10
The walls in the hospital weren’t soundproof, and before Ethan’s heartfelt speech had even ended, the door swung open with a bang. I looked up just in time to see Adrian’s fist collide with Ethan’s face. Adrian looked furious, veins bulging as he punched Ethan again and again.
“Ethan! Since when did you have these feelings for my wife?”
Ethan had restrained himself before, but now he’d had enough. He clenched his fist, red–faced, and threw a punch right back.
“I saw her first, you know that? Remember the time I almost drowned years ago? She was the one who saved me!”
“She pulled me back from death, and I tried to find her afterward, but you got to her first and claimed her for yourself.”
“I let you have her, and this is how you treat her?”
Adrian’s fists tightened as he yelled back,
“Claimed her? She came to me willingly. What claim are you talking about?”
“Know your place, Ethan! As long as I’m in charge of the Bennett family, don’t think I won’t put you back in line.”
The two fought ruthlessly, going at each other with every ounce of strength. At some point, Bella and Jonah appeared in the doorway. Jonah ran up, trying to pull them apart with his small hands, but he was too weak to make a difference and soon began crying out of frustration. Bella, meanwhile, folded her arms and watched the scene with casual amusement.
Their racket made my head throb. I wanted to die, but I also wanted some peace and quiet while I did it. Grabbing an apple from the fruit basket beside me, I hurled it at them. The apple smacked right into Ethan’s head.
“Enough! Can you all just be quiet?”
Ethan rubbed his head, pausing, and Jonah stopped crying, though Adrian looked ready to charge again. I reached for a pear and threw that one at him, finally making him stop.
As Ethan looked at me, clearly hurt, I laughed without mirth. My face was calm, expressionless.
“Ethan, why do you think I’d want anything to do with someone who uses ‘love‘ as an excuse to hurt me?”
“Do you really think one word – ‘love‘ – makes up for everything you’ve done?”
“Get out, Ethan. You’re even worse than your brother. Honestly, I regret saving you. You should’ve just drowned.”
