Chapter 15

Of course I wanted to forget.

No wonder I couldn't remember a thing.

Those memories were too painful to hold onto.

My whole body was trembling. Ethan noticed something was wrong.

"What's going on, Aria?" he asked, concerned.

"You make me sick, Ethan."

I stared straight into his eyes, my hand clutching my chest. Then I let out a sigh.

The truth was, I made myself sick too.

Everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

The doctor hovering over me looked familiar.

Ethan was by my side, gripping my hand tight. The second he saw I was awake, he called out, "Ryan, she's awake."

Dr. Ryan leaned in and checked my eyes. "It's nothing serious. She just went into shock. The bruise in her brain's finally dispersed. With rest, she'll be fine."

Ethan exhaled a long breath of relief. Then he turned to me. "When did you hit your head? Why didn't you tell me?"

I pulled my hand away, my expression colder than anything he'd ever seen, even when I had no memory at all.

Ethan went quiet. His lips tightened. "Aria, you…"

I cut him off. "Save it, Ethan. Let's get a divorce."

His Adam's apple bobbed. His voice was low, a little bitter. "You don't remember what happened."

"I do." I locked eyes with him. "I remember everything. And I still want a divorce."

Ethan's eyes flickered like I'd just punched the air out of him. I'd never seen that kind of hurt on his face before.

But I knew I was right.

I closed my eyes and said calmly, "Being with you hurts too much, Ethan. Let's just end it."

I'd said the word divorce plenty of times before.

Ethan always fought it, yelling, denying, even begging.

But now?

Just silence. A hollow, defeated silence.

Dr. Ryan, standing nearby, finally spoke up, as if he couldn't stand the tension.

"Miss Aria, maybe don't be so harsh. Ethan's apologized again and again…"

But Ethan interrupted, "It's my fault."

I looked over at him. "When I first woke up, you warned me not to be ungrateful. All your friends did. Told me not to throw away what I had."

I softened a little. "Ethan… do you still think we shouldn't get divorced?"

. . .

After I was discharged, Ethan didn't come looking for me again.

I'd made myself clear.

It was time for him to let go.

I figured any day now, the divorce papers would show up.

Life slowly returned to normal. Work picked up again.

But one thing started bothering me, Zack.

He started popping up more and more.

"So it's true? You really had amnesia?" he said, flashing that cocky grin. "I had my doubts, but damn. Real soap opera stuff."

Then, in that same easy tone, he added, "Well, once you're officially divorced, maybe consider me?"

"We're not divorced yet," I shot back. "And we haven't even filed paperwork. Which makes what you're doing right now kind of shady. You're stepping into something that's not over yet. Maybe dial it back."

Not because I had any lingering attachment to Ethan.

I just wasn't about to dive into another mess.

Zack might not have meant to be a third party, but technically, he kind of was.

I appreciated him saving my life. I really did. But that was it.

"I'm grateful to you, Zack. That's all. I don't have feelings for you."

He gave me a dramatic look, like I'd kicked a puppy. "Ouch. You didn't have to be that brutal."

Then, with a shrug, he softened. "I get it. Just had to shoot my shot. I'm over you anyway. Just hate seeing you unhappy."

I nodded, and for a moment, I gave him a quick hug, just a thank you.

But the second our bodies touched, a wave of nausea hit me like a truck.

I broke away and rushed to the sink, gagging.

Zack's face dropped. "Damn, hugging me makes you that sick?"

"No, no, it's not that. I just don't feel well…"

And then, it hit me.

We exchanged a look.

His expression darkened. "You're not…"

I shook my head. "No. I mean, at least, I don't think so."

I wiped my mouth, heart racing.

My mind flashed back to that fight.

The moment Ethan told me flat-out, he didn't want kids.

Said if I ever got pregnant, I'd better get rid of it.

I remember wanting to disappear after that.

Could that have been the trigger behind it all?

I clenched my fists and forced a tight smile. "I need to leave work early."

"Yeah, of course. I'll cover for you."

But as soon as I reached the door, there he was.

Ethan. Again.

"Aria," he called, rushing over.

I didn't even try to hide my irritation. I was queasy, stressed, and the last thing I needed was him.

"Why are you here? Unless you brought divorce papers, I don't want to see you."

He held out a bouquet of daisies.

"You never liked roses. I remembered. Thought you might like these."

I looked at the flowers, then at him.

"I don't like daisies either," I said flatly. "In fact, I don't like anything that comes from you."