Chapter 19
I knew he couldn't hear me, but Evelyn's words earlier had really struck a chord.
I needed to get everything out.
"Ethan, you never wanted kids. But if you wake up, I'll raise our child on my own."
"The kid will still call you Dad, though. You're its father, and as long as you take responsibility, we can still be civil even after the divorce."
"But if you don't wake up, I'll just take the child and leave. Your mom said she'd give me a huge sum of money and won't fight me for custody. That means the baby will be mine. I'll raise it, and eventually, I'll move on. I won't wait around for you."
"Maybe someday soon, your child will be calling someone else 'Dad.'"
I said that last part deliberately, hoping to provoke a reaction.
But I wasn't planning to remarry. I might date again, but marriage? Not in the cards.
"What do you think of Zack? He's liked me for years, and he even saved my life. He'd probably make a good stepdad…"
Before I could finish, Ethan's fingers twitched.
It was small, barely noticeable, but it wasn't my imagination.
Disappointment hit me as he didn't wake up.
"Ethan, I'm not joking. If you don't wake up soon, I really will…"
Before I could finish, Ethan's eyelids fluttered.
This time, I saw it clearly. He was coming back to me.
"Doctor!" I rushed to call Dr. Ryan.
Dr. Ryan was Ethan's close friend, and he had been here since the accident. He and the attending physician arrived quickly, checking Ethan's condition before Dr. Ryan looked at me with a glimmer of hope.
"He should wake up soon. Don't worry."
I let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you."
As Dr. Ryan turned to leave, he hesitated for a moment before walking back to me.
"I just wanted to say… I'm sorry, sister-in-law."
He had always called me Miss Ren before.
Dr. Ryan seemed genuinely apologetic. "I always thought you weren't right for Ethan, but that was just between you two. As long as he's happy, I shouldn't have been so forceful."
"It's in the past," I replied flatly. I wasn't sure how to feel about his apology. To me, he was just an acquaintance.
Seeing my indifferent response, Dr. Ryan didn't say anything more. He made a few polite remarks and left.
I stayed by Ethan's side, waiting for him to wake up.
By midnight, exhaustion overtook me. I rested my head on the bed, holding his hand.
The hospital felt so cold at night, and just as I was about to get up for a blanket, something warm draped over my shoulders.
I startled and opened my eyes to find Ethan covering me with a blanket.
"…You're awake?"
My heart leaped in my chest. I gripped his hand tightly, about to call for the doctor.
But before I could, Ethan gently pulled me into an embrace, his voice raspy and low. "Don't let our child call anyone else 'Dad.'"
He'd just woken up, yet he spoke with urgency.
I was caught off guard, angry, but also somewhat amused. I pushed him away gently. "First, let's get the doctor to check your head!"
…
Ethan had finally woken up.
The Sinclair family was ecstatic. At the same time, the James family breathed a sigh of relief.
Had something happened to Ethan, they might have been forced to do whatever it took to make amends, anything to placate the Sinclairs.
Of course, that was an exaggeration, but for a family like the James, who had once been prestigious but was now struggling, cutting off their connection to the Sinclairs would be devastating.
Despite Ethan waking up, the relationship between the James and Sinclair families could never go back to what it had been. It was irreparably damaged.
After everything that happened, my relationship with Ethan became strained.
We had fought often, but divorce had never really crossed my mind before.
But then he said he didn't want children. If I got pregnant, he wanted me to abort. That's when I first entertained the thought of ending it all.
After Ethan woke up, he insisted on taking me to a psychologist for counseling, wanting to understand the root of our issues.
When he finally realized the full extent of what I had gone through, his face filled with regret.
"Aria, those were just words said in anger. How could I possibly not want our child?"
He seemed genuinely terrified. He pulled me close, his voice trembling. "When you told me you'd ignore Olivia if you were pregnant, I thought you were just being jealous, needing comfort. I know I was wrong, but I didn't understand. I thought you were using the child to compete for my attention, and I got angry. But I never meant it."
I understood where he was coming from. There had been so many misunderstandings between us, but that didn't erase the hurt.
"Aria, give me another chance," he whispered. "I can't live without you or our child. Watch me. If we're still in this place in the future, I won't hold it against you if you leave."
"Aria, I want to try again. I love you so much. We were so in love once. I can't just give that up."
How could I let go of everything?
But I was afraid, afraid to try again.
He was right about one thing. There had been a lot of misunderstandings between us.
But the pain I'd experienced wasn't something I could just forget.
"I've been hurt too, Aria," Ethan said softly as he cupped my face. "We're like two porcupines, but I'm willing to put away my quills for you."
I couldn't help but wonder, was this the chance we both needed, or would the wounds always be too deep?