Chapter 3

With that, Ethan took my hand and led me to the dining table.

"Natalie was just joking with you earlier. Don't take it to heart."

"You just got back, so don't worry about us. Sit down and see if my cooking tastes as good as it used to."

Chloe sat down, picked up a fork to take a bite of the ribs, and immediately wore a look of pure bliss.

"This is amazing! I always knew you'd make the ultimate househusband. Natalie, you're so lucky to have married him."

Lucky?

The word pulled a bitter, humorless scoff from my chest.

Yet I didn't confront Ethan at the dinner table.

I wanted to hear how he intended to explain this to me in private.

Throughout the meal, Chloe kept reminiscing about their past.

"Natalie, Ethan matured so much after getting married. You have no idea how reckless he used to be."

"Back in middle school, some bad boys from the neighboring school wanted my number. When Ethan found out, he went straight over and got into a huge fistfight with them."

"He still has a scar on his thigh from a box cutter, doesn't he?"

Ethan did have a scar on his thigh.

He had never once told me where it came from.

So it was for Chloe.

I didn't say a word, but Ethan chimed in with a chuckle.

"That was ages ago. Don't bring it up and make a fool out of me."

Chloe ignored him and kept chattering away about Ethan's past adventures.

Only then did I realize that the Ethan she knew and the Ethan I knew were two entirely different people.

The Ethan she knew was a warm, vibrant guy who would bend over backward to make her laugh and indulge her every whim.

The Ethan I knew was a hollow shell devoid of any emotion.

I didn't utter a single syllable for the rest of the dinner.

After finishing the meal, Ethan drove Chloe home. The moment he walked back through the front door, he reverted right back to his cold, impassive demeanor.

"Natalie, my emotional detachment disorder was indeed a lie. I don't have that condition."

Having held back my emotions all evening, I slowly lifted my head, forcing the words through clenched teeth:

"Why?"

Ethan met my gaze directly.

"Because I'm not good at comforting people. That's why I told you I had emotional detachment—so you wouldn't expect me to soothe you over every little thing."

"We're going to be together for decades. I couldn't guarantee that I'd always be able to offer you emotional support."

"Instead of letting you down later, it was better to make sure you never counted on me from the start."

"You're not good at comforting people?"

I let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"You seemed pretty damn good at comforting Chloe tonight. You two acted far more like a couple than we ever have."

Ethan's face darkened.

"Chloe is just my friend. That's how we've always interacted."

I stood up and took a step toward him, my voice trembling uncontrollably.

"You can soothe and pamper her, so why couldn't you comfort me when I lost our baby?!"

"Do you have any idea how I survived those days?"

"I couldn't sleep a single night! The physical and psychological pain made me shake uncontrollably, yet you didn't offer a single word of comfort!"

Tears welled up, stinging my eyes.

"Not a single damn word!"

Ethan's hand twitched slightly, as if he wanted to reach out and wipe away my tears.

In the end, he kept his hands at his side.

He simply looked at me with flat, unbothered eyes.

"Even without me comforting you, didn't you get through it just fine?"

"It happened so long ago. Why are you dragging up old history now?"

I stumbled back two steps, seeing the man before me clearly for the very first time.

Finally, I shook my head.

"Yeah. It's all in the past."

"And you and I can become a thing of the past, too."

Ethan let out an exasperated sigh.

"Natalie, stop throwing a tantrum. Now that you know the truth, I won't pretend anymore."

"Can't you just accept that?"