and instinctively dialed again.
He heard the same message.
A cold shiver ran up his spine.
His fingers trembling, he backed out of the call screen and pulled up Claire's chat.
After agonizing over what to say, typing and erasing over and over, he finally sent: [Claire, come home. I miss you.]
The moment he hit send, a harsh red exclamation mark flashed up beside his message.
Message sent, but the recipient refused to receive it.
The red exclamation mark burned into his eyes like a branding iron.
Claire blocked Ethan everywhere. His number. His WhatsApp.
Ethan's mind went blank, unable to wrap his head around what it really meant for her to block him like that.
It was like he was trapped inside a vacuum. All the noise from the outside world faded away, and all he could hear was his own heart pounding in his ears, getting faster and faster.
Ethan could hardly believe it. She'd been angry, but would she really go so far as to cut him off completely? The thought left him reeling, caught between confusion and disbelief.
A wave of panic unlike anything he'd ever known crashed over him, like ice water pouring down his back, leaving him frozen to the core.
Only now did it hit Ethan. Maybe the things Claire said when she left weren't just words said in anger.
The tiredness and resolve in her eyes... Maybe that wasn't just for show.
She really might be done with him. For real this time.