An Open Marriage Agreement That He Suddenly Refused To Honor Chapter 19

An Open Marriage Agreement That He Suddenly Refused To Honor Chapter 19

I remembered how Ethan had lunged toward me before the crash, trying to shield me.

My heart was tangled in confusion. I could never understand why he’d done it.

He was the one who’d grown indifferent to me.

He was the one who’d hurt me time and again.

Yet in the end, he was also the one who’d risked his life to protect me.

What had driven him to do this?

The nurse fell silent for a second before comforting me gently.

“He’s badly injured. He would’ve been fine sitting quietly in the back seat, but he insisted on lunging over to

shield you. Two of his ribs are fractured, and one was just eight millimeters away from piercing his heart.”

“He’s still in ICU, but he’s out of danger now. Don’t worry too much.”

I lowered my eyes.

I could never truly figure Ethan out.

It felt like I’d never seen the real him all these years.

Ethan woke three days later.

Luckily, he’d always been physically strong, and after a few more days of recovery, he was transferred to a

regular ward.

Jasper didn’t come in with me.

He stopped at the door and said softly,

“I’ll stay out here. You two must have a lot to talk about.”

I nodded and pushed open the ward door.

It was only a few days apart, yet Ethan looked like a completely different person.

He’d been surviving on glucose and nutrient fluids, grown noticeably thinner, unshaven and huddled in his

hospital gown, looking frail and worn.

I sat silently beside the bed, neither of us speaking.

After a few minutes, I broke the silence.

“Why did you save me?”

The police had told me Chloe had been lying in wait for three days, planning the deliberate crash to kill me.

If Ethan hadn’t shielded me, I would have been severely hurt too.

He’d been sitting safely in the back seat, with no need to get hurt at all.

Ethan gave a faint weary smile.

“There’s no grand reason behind it. I just reacted on instinct without thinking.”

Silence settled over us once more.

After a long while, he turned his gaze toward the window.

“Perhaps you mean far more to me than I ever admitted.

All these years, I convinced myself I didn’t love you anymore. There were always endless young, fresh women

throwing themselves at me, fawning over me and looking up to me with admiration.

But you were never like them. You’ve seen me at my lowest, most desperate point.

Every time I looked at you, I was forced to remember those penniless, awkward days.

No one likes dwelling on their most pathetic moments, so I kept my distance from you too.

I truly believed I’d fallen out of love.”

He frowned, looking lost and confused.

“But strange as it is, the second that car charged at us, all I could think was that nothing could happen to

you.

Even I can’t make sense of it myself.”

I didn’t understand it either. The human heart is that complicated. Sometimes it’s a mystery even to its

owner. I twisted my fingers, unsure what to say.

Ethan forced a thin smile, one that looked more painful than tears.

“I once thought you’d love me forever.

You were shattered when I turned to others back then, and I assumed you’d always stay waiting for me.

You threw yourself in front of Jasper during the crash, didn’t you?

Lila, you’ve always been this way-foolish enough to give your whole heart to whoever you love. You’ll only

end up getting hurt, do you know that?”

I hung my head low.

I once thought Ethan no longer loved me, yet he’d chosen to risk everything to protect me in that moment.

I once thought I’d love Ethan for the rest of my life, yet when disaster struck, my instinct was to run to

someone else.

It was all rather ridiculous.

“Lila,” Ethan called my name.

I looked up.

“Yes?”

He smiled bitterly, his eyes filled with resignation.

“Let’s get divorced.

I’m letting you go. Just go now.”